*** Fflint Central, a fantastic CDR-only label, comes from the Manchester countryside where lay lines vibrate through the fates of the local inhabitants. Whether these vibrations triggered the creation of dark, groovy soundscapes by a group of like-minded sound distortionists is anyone’s guess. But the phenomena is real, and over the past few years these electronic warlords have partnered some of the most innovative, trance-enducing, psychedelic wave forms since Stockhausen’s electrified Jew’s Harp. All twenty-odd Fflint Central releases, which chronicle the exploits of bands such as Pendro and Berkowitz, Lake & Dahmer, have circulated underground in the form of CDRs, a medium that unfortunately protects all but fellow travelers from exposure. Yet the legendary late John Peel caught on and played them regularly. Electronic guru rags such as Wire and E/I fly the freak flag of Fflint with gusto. And with this Birdman Records release - Malpractice, a compilation of classic cuts from the Fflint Central archives - for the first time in history, the music is being made readily available to the public.
