Silicon Scally, the alias of electronic music producer Carl Finlow, released his critically acclaimed album 'Mr Machine' in 2002 on SCSI-AV. The album was a masterful blend of electro and sci-fi soundscapes, showcasing Finlow's unique style and production prowess, which took the listener on a journey through a futuristic world of machines and technology. It ranks as one of the finest electro records of the early noughties. Fast-forward to 2023 and Sync 24's Cultivated Electronics label is proud to present 'Mr Machine PT 2'. Like its predecessor, the new album is filled with intricate synth melodies, driving rhythms, and pulsating basslines, all perfectly balanced to create an immersive listening experience. 'Mr Machine PT 2' once again showcases Finlow's ability to not only create relentless beats for the dancefloor but also dynamic soundscapes that transport the listener to another world. Created using a mixture of both old analog gear and very modern plugins, both albums were written with a very strong emphasis on the machine aesthetic, reflecting the cutting edge of what was available at their respective times. Futuristic and timeless. The album will be released on triple-pack vinyl and digitally.

Tracklist:

01 CRYPTOTRONIX
02 TACHOCLINE
03 LONELY INTEGERS
04 MICROSTRUCTURES
05 DIFFRACTION FIELD
06 DIGICELL
07 MODULI
08 IMPETUS
09 WAVE DYNAMICS
10 SYSTEM OF VOIDS
11 CONNECTOMES
12 MANIFEST IMAGE

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Carl Finlow keeps on keepin' on. Not only is Finlow one of the most respected names in electro, a producer who boasts a sprawling catalogue that takes in a wide variety of aliases, but he's also spent recent years establishing himself as a mainstay for Sheffield's Central Processing Unit label. Soft Robotics, the new EP from Finlow's Silicon Scally project, is the fifth Silicon Scally release in five years to boast one of CPU's instantly-recognisable black-and-white covers. The reason that Silicon Scally and CPU keep linking up is simple; they're a perfect fit for one another. Central Processing Unit has established itself as a haven for post-Drexciya producers since launching in 2012, and there are few artists better than Finlow at building on the Detroit group's sound. The union bears fruit once more on Soft Robotics, an EP of lithe machine-funk jams that will both do damage in the dance and also reward more concentrated home listening. Things begin at a steadier speed than one might expect. Rather than barrelling off with the kind of sinewy roller one associates with the CPU name, Soft Robotics' title-track takes things at mid-pace. The groove reveals itself without hurry, Silicon Scally adding or subtracting elements - twitchy modular loops, pensive pads, the occasional blurt of low-end - atop the chugging bass/drums groove. It's a track which wins you over with guile rather than force. As the name of subsequent cut 'Jitters' intimates, this one picks things up a little after 'Soft Robotics'. The tempo is higher here, the central beat more nervy. At their cores, though, 'Jitters' and 'Soft Robotics' are kindred spirits. Here, another slyly insistent bit of drum programming comes swirled up with all sorts of extraterrestrial tones, from little nuggets of melody supplied by the keys to electrifying synth stabs and percussive squelches. Things limber up further still on first B-side 'Spin Ratio'. The track's 808 kicks are punchier than those of the A-side jams, and there's a dizziness to the bass tone which gives 'Spin Ratio' an intriguingly off-kilter feel. Atop the booming beat we find ourselves hypnotised by cells of melody and harmony interlocking or moving apart - particularly the staccato module at the track's heart. Sure enough, 'Spin Ratio' is the Soft Robotics joint which cleaves closest to Drexciya, invoking other Detroit disciples like Jensen Interceptor in the process. After Soft Robotics picks up speed in the middle, closer 'Super Fluid Tones' brings us back to where we started. This track returns to the more measured delivery of the record's opener - there's a steady pulse to the drums, and once again Silicon Scally packs the mix with so many intriguing whizzes, bangs, blips and blurts that it's impossible not be won over by this tune's construction. 'Soft Robotics' and 'Super Fluid Tones' bookend Soft Robotics very nicely, and Silicon Scally's smart pacing gives the EP a lovely ebb and flow. The ever-excellent Carl Finlow drops a Silicon Scally release via Central Processing Unit for the fifth year running. Like its predecessors, Soft Robotics is an excellent and deftly-crafted collection of modern machine-funk.

