Butter (album)

Butter is the first studio album by Scottish electronic musician Hudson Mohawke.[1] It was released on Warp Records on 26 October 2009[2] to positive reviews from critics.[3]

Butter
Studio album by
Released26 October 2009 (2009-10-26)
Length51:05
LabelWarp Records
ProducerHudson Mohawke
Hudson Mohawke chronology
Polyfolk Dance
(2009)
Butter
(2009)
Satin Panthers
(2011)
Hudson Mohawke studio album chronology
Butter
(2009)
Lantern
(2015)

Background

In 2009, Hudson Mohawke signed to Warp Records, despite a very limited track record of official releases; in fact, the bulk of his releases were unofficial tracks and DJ mixes circulated on the Internet.[4] Butter is his debut album and second release on Warp following the 2008 Polyfolk Dance EP.[5] The album’s artwork was designed by Birchard’s friend Tom Scholefield (a.k.a. Konx-Om-Pax), with both working from a folder of influences they wanted to incorporate.[6] The album features collaborations with Dam-Funk, Nadsroic, and Olivier Daysoul, the latter an American singer who contributes to two tracks.[7]

Birchard described his recording setup as "very simple," explaining "I’m more interested in the equipment being usable and immediate, rather than spending loads of time tweaking things."[8] Most of the album was made in the audio program FruityLoops using free plug-ins.[8] Mohawke also used hardware such as an Ensoniq VFX and Roland W30 "for lots of vintage dancey sounds" as well as a Korg M50, and sampled his own MIDI programming.[7] He premiered the material at LA's Low End Theory, where it was received positively.[7]

Reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic80/100[3]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[9]
BBC Musicfavorable[10]
Clash7/10[11]
Drowned in Sound8/10[2]
The Guardian[12]
NME7/10[13]
Pitchfork6.7/10[14]
PopMatters8/10[1]
Q[3]
Resident Advisor3.5/5[5]

At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, Butter received an average score of 80% based on 9 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[3]

AllMusic called it "A fearless scrap heap mutation that incorporates icebox IDM crunch, DayGlo synthesizer funk and, most notably, late-'80s/early-'90s R&B flourishes."[9] AJ Ramirez of PopMatters gave the album 8 stars out of 10, commenting that "While Butter's fascination with chaotic beats and sonic experimentalism fit right into the Warp aesthetic, the album is remarkably accessible, liable to inspire head-bobbing motions of approval."[1] The Guardian wrote that "listening to Butter can feel like eavesdropping on the future," adding that "It's like eating candyfloss and helium on a speeding rollercoaster: exhilarating and discombobulating in equal measure."[12]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Shower Melody"1:21
2."Gluetooth"3:47
3."Joy Fantastic" (featuring Olivier Daysoul)3:59
4."3.30"1:35
5."Trykk"2:13
6."Fruit Touch"3:57
7."Zoooooom"2:42
8."Acoustic Lady"2:07
9."Rising 5"3:12
10."Twistclip Loop"1:23
11."Just Decided" (featuring Olivier Daysoul)3:50
12."No One Could Ever"2:19
13."Velvet Peel"2:16
14."Tell Me What You Want from Me" (featuring Dam-Funk)2:58
15."Fuse"3:10
16."Star Crackout"4:55
17."Allhot" (featuring Nadsroic)2:43
18."Black n Red"2:44

References

  1. Ramirez, AJ (October 27, 2009). "Hudson Mohawke: Butter". PopMatters. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  2. Gardner, Noel (October 28, 2009). "Hudson Mohawke - Butter". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  3. "Butter - Hudson Mohawke". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  4. Birchmeier, Jason. "Hudson Mohawke Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 20 May 2009.
  5. Marlow, Oli (November 4, 2009). "Hudson Mohawke - Butter". Resident Advisor. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  6. Gieben, Bran. "Warp Week: Hudson Mohawke Melts Genres Like Butter!". The Skinny. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  7. Bamberger, Seas. "Hudson Mohawke: "I was never really a fan of hammering shit in people's faces all the time"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  8. Welsh, April Clare. "Joy Fantastic: An Oral History of Hudson Mohawke's Butter". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved 20 August 2019.
  9. Kellman, Andy. "Butter - Hudson Mohawke". AllMusic. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  10. Pattison, Louis (2009). "Hudson Mohawke - Butter - Review". BBC Music. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  11. Murray, Robin (October 26, 2009). "Hudson Mohawke - Butter". Clash. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  12. MacInnes, Paul (October 22, 2009). "Hudson Mohawke: Butter". The Guardian. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  13. Richards, Sam (October 9, 2009). "Album review: Hudson Mohawke - 'Butter'". NME. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  14. Sisson, Patrick (October 12, 2009). "Hudson Mohawke: Butter". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 28, 2015.

Further reading

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