Fisk Industries: 77 And Rising
Highpoint Lowlife

Fisk Industries' 10-inch mini-album will give vinyl fetishists good cause to celebrate but presentation is merely one of its charms. Naturally, it's the sextet of songs comprising London-based Mat Ranson's follow-up to his 2003 The Isle Of Wight EP that's the major reason to get excited. A marked hip-hop dimension enlivens the framing tracks, evidencing an update in the Fisk Industries sound.

Crunchy breaks power the opener “Reflection” with writhing groans imbuing the song's glimmering core with brooding ambiance while the shuffling chug in the closer “Polska” takes the funk vibe to an even sweeter level. Other tracks exude a similar beat punch: the dark electro of throbbing beats and piercing stabs of string samples in “Close” aligns Fisk Industries to its Spezial Materials brethren, and jittery breaks and thudding bass lines enhance the wide-screen character of “Liquid Silver Moments.” At the EP's core, the fleeting “Moieties (Part One)” introduces a sombre symphonic dimension that the second part's sparkling keys sheds some sunlight upon. 77 And Rising: tripped-out, cybernetic excellence from Mr. Ranson that's over far too quickly.

April 2006