Fist Of Facts: Fugitive Vesco (Liquid Liquid) Vinyl LP+7"

Liquid Liquid co-founder Salvatore Principato formed Fist Of Facts with Ken Man Caldiera and Carlos Vivanco after LL called it quits in 1984 (Dennis Young turned to ambient music and started releasing cassettes in South Korea). Originally released on short-lived Swiss post-punk imprint Helvete Underground in 1988, the Fugitive Vesco EP was the lone release from the band (save for a couple of one-off recordings, both included here on the bonus 7-inch) until they popped back up again in 2009 with an EP on Claremont 56. “Fugitive Vesco” finds Principato re-tuning the hedonistic downtown sound of Liquid Liquid for the coming 90s in Giuliani’s New York; slowing it down, tightening the arrangements (sequenced with the aid of an IBM computer) and packing on layers of digital brass, marimba and cavernous reverb. “Fugitive Dub” is more of a rhythm trax ting than a dub (no bassline!), but “First Strike” on the flip more than makes up for this misstep with a spacious (as in spread out, not like outer space) avant-dub roller not too far off from Jah Wobble and Holger Czukay’s Full Circle dub. Jazzy punk-funk steppers “Meltdown,” “Wawa” and “One I Want” are reminiscent of the more trad Liquid Liquid material. Lovingly revived by Telephone Explosion for the first time in over 30 years, with repro artwork and 2 additional tracks on the 45. Recommended.

• long out-of-print EP by former members of Liquid Liquid
• black vinyl pressing w/ bonus 7-inch
• music label: Telephone Explosion 2019

reviewed by winston wolf 02/2019