Risotto

Fluke

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 30, 1997)
• Original Release Date: September 30, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Astralwerks
• ASIN: B000003RZF
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (77 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #53,970 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #14 in

  Music > Indie Music > Dance & DJ > Trip-Hop

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Description
Unlike other electronic bands, Fluke has a real guitarist, a vocalist and traditional song structures to their music. With huge guitar loops and growling vocals, they will appeal to everyone from NIN to Marilyn Manson. Risotto has 10 tracks, including the singles 'Atom Bomb' (featured on 'The Saint' soundtrack & MTV's 'Amp' program and comp CD), 'Absurd' and 'Squirt'. 1997 Astralwerks release.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Oaken-who?, September 17, 2005

By	Ao Me Akuma (Canada) - See all my reviews

Let me start by saying that you've probably heard at least one single off this album and not realized it. Fluke's music has been used in countless TV commercials, movie soundtracks, and even several video games. But mention the name "Fluke" and most people will go "who?"

THIS is what electronic music should be. Deep, multi-layered compositions. Songs that build to a forceful climax. A groove so infections that if it doesn't make you move at least one part of your body, you must be either dead or paralyzed. Songs that actually justify their length. Unlike other electronic artists who are lazy and let their machines do all the work for them, Fluke understand the need for a song to develop and progress through its length. And unlike typical "House" music, it needn't be listened to solely in a club. Listen carefully, and you'll be able discern the different layers and melodies of each track that only become apparent after several listens.

This isn't cheesy pop-electronica; rather, the music on Risotto takes a darker tone than most, with futuristic, evil-sounding sonic landscapes. Interestingly, it does not lend itself to categorization. Fluke is not really house, but neither does it fall into trance, techno, breakbeat, or any of the other millions of categories of electronic music. They aren't afraid to vary their styles, either. Opening tracks "Absurd" and "Atom Bomb" are fast-paced and aggressive, while tracks like "Bermuda" and "Kitten Moon" are much slower and with more "chill out" ambience than others. If there's one criticism, it's track sequencing. The best tracks are frontloaded, causing the album to peak early, although that's a highly relative statement, as there are no real "bad" tracks on the album.

Song Summaries:

1. Absurd - Thundering opening track, with a strong, hard baseline that simply makes you want to move. Also features gravelly vocals from Jonathon Fugler, with throughly nonsensical lyrics. A+.
2. Atom Bomb - First used in the Playstation game Wipeout XL, and countless other movies and video games, Atom Bomb is easily the standout track on Risotto. Hard, fast, and infinitely danceable. Fluke accomplish in nearly six minutes what lesser artists (*coughcough Oakenfold coughcough*) could never accomplish in their career. A+
3. Kitten Moon - Fluke shifts gears for a slower, more trance-like number. Despite its nine-minute length, it never grows stale or repetitive. A+
4. Mosh - Aptly named; a track that you might actually be able to mosh or headbang to. This is an actually a remix of a track from the previous album "Oto" but as par for Fluke, it sounds very little like the original at all. A+
5. Bermuda - A slow groove, probably the slowest on the track, with a more dub-like feel. It tends to get a bit repetitive after a while, but thankfully doesn't wear out it's welcome. B+
6. Setback - The album picks up speed again, this time with a breakbeat-style track, with Crystal Method-esque drums and ethereal ambience. A-
7. Amp - A Big-beat style track that begins rather plainly, but slowly builds and builds until it reaches a forceful climax in typical Fluke style. A+
8. Reeferendum - A bit of a weaker track, being somewhat repetitive and too similar to "Setback". Would not be bad for play at a club, but feel free to skip this one. B-
9. Squirt - A remix from Oto, with sort of an eerie, drum-n-bass vibe running through it. Sadly, it doesn't really go anywhere during it's length. B-
10. Goodnight Lover - Starts off slow, but then builds into a forceful, James Bond-like melody. Illustrates everything that makes Fluke so great, and a great way to end the album. A+

It seems sad that artists like Fluke get little to no press, while other electronic musicians who churn out nothing but derivative cheese get all the fame. By all means get this CD, even if you just want to see how many car commercials the tracks have been used in.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow., November 27, 1999

By	Edgar Andy (Edmonton, Alberta Canada) - See all my reviews

I bought this CD on a whim. Having heard only a few Fluke tracks before, and not quite knowing what to expect, I was blown away... It begins with Absurd, a rather abstract piece which gains high energy early in and stays as such through the whole piece. Atom Bomb is next, it's Fluke's most commercial success, and having been on several soundtracks, including The Saint, is the song most people think of when they think of Fluke. Its energy is amazing. Kitten Moon is next, with its trace-like elements slowing things down. Mosh kicks things up again, an excellent instrumental, then flows smoothly into Bermuda. Setback is slower and a little more focussed, but soon moves into Amp and Reeferendrum, two solid instrumentals. Squirt knocks in the bizarre lyrics again, and the final track, Goodnight Lover, is dark and fast... Overall, it is an amazing and very involving CD...

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fluke's greatness is no fluke., August 19, 2004

By	Trevor C. Cook (Fort Benning, GA) - See all my reviews

For the longest time I heard snippets and samples here and there of this stellar album. But for the longest time, and for a variety of reasons, I just couldn't get my hands on a copy. Well, I finally did, and Risotto is one of the grooviest discs ever.

And there's no other word for Risotto; it's just groovy. The album arguably peaks too early. Absurd, the opening track, is a fantastic, in-your-face start for this great CD; it's just one of those jaw-dropping, "What am I listening to 'cause I love it" numbers. Unfortunately, it's also just so good that it makes the rest of the CD seem kind of tame in comparison. But don't let that fool you. Tame for Fluke is still lightyears ahead of just about everybody else. Atom Bomb, the mega-hit from the album (featured in countless soundtracks, and understandably so), is a slick, big beat blaster that, like Absurd, just makes you want to move. The album tones itself down a little from here on, with the dreamy Kitten Moon, the funky Mosh, the laid-back Bermuda. Setback brings a noticeable drum & bass edge to the table, while Amp, if you'll forgive the pun, amps the album back up. Reeferendrum is an insanely different remix of Absurd, and while nowhere near as amazing as the Whitewash remix (featured on Fluke's Progressive History X CD), still manages to be worth your time. Squirt is probably my least favorite track, but it's still good enough that I never skip it. The album closes with Goodnight Lover, a smooth and agile breakbeat number.

Fluke's been around for ages, and you've probably heard them all over and just never knew. Absurd was used in the trailers and making-of featurette for The Bourne Identity, and the Whitewash remix of Absurd was used in The Matrix Revolutions trailer featured in the Enter The Matrix video game. Atom Bomb's been used in countless movies, and more noticeably it became the unoffical theme for the WipeOut racing series for the Sony PlayStation. And Fluke's latest, Zion (on The Matrix Reloaded album), was used as the music during the rave scene in The Matrix Reloaded, as well as the TV commercial for the BMW 5 Series. It's ironic that Fluke choose to call themselves that, since their talent is clearly no fluke; they've been around since before electronica was even heard of, and will undoubtedly be around for even longer. Risotto is probably their strongest outing, and I wouldn't hesitate to rank this album right up there with BT's Movement In Still Life, Crystal Method's Vegas and Sasha's Involver. Fluke is sensational, and fans of Underworld and good grooves in general should run, not walk, to their nearest source of electronica and pick up Risotto. It's a classic.