[.ca] Risotto

From Amazon.com:
Fluke first gained notoriety in the early 1990s with singles like "Joni" and "Pearls of Wisdom," songs that infused hummable pop sensibilities into credible underground dance music. Their lighthearted songs and showy live PAs stood out in a scene dominated by faceless producers and music that was, at best, opaque. Unfortunately, they were too far ahead of their time. Years later, Techno has become "Electronica," stage shows and vocals are now the norm, and the aesthetic of a band like Fluke makes more sense than ever. On 1997's Risotto, they borrow heavily from the rulebook laid out by Underworld, working a series of deep and distorted grooves into a sound that's more AC/DC than Tangerine Dream. But unlike their contemporaries, Fluke have a solid understanding of simple verse/chorus/verse pop music and a broad emotional range. Fans of Underworld will appreciate vocal tracks like "Absurd" and "Atom Bomb," but Fluke's diversity and inventiveness is best shown on the narcotized and spacious "Bermuda" and the smooth drum and bass of "Setback." --Matthew Corwine

Pure Electronica Genius:
I owe it to Fluke to review this album, for the years of enjoyment it's brought me. Nearly a decade after its release, I still can't stop listening to Risotto on almost a daily basis. It's made it to my top ten list, and beyond. The sheer genius that went into the making of this album shows in its flawless technical execution - an orgy of instruments blended brilliantly in each track - and the intoxicating melodies of some of the more inspiring songs on the disc, which go beyond just a catchy tune and never dull over time. The tunes range from almost grungy, acid, in-your-face techno (Atom Bomb, Absurd), to get-up-and-move-it breakbeat and house (Mosh, Amp) which would keep any dancer happy as a pig in sh*t. Other songs (Kitten Moon, Bermuda) offer a more relaxing and laid back melody, while one (Goodnight Lover) mixes James Bond-like adventure with orchestra and a fast-paced beat, making this CD a truly diverse and colorful ride through electronic music. Amp, my personal favorite, pulses with energy and moving beats and percussions, giving off an almost tribal, exotic feel. It's one of those songs that could easily cheer up virtually anyone with its pure vibrance and energy. Every instrument used pumps out that intensity until the song itself finishes with a climax worthy of a broad smile. It's then followed up by Reeferendrum, which brings to the listener blissfully tropical breakbeat music with underlying bursts of bass, then a drum-and-snare mixture that seriously rocks your socks. For anyone that is even remotely interested in dance music, techno, house or trance, I would highly suggest getting this album. Hell, listen to the samples and hear for yourself. I've heard a lot of stuff in my time, but to this day, nothing comes close to topping Risotto.

Very very very good stuff:
It is exactly how I thought it would be when I only knew Atom Bomb. It doesn't have a dull moment, every song is a joy to listen. I definitley recommend it.

Nice:
I actually found this album after searching for a song from one of the Matrix Reloaded trailers (Absurd-Whitewash Mix for those who are interested). Great album though, it's that kind of music you search for and perhaps find one song of on any one album - here you get ten... YAY!!

It's... different.:
Quite different when compared to their previous album - more instrumentals, harder songs and edgier lyrics. I don't like it as much as Six wheels on my wagon, which isn't to say that it's a bad album, but it loses energy too quickly. Moving one of the first two tracks down into the middle of the album probably would have fixed this somewhat. Compare and contrast to Underworld's Beaucoup Fish, released two years later. 1. Absurd The opener, and the other famous song from the album. Starts off with thumping bass beats and a woman moaning, before upping the tempo and bringing the rest of the instruments into play. The lyrics make absolutely no sense, except in an Underworld streamofconciousness sort of way. This is another one of those "better with vocoders" songs. 2. Atom bomb (atomix 1) The song that really got Fluke noticed by the masses. Played continuously pretty much everywhere during 1996, made it onto a couple of soundtracks and into at least one game. Hard, fast, edgy techno, danceable, and with great lyrics about a cute, megalomanical girl just trying to take over the world and have some fun doing it. The video clip mixes the WipEout 2097 intro movie, in-game footage, some quick shots of Rachel Stewart dressed up as Arial Tetsuo, and a short anime sequence involving a lot of blood. I'm sure the only reason they picked 2097 was because it had just been released - Arial Tetsuo is from the first WipEout game. 3. Kitten moon Oooh, pseudo-trance! And dreamy, heavy pseudo-trance at that. Even though it's not one of the more famous songs on the album, it probably should be. Gets fast towards the middle of the track, probably breaking the "trance" thing, but I'm not all that great with genres anyway. Oh, and it's the second longest song Fluke have done. Now you know. 4. Tosh (mosh) Surprisingly, this isn't punk or metal. In fact, it's more of a buzzy dance/trance beat than anything else. You could mosh to it, but you'd look pretty damn stupid. 5. Bermuda Another synth and piano number, feeling a lot like something out of Oto. 6. Setback The intro part before the breakbeat kicks in reminds me of tolling church bells, for some reason. More Underworld-style lyrics, and a sort of ambient background to go with the beats (although, there's some bleeps that make me think of CoLD SToRAGE). 7. Amp Similar to Setback, but without the vocals and more bouncy. Not too much to say about this one, really. 8. Absurd (reeferendrum) Is it just me, or are Fluke the only ones who're any damn good at remixing their own tracks? Don't give me any of that "Born Slippy vs. Born Slippy.NUXX" crap - this track sounds absolutely nothing like the original. It's mostly heavy drum beats with a soaring, twinkly piano and harp line. It's also the 10th track on the Sasha/Digweed mix album Northern Exposure 2: East Coast Edition, albeit slowed down a little. 9. Squirt Yet another breakbeat number with a swelling synth-line. The lyrics really make this one stand out; they're not like anything else on the album, and Jon Fugler really doesn't sound like himself. Nice track, though, and the single has some excellent remixes. 10. Goodnight lover Ambience. Bells. Guitar. Progressive backbeat. Wind off the bells and up the guitar and backbeat. Add in a synth-violin noise until it sounds like something from a James Bond movie. Not a bad closer, and the lack of lyrics winds down nicely from the previous track. Fluke had some help from Steve Dub on this track - he's the guy who engineers all the Chemical Brothers albums.

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