Breakbeat Meets Gabber Ties: Knifehandchop's Tongue-in-Cheek 1999 Debut, 'Fighting Pig Learns Judo Tricks'

KNIFEHANDCHOP: FIGHTING PIG LEARNS JUDO TRACKS

SCORE: 91/100

Rarely is an album truly ahead of its time, but this album does just that. From a clever opening sketch to artwork that almost seems like something straight out of a modern electronic project, Knifehandchop's 1999 debut album is something that sounds entirely unlike any other albums on the market. It's clever, tongue-in-cheek, and exceptionally well-rounded in every way imaginable. 

Toronto-based producer Billy Pollard is the brains behind the solo outlet of Kinfehandchop's, and the mixed Breakbeat infused Gabber style of this album is something entirely infectious while being highly experimental and otherworldly in its sound. This is an album that feels like both the future and a fight scene, and you won't want to miss out on this action-packed LP. 

Fighting Pig Learns Judo Tricks feels like one massive experimental DJ set, and it's a 39-minute experiment into sound and sonic boundaries through a massive mix of Electronic subgenres that you won't be able to get enough of. From scratches and sound collages to distorted kicks, this is an album that truly feels like one massive fever dream in every way imaginable. 

For something so truly experimental and "messy", Fighting Pig Learns Judo Tracks is entirely consistent and enjoyable. It's a deeply potent album that does everything right, and the technology behind every track is mind-blowing. There's something truly impressive about an album that manages to be this immersive, and it's no understatement to call this album a mind-blowing piece of Electronic music. 

Rarely will you find a 90's Glitch record - but this album is just that. It reigns in the Electronic underground trends of its respective era while being something completely unique from other albums; and nothing you expect from this album will be what you get. 

From 8-bit madness to repetitive grooves, this is an album that truly does do it all in such a palatable amount of time. It isn't an Electronic album that runs for longer than what is welcomed by most, it's the perfect length for an album and it's best listened to blindly without sneaking snippets of tracks beforehand. 

The sample choices within the album are absolute masterclass, and the way that each piece of media is interlocked into the album is something that you have to hear in order to believe. The Gabber influences throughout the album are best heard through distorted kicks and heavy grooves - and it's a completely different side of the genre that uses choppy samples and paves the way for Mashcore (also known as Lolicore in some circumstances), 2000's/2000's breakcore, and artists like goreshit. 

For an album that is so widely underlooked - this is without a doubt one of the best pieces of electronic music that you can wrap your ears around. It's complex and consistently ahead of its time, and grasping this album is a heavy feat; it's just that truly impressive. 

Pollard was creating sounds and sequences that were completely unheard of up until this point, and it's shocking to hear just how modern this album sounds and feels despite it still having old-school elements that make the project completely immersive. It's highly reminiscent of old-school video game OST's and action-packed warehouse Gabber while being something entirely different and unique to itself, and it almost goes without saying that Pollard is one of the most influential figures in Mashcore, Glitch, and Breakcore.

Every single song on Fighting Pig Learns Judo Tricks is different from the last, and there's something truly infectious about an album that can be so varied, yet so entirely consistent. Every song melts into one another like a seamless mix - and this is one of those albums that you absolutely must listen to in order and in full. When you think it can't get any more interesting, it does. 

The album is interested in all aspects, and Pollard does everything right with his style, influences, and sound - which can be seen throughout the entirety of the project. It's a project that delivers more than anyone could possibly expect from it, and it's hard to come close to an album like this one. 

This is music for both a dancefloor and an intense action sequence, and the entire album feels like it could be the soundtrack for its own fighting game. There's something much deeper to Fighting Pig Learns Judo Tricks than one might expect, and it isn't just a gimmick-filled project filled with Japanese Anime aesthetics - it actually lives up to everything that it needs to be.