Forty Minutes Of Fluke

From the moment I first heard the needle find the groove and the opening synth wobble of Fluke's Philly poured into the room, some time in spring 1991, I loved the sheer joy of the song- the 'put your hands up high' vocal line, the pump of the acid house drums and bass, the start of a new decade feel it provoked. Their albums from 1991, The Techno Rose Of Blighty and Out (In Essence) brought more of the same- house, synth- pop, downtempo, seamlessly brought together in a streamlined, mid tempo rush. Mike Tournier, Mike Bryant and Jon Fugler formed Fluke in the late 80s, and released five albums before calling time in 2003. Their early 90s records are as much a part of my record collection at that time as any others, the sound and feel of the early 90s wrapped up. 

Forty Minutes Of Fluke

• The Bells (Mix 1)
• Philly (Jamorphous Mix)
• The Garden Of Blighty 
• Slid (Hypogasmix)
• Joni
• Big Time Sensuality (The Moulimix)
• Taxi

The Bells was a 1991 single, a track with three mixes (1, 2 and 3) and punningly titled 'The Peal Sessions', with a vocal conflating ecstasy and Jesus. 

Philly (Jamorphous) first came out in 1990, a 12" on Creation backed with two further mixes- Jameoba and Jamateur. It was then the opening track on Creation's Keeping The Faith compilation twelve track album released in spring 1991 that was as good record of the time as any other- alongside Philly were the likes of Sheer Taft's Cascades, Weatherall's remix of My Bloody Valentine, Hypnotone, Primal Scream, Love Corporation, J.B.C's cover of The Rolling Stones' We Love You and World Unite. 

The version of The Garden Of Blighty here is from Out (In Essence), a five track live album Fluke released in 1991, a gloriously uptempo document of their sound at the time.

The Hypogasmix of Slid, remixed by Tom Middleton of Global Communications, came out on the Absurd EP in 1997, the pick of four remixes and one which sounds as fresh today as it did in 1997. Slid was on their 1993 album Six Wheels On My Wagon, a typically optimistic blend of club rhythms and melody, songs and beats, sequenced so it started out poppy and full of hooks and gradually becoming more ambient and experimental. 

Joni samples Joni Mitchell and first saw the light of day on a self released white label in 1990. The B-side was Taxi (a nod to Joni and her Big Yellow Taxi). Joni was then included on The techno Rose Of Blighty album. Joni is very much a progressive house thumper.

Fluke remixed Bjork several times, two versions of Big Time Sensuality in 1993 and two of Violently Happy from '94. The two remixes of Big Time Sensuality are among my favourite records, part of the fabric of my life in 1993/ 1994. The shorter, slower Minimix is a stunner but the longer, faster Moulimix was the one required here.