The son of a jazz drummer, Jenkinson grew up listening to greats such as Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and Art Blakey, plus dub pioneers King Tubby and Augustus Pablo. He played bass and drums in high school but was frustrated by the limitations of playing with other musicians. Introduced to electronic music through experimental electro-techno artists such as LFO and Carl Craig as well as the local rave scene, Jenkinson soon began assembling these disparate influences into an amalgam of post-bop, avant-garde and progressive jazz with breakbeat techno, making heavy use of the Amen break.
Conumber E:P and another early EP, as Duke Of Haringey, Alroy Road Tracks (1995, Spymania), were initially disregarded as misplaced perversions of jungle's more obvious compositional principles. However, they found a ready audience in fans of post-acid house experimental listening music. Tracks from these EPs were later compiled onto the album Burningn'n tree.
His first album, Feed Me Weird Things (1996, Rephlex - Richard D. James' label) and from there he progressed to Warp Records for the Port Rhombus EP, classic second album Hard Normal Daddy (1997) and all subsequent releases to date - except, as Chaos A.D., an album of old acid techno tracks, Buzz Caner (1998, Rephlex).
For Music Is Rotted One Note (1998), he stopped using sampled drum breaks and instead multi-tracked himself playing drums, bass, and keyboards. The following year, he released two EPs: Budakhan Mindphone and Maximum Priest, plus album Selection Sixteen.
Go Plastic (summer 2001), marked a change of direction with entirely sampled and synthesized sounds. It includes the closest thing to a hit single Squarepusher had seen, "My Red Hot Car". His subsequent releases, e.g. Do You Know Squarepusher (2003) and Ultravisitor (2004), found him refining his fusion of composition, programming and musicianship.
More recently, Just A Souvenir (2008), with a more rock-influenced sound, was followed by Solo Electric Bass (2009), consisting of live recordings of Jenkinson on the titular instrument.
Shin Triad
Squarepusher Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ginav e djes, ginav o shon
Godo pushlas ame, sar avela chiro hango
Sar asasas, sar zungasas
Gana aves, avsa tut
Gana shai dikhas tu, kamav tut gade
Le shinav, sar le shin pre tu
Ginav e djes, ginav o shon
Gana shai dikhas tu, kamav tut gade
Le shinav, sar le shin pre tu
Ginav e djes, ginav o shon
Gana aves, avsa tut
Gana shai dikhas tu, kamav tut gade
Le shinav, sar le shin pre tu
Ginav e djes, ginav o shon
Gana aves, avsa tut
Gana shai dikhas tu, kamav tut gade
Le shinav, sar le shin pre tu
Ginav e djes, ginav o shon
Le shinav
Le shinav
Le shinav
The lyrics in Squarepusher's "Shin Triad" are quite abstract and mysterious, and they seem to be sung in a language that may not be recognizable to most listeners. The song starts with "Le shinav, sar le shin pre tu" which loosely translates into "My spirit, as it moves towards you". The lyrics continue with phrases like "Ginav e djes, ginav o shon" which could mean "I know the day, I know the night." Overall, the lyrics seem to be about a search for something, a longing for a connection or a reconciliation with someone or something.
Line by Line Meaning
Le shinav, sar le shin pre tu
I explore the depths of my mind and soul in search of knowledge and understanding
Ginav e djes, ginav o shon
I dive deeper and deeper into my innermost thoughts and feelings with every passing day
Godo pushlas ame, sar avela chiro hango
I am a constant work in progress, trying to better myself in every way I can
Sar asasas, sar zungasas
I strive for balance and harmony in all aspects of my life
Gana aves, avsa tut
I have an insatiable curiosity that drives me to explore the world and all it has to offer
Gana shai dikhas tu, kamav tut gade
I seek to understand and learn from everyone and everything around me, no matter how different or unfamiliar
Le shinav
I continue to explore and challenge myself, in search of greater understanding and enlightenment
Le shinav
I remain committed to learning and growing, even in the face of challenges and setbacks
Le shinav
I will never stop exploring the mysteries of my own mind and soul, in pursuit of greater knowledge and understanding
Contributed by Nathan J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.