Carl Finlow Reviews…

Music

It's been a while since we last invited someone into the hot seat to review the best in new music. This time we are joined by none other than Carl Finlow, an unsung hero amidst dance music royalty who has been praised and championed by the likes of Andrew Weatherall and Maceo Plex. Since the early 90's he has been a key figure within British dance and electronic music for many years and has appeared on revered labels such as Warp and Klang amidst many others. This month marked the release of a new album by the influential tastemaker under his own name – "Introspective" is out now on 20/20 Vision.

In keeping with this release we felt it was perhaps time for him to offer up his own commentary of electronic music in the present as he offers some insight to the sounds of the moment…

Buy the new album HERE.

LISTEN

Aphex Twin - T69 Collapse

Another piece of mind bending machine programming from RDJ. Massively complex rhythm layers morph and fractalise until the middle section drops you into something barely describable, as beautiful as it is grotesque. Praise should also be given to the video which is remarkable in it’s own right, and matches the music unbelievably well.

Aphex Twin - T69 Collapse

Another piece of mind bending machine programming from RDJ. Massively complex rhythm layers morph and fractalise until the middle section drops you into something barely describable, as beautiful as it is grotesque. Praise should also be given to the video which is remarkable in it’s own right, and matches the music unbelievably well.
Helena Hauff - 'Qualm'

Miss Hauff takes us on an analog wander through the dark forrests of her mind, very filmic in places, reminiscent of John Carpenter or Stranger Things’ Survivor. Entropy Created Me & You is a beautiful synth voyage and something that would be right at home as part of a soundtrack. It’s these none dance floor moments where Helena is at her most adventurous and for me are the highlights of the album, Fag Butts In The Fire Bucket being another fine example. The album is blatantly very raw in it’s overall production and execution coming from the Bunker school of music, and is a world away from the digital plugin music that has consumed most of the planet. I give her top marks for that alone.
Nullptr - Aftrmth [Aftrmth Ep]

This is a fantastic EP that oozes quality from start to finish. Musically and production wise this is up there with the very best electro around, striking a perfect balance of understated basslines offset against icey synth scapes, all glued together by drums that are as simple as they are effective. This EP proves once again that CPU is a serious contributor to the global electro scene.
Victor Valiant - Olympus

I liked this double EP a lot. From the opening OMD vibes of Flyingdales we are transported through various eclectic locations, absorbing along the way electronic funk-acid-jazz-dub-electro. It’s all handled with great ease and with a gentle production that is as relaxing as it is dancey.
Dmx Krew - Permanent Reminder

Mr Upton serves up a delightful menu of ultra simplified machine flavours. We are down to the very basics here, with 2 or 3 machines maximum, with no real sign, if any, of modern computers being used at all. There is noise, overdrive, crunchyness, and a raw approach that sends your mind both forward and backwards in time. I can fully imagine these working their charm on the dance floor deep deep into the night.