Fym

Fym’s debut album is funky minimal house. After many EP releases Manutchehr Ghassemlou puts together 17 new tracks for a bumpy and blippy tech-house ride. The burble-y opener "Act Greep” and the beat-driven "Fat Lardy” typify this approach. The tracks are never strong on melody, except for occasional odd jazzy chords. The drums do most of the work, with clever high-hat syncopation worked over regular kick drums. Bass lines are subtle with occasional squelches to keep things interesting. There are no vocals, and certainly no anthems to whip a crowd into frenzy. Tracks like "Bible Bride” are based on ever-shifting break beats, but the majority are straight-ahead to the dance floor, as in the odd chords and subtle squelches of "DXM” and "Oyster” with its organ-based jazz. "Def Lab” is one of the quirkiest tracks, with crisp beats and a bass line that slides all over the place and "Boon” is the best of the blippy tracks. Also included are some short abstract interludes that don’t appear on the vinyl copy. For those who like twisted and minimal house music, this is worth checking out.