STEP IN FLUID

Intoxicatingly brilliant funk-soul prog for people who don’t like funk.

The brainchild of guitarist Harun Demiraslan and drummer Florent Marcadet of heavy synthwave act Carpenter Brut, Step In Fluid are an eccentric prospect. The most consistent element in their sound is a thread of Porcupine Tree-style metal, but beside that it’s a kitchen sink of funk, soul and knowingly cheesy electronica. Opener Booty Shake, despite the cringey name, is a headbanging groove monster that plays like a major-key Between The Buried And Me with a sense of fun. Westside Step blends some funky, slightly Steve Vai-ish leads with a set of

backing chords that could be straight off of Deadwing. The Stranger is a mix of progressive metal with an almost vaudevillian main section complete with vamping piano, before the guitar rips out a searing solo. From A Friend, with its tinkling arpeggios and sax, is Mike Oldfield’s mellow new Age as imagined by Lubomyr Melynk. As much as the individual elements might not appeal, Step In Fluid do what they do with such fun, and such snappy melodies and great rhythmic hooks, that it’s hard to not listen with a massive grin on your face. It shouldn’t work, but it does, and it’s fantastic.