Artist: Fluke
Title: Hang Tough
Label: One Little Indian
By: Simon Jones | 30 January 2003
Tracklist:

• A: Original Mix
• B: Remix

Fluke "Hang Tough"

Having made an major impact on electronica as a whole in the past 10 years, Fluke are finally back on the scene following a hiatus of several years. Already you will have heard the first single 'Pulse' taken from their eagerly anticipated album, and now the second single 'Hang Tough' is with us, and is one many will already be familar with, thanks in part to the wide and varied dj support it has had in the past few months.

From the moment the first beat of the 'Original Mix' kicks in you get the feeling you are going to get something that pushes the envelope. Fluke may have bene making music for many years now, but they still pay attention to the shifting trends and know exactly what makes a good track. A deep pulsating riff sits under layers of synths and dark industrial style bassline. Already the track is developing in fine form, but when Jon's vocals emerge from within the nucleus of the track things get twisted, Fluke style. The intrictate percussion and snare combination adds to the vibe of the track and the small atmospheric details within the track aid in bringing the vocal to the forefront, being the final exclamation point on what is one the finest and most well produced tracks I have heard so far this year.

Not content with that, Fluke also provide the remix on the b-side, opting for a more spacial intro to proceedings, where the vocal is given the lead and the synth line slowly shifts in the background, before the main groove is introduced. Again the groove is weaved into the mix slowly, the synth line controlling the flow as the vocals push through as if being channelled through a filter, a more dubbed vibe leading us to the break.where the percussion shines through and a more emotive outro, featuring eerie effects and distortion galore bring this to an awesome climax.

As the hype for 'Puppy' shifts a gear to the next level, 'Hang Tough' proves that Fluke have not lost their touch and that the forthcoming album will be one worth keeping an eye on. No doubt we will hear more material before then though.. at least this particular fan hopes so.