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Carl Finlow has been a prominent name in UK electro since the mid-90s, releasing music at an astonishing rate under a variety of monikers. Silicon Scally defines his most strictly electro-oriented project, reflective of the Kraftwerk era and the emerging electro-scene, with releases on respected labels such as Cultivated Electronics, CPU and of course 20/20 Vision, with music from a variety of Carl's monikers being amongst the labels earliest releases.

'Crushed' is a sought after album project originally self-released on Finlow's Bandcamp during the 2020 lockdown. We felt the release was to important to be overlooked without a much deserved run of vinyl, so have pressed a limited run of records featuring futuristic electro highlights and the best unreleased cuts.

'Proton Mass' kicks things off with perfectly crafted robotic funk, solid mechanical breaks and mind bending glitches, setting the landscape for a journey into the abyss with Silicon Scally unshakeably at the helm. 'Centronix' follows up with razor-sharp rocking beats, squelchy bass and jarring grooves as if designed for high pace no nonsense club sets from the likes of DJ Stingray or Helena Hauff.

On the flip side 'Axiom' takes us deeper into the void with dark basslines, complex drums and unapologetically disorientating frequencies. A track that makes us question if Finlow has transcend to a future state where he is more machine than man, sending psychoactive messages in the form of killer electro cuts.

'Cascade Lasers' wraps up this epic dose of electro with interstellar energy, driving things home with deep bass wobbles, high octane breaks, wrapped grooves and tormenting yet playful synth licks. Yet another release that has us convinced the late great Andrew Weatherall was indeed correct!

"For quite a number of years now I have been convinced that Mr Finlow is a conduit for musical transmissions beamed from a parallel universe, sometime in the future" - Andrew Weatherall

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Since debuting on Central Processing Unit with 2018's Projections EP, Silicon Scally has averaged a release a year for the Sheffield label. New offering Revelations finds the one born Carl Finlow keeping up that hit rate. Both Finlow's name and his many aliases have become bywords for top-draw electro productions since he first emerged in the mid-90s, and Revelations is no different - this is dystopian machine-funk of the highest quality.

With its burbling electro groove, piston-precise drum programming and plethora of gurgling synths, Revelations' opening title-track comes beamed in direct from the Dopplereffekt realm. However, as well as being a mid-set weapon of serious heft, the manner in which Finlow daubs the track with some plaintive synth chords will also bring just a hint of pathos to the dance. That wistful edge quickly dissipates when following cut 'Walk Over' homes into view - ushered in by eerie, paranoid synth work, 'Walk Over' has an air of technoid ghoulishness to it which invokes John Carpenter sparring with Egyptian Lover.

Revelations' flip is taken up by a pair of remixes that go deep on the A-side jams. The first of these sees Finlow himself setting aside his Silicon Scally cap and reworking 'Walk Over' under his own name, upping the eerie feel of the original still further by enveloping the track in icy atmospherics as well as phasing grizzled synths and wailing sirens in and out of the mix. Following close behind is Fleck E.S.C, whose reworking of Revelations' title-track marks a first appearance on CPU since 2018 for this French electro expert. Fleck E.S.C delivers a low-slung synth-funk masterclass here - as the track's laser-gun bassline invokes Drexciya, the producer guides the listener through a variety of shadow-realms populated by metallic clangs, insectoid chattering and some strangely hypnotic textures.

Silicon Scally (Carl Finlow) continues his fine run on Central Processing Unit with the Revelations EP, a set of steely electro bangers which comes backed up by remixes from Fleck E.S.C and Finlow himself.

RIYL: Dopplereffekt, Drexciya, I-F, Jensen Interceptor, 96 Back

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Carl Finlow has been one of the most singular voices in electro for over two decades. From the records he makes under his given name to his numerous collaborations and alternative monikers, Finlow's music is suffused with playfulness and imagination. Silicon Scally is the most prolific of Finlow's alias projects, and on Dormant, the third Silicon Scally release for Sheffield's Central Processing Unit, Finlow constructs four pieces of thrillingly futuristic broken-beat electro.

