Afalinas Canada Vinyl & CDs

Review: Toronto vinyl label Afalinas proudly presents its debut EP 'Fin Groove', crafted by the talented Olekhar hailing from Ukraine. Taking our cue from the posterised dolphin on the front cover, we find ourselves dorsally diving into seas of tech-funk and knocky trance here. 'API Call' offers a stuttery but still measured torrent of sound, after which the ensuing fishy deluge of 'Squat Funk' turns only brackish water fully salty, fully electrolytic. The record veers increasingly gamified, with 'Bowser's Castle' working around hammy arps and contrapuntal acid squelches, and 'WLB' mixing UK bass motifs, of syncopation and verbed-out snare, with an all-out chiptune lead.