Suilven

Up in Edinburgh John Vick and Davie Miller have taken their time putting together an album as Finiflex, working in a subterranean studio in Leith, putting in early morning shifts from 6am until 9am when the paying customers arrived to use the studio. The album, Suilven, came out on Friday and while I'll have to wait until payday to get a copy it is sounding very much like a end of year list-maker already. Suilven has the fingerprints that made Finitribe such an unexpected groovy treat in the 80s and early 90s but updated for 2018. Familiar multitracked vocals, bleeps and bloops, chuggy rhythms and a sense of openness and possibility. I've posted the 2 singles that preceded the album Ta Ta Oh Ha and Bonus Freaks before, back in October last year and March this year, both of which I've played repeatedly. The title track Suilven is a joy and a tribute to a mountain in Sutherland, Scotland. You can buy Suilven here (the album not the mountain).

I Want More

I recently acquired a copy of a 1993 12" single by Ege Bam Yasi- thanks Ctel by the way- and have been coming back to it fairly frequently. Ege Bam Yasi was from Inverness, born James MacDonald, an early adopter of acid house and has been making records since 1986. He took his stage name from the famous Can album and in 1993 put out a cover of Can's only hit single I Want More, recorded with Edinburgh's Finiflex. There are 3 mixes on the 12", each one based to a greater or lesser extent around the Michael Karoli guitar riff, and clearly intended as much for the floor as for home listening. This one has a vocal sample, the instruction 'everybody listen', that choppy riff, some flute and a crunchy Finitribe/Finiflex rhythm. After one minute thirty-ish it becomes increasingly acid house.

I Want More (Malcolm Eggs Mixegg)

Bonus Freaks

                                                           Mark Rothko, Untitled, 1968

Moving on from the late 80s of the last few days to something brand new for today- a Good Friday release from FiniFlex, and what could be described as a massive late 80s industrial acid house tune with trademark FiniTribe multi-tracked vocals, thumping machine drums in all the right places. Finiflex are from Edinburgh, Davie Miller and John Vick who used to be FiniTribe. Bonus Freaks is a tribute to all the people who get out there and keep the music scene alive, going to gigs, buying new music, seeking new things. There's an album called Suilven due later this year to follow this single and the Ta Ta Oo Ah single which came out towards the end of last year, a Bagging Area end of year favourite. John Vick says that the songs are designed to be played live, to 'rattle the ribcage and remind you you're alive' which makes Bonus Freaks make perfect sense.



Buy here.

What Manner Of World Have I Found Here?!!

Silver Surfer again, exploding out of deep space and bringing with him Galactus, devourer of worlds. But the Surfer makes his choice, the surfer stands with earth!

More good news for the people of planet earth, there is a new release from Finiflex (some of Finitribe) . This four track release on Bandcamp (digital and yellow vinyl) has four versions of Ta Ta Oo Ha. Origination, the nine minute, full length one is the one I'm going back to most, but the low slung, hypnotic throb of TX20 Agent Of Intelligence is a treat too. I really like this e.p., a blast of modernity with a foot in the early 90s.

And as a bonus, just in case you needed reminding, here is one of 1991's best releases.

'Bass, can you hear me? Loud and clear. Crunching through these speakers to you...'

101 (Sonic Shuffle)