From the opening cut 'V Electro' to Dormant's closing title-track, Finlow's production is incredibly detailed here. These tracks never stand still, their little cells of synth and percussion always evolving. When combined with some stomping drum programming, the final result is an EP which has that rare balance of endless danceability and genuinely innovative production. It's the sound of a master creator letting loose while also managing to keep everything in the pocket, a marvel of moving parts.

Dormant's tone is set from the first booming beats of 'V Electro'. The track's dense mesh of dystopian synth nodules will have you thinking of the nastiest, scuzziest Unit Moebius tune - if the aliens came to take you away, 'V Electro' is what they'd be playing as they beamed you up. Following track 'Bode' tweaks the vibe of 'V Electro' in a couple of key ways, jacking the tempo up to around 140 bpm while also incorporating some funk-flexing organ stabs which give 'Bode' the flavour of a Herbert production blasted into hyperspace.

Dormant's B-side kicks off with 'Proximity Sensor', a cut whose steady drum pulse and chunky bass motif take us back to the very earliest days of rhythmic machine music - Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode and the like. Mind you, the track's slinky synth lines are pure Drexciyan machine-funk, a vibe which is kicked into overdrive on Dormant's eponymous closer. Finlow's most intense production on the record, 'Dormant' is a polyrhythmic whirl which completely sweeps you up, leaving you no choice but to submit to its devilishly danceable impulse.

After a few recent drops which have expanded the sonic world of Central Processing Unit, Silicon Scally's Dormant EP is a reminder that the Sheffield label still does circuit-frying electro better than anyone else out there.

RIYL: Jensen Interceptor, Unit Moebius, Drexciya, Assembler Code, James Shinra

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Silicon Scally back on CE with 4 tracks of dark futuristic dance floor aimed bangers!

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Repress!

Some records just keep on selling out no matter how many times they appear. This is one of them. It is getting another run this year because second-hand copies are now worth well over 150 quid, and it still sounds as good as ever. Carl Finlow is an electro wizard who never fails to cook up captivating sonic spells and that's what he does here across two cuts - the frosty and turbulent 'Conduit' and the more lithe and silky 'Hashtag'. Volsoc's Orange Problem remix and a rework from the one and only Radioactive Man close out this brilliant 12".



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In 2000 Billy Nasty launched Electrix Records as an Electro sub-division of his already successful Techno label, Tortured. Since its first of many releases by Zeta Reticula (the - at that time - brand new Electro pseudonym of Umek), Electrix has gone on to deliver quality releases from the likes of Carl Finlow / Silicon Scally, The Advent, RadioNasty (Billy's collaboration with the mighty Radioactive Man), Transparent Sound, dynArec, Mr Velcro Fastener (a.k.a. Mesak) and many more. Launching its 20th anniversary year is none other than London Modular with the 'We Are The Mod!' EP featuring 3 new original cuts plus a remix by Assembler Code.We are the mods, we are the mods, we are, we are, we are the mods!

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Tatu Metsätähti and Tatu Peltonen formed their electro duo Mr Velcro Fastener in the small town of Turku, Finland back in 1995. In 1999, after a couple of twelve inches, they released their first full length album ‘Lucky Bastards Living Up North’ on i220, which was well noted (not only for its hyper colourful cover art by the Designers Republic). The album took the duo touring in Europe and overseas, and led to further releases on labels like Stars-Music, Ali B’s Air Recordings, Solina Records, Cyber Dance and of course Billy Nasty’s Electrix, as well as remixes for the likes of Hardfloor, Marco Carola, DK8, Transparent Sound and Aux88. Returning to Electrix with their third full EP for the label (and a gap of 13 years!) they have delivered their own unique and recognizable electro sound with two new cuts. ‘A Monster in Two Worlds’ with its electro-funk sound, classic vocoded vocals and grinding groove is a perfect opener, while ‘Bakteriofag’ (bacteriophage in English) like its name, creeps up like a virus, infecting the senses with its crisp and shining melody. Additionally, there’s remixes of ‘A Monster In Two Worlds’ from Silicon Scally (Carl Finlow in his electro guise) and M-Twelve (the new moniker recently launched by Billy Nasty and Surface’s Nick Dunton) to complete the line-up.


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