Selection Sixteen

*Selection Sixteen* is Tom Jenkinson’s attempt to reconcile the often-colliding aspects of his musical personae, and the album makes for a wild ride. By 1999, Jenkinson had already moved beyond the pummeling techno of “Mind Rubbers,” “Snake Pass,” and “Time Borb,\" and yet these are some of his most cacophonous, brutal expositions to date. Like an aging heavyweight out of retirement, these songs feel like Jenkinson’s return to the ring to reconfirm his killer instinct before a league of doubtful fans. Though some of his followers were irked by Squarepusher’s jazz-inflected material, the jazz-oriented songs on this set are undoubtedly the most forward-looking. The bass has long served Jenkinson as both a divining rod and a weapon of mass destruction. “Yo” and “Freeway” show the composer once again plumbing the secrets of his primary instrument. While *Selection Sixteen* often feels like a collision of musical tangents—albeit an enjoyable one—the album also boasts some of Jenkinson’s most cohesive tracks, including “Square Wave” and “Tomorrow World.”

Similar to the 1999 Squarepusher EPs Budakhan Mindphone and Maximum Priest, Selection Sixteen alternates what sounds like outtakes from his last LP (Music Is Rotted One Note) -- that is, short organic fusion cast-offs -- with a set of hard-edged acid tracks, most of which chart the hyperkinetic drum'n'bass programming that fans expect.