Kinnego Flux - Satsuma (2024)

Brian Greene and David Baxter (aka Kab Driver) first became acquainted as students at Banbridge Tech, quickly bonding over a shared love of James Brown, IDM and Buckfast. After a fruitful spell in Derry, spent studying music and honing their chops as interns at Blast Furnace recording studio, the duo relocated to a shared house on South Belfast’s Ormeau Road, where they began recording and performing as Kinnego Flux.

As Brian recalls, “ We were listening to lots of Sly, Parliament, James Brown... trying to incorporate funk with electronic elements, with lots of interplay between melodic parts. We recorded using a basic drum mic set and a cheap condenser mic for vocals and horns.”

In 2009 the duo released 'A Familiar Sound', a collaboration with long-time friend and collaborator Boxcutter. It was around this time that CD-R bootlegs of "Satsuma" first surfaced, after an official release on Belgian label Bug Klinik fell through. Its addictive hooks and slippery, supple grooves left a lasting impression on those lucky enough to nab a copy, and more than a decade later, they remain as fresh and vital-sounding as ever.

Greene’s vocals and Baxter’s bass are signature elements that shine throughout the album. Greene is also an adept drummer and multi-instrumentalist. Baxter, a nifty programmer and keys player who can chop a break with the best of ‘em (having previously produced breakcore and IDM as Filaria). With such an arsenal of skills at their disposal, it’s little wonder that "Satsuma"s liquid grooves move with an easy, irresistible flow.

‘Loud as you come’ opens as an ominous, ‘70s cop show stakeout, before tumbling into a constellation of hooks orbiting a stomping, ramshackle groove. ‘Unravel’ - co-produced with frequent collaborator Defcon - blends woozy hiphop with sinewy, headnod funk. The title track somehow distills a silky smooth vibe from the kitchen sink approach, layering synth squiggles, field recordings, horns, clarinet, and wordless vocals over an effortlessly funky James Jamerson-eque bassline. ‘Dansak’ is a swaggering tribute to the king of curries, featuring some of the gnarliest kazoo hooks ever committed to tape. Lolloping breaks, acid-fried bleeps and drunken horns co-mingle, like so much spice in the slow cooker. It’s a fragrant and heady stew. On closer ‘Pebbles’ Greene’s simmering, double-tracked vocal transmits cryptic messages over a thundering groove. Melodies scatter across reversed synths and warped textures, like stones skipping on some lysergic lake.

"Satsuma" has aged like a fine tonic wine. From back then to now, or whenever - it still sounds like the future.