''Pretty Ugly'' is the debut studio album by

Scratcha DVA Scratcha DVA also known as DJ Scratcha, DVA i; Emotions Scratchclart and DVA is a British electronic musician, producer and DJ often associated with DVA Music, Hyperdub and Rinse FM. His debut album, ''Pretty Ugly (Scratcha DVA album), Prett ...

. It was released 19 March 2012 through

Hyperdub __NOTOC__ Hyperdub is a British electronic music record label and former webzine based in London, founded by Kode9, Steve Goodman, a.k.a. Kode9. The label was formed in 2004, and grew out of the UK's early dubstep scene. Artists signed to the l ...

Production

It was recorded in

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Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

, and

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Critical reception

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'' wrote that the album "wears its polemical heart on its sleeve, offering a manifesto for an approach to dance music that looks askew, glances awry, and always moves out of kilter." ''

The Quietus ''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics. Content ''The Quietu ...

'' wrote that ''Pretty Ugly'' contains "a decent scattering of funky-ish house tracks," while allowing Scratcha DVA the opportunity to be more "stylistically divergent."

BBC Music BBC Music is the arm of the BBC responsible for the music played across its services. The current director of music is Lorna Clarke. Officially it is a part of the BBC's Radio operational division; however, its remit also includes music used i ...

called it "an exhilarating debut album from Leon Smart’s DVA alias, full of complexity." ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...

'' wrote that the album's "decidedly upbeat atmosphere dodges any pattern or semblance."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2012 debut albums Scratcha DVA albums