M. Finnkrieg Exit / Accidental (Abstract)

Vinyl 12'' EP. Edition of 400. Die-cut 300-gr Kraft board jacket. All the elements on the cover have been hand stamped. Includes download code. This is the first release on our new Ex Machina collection; “Exit/Accidental (Abstract)” is a carefully chosen selection from the first cassette-only album “Exit/Accidental” (1988) by prolific Berlin-based producer and music publisher Mickeyblitz Finnkrieg, very active in the late 80s who, besides self-producing and distributing his music, also single-handedly ran a thriving underground cassette label called Deaf Eye, releasing about ten different productions and several international compilations. M. Finnkrieg worked in parallel lines to any known music circuit. This might be the main reason why his music has remained highly confidential so far. Incidentally: a Mickey Finn – or simply a Mickey – is a drink laced with a psychoactive drug or incapacitating agent given to someone without their knowledge, intending to incapacitate them. Heavily indebted to bands like Severed Heads and British Industrials in the vein of Cabaret Voltaire, early Test Dept. or Sonic Youth, the tracks selected on this album present the outcome of many a late practice evening and live sessions well into the small hours, experimenting in a completely self-made music lab with tape loops, resistors, capacitors, transistors, 8-bit samplers, guitars and a nice array of synths (Korg MS-20, Roland SH-1, Roland TB 303, Korg Polysix…), drum machines (Roland TR 505, TR 707, CR-78…) and loads of effect gadgets producing a distinctive sound, not far from proto-techno/electro and industrial-disco with touches of ebm and out-there funk. An all-analogic production and loaded with pre-recorded reel-to-reel samples, this recording, salvaged after 30 years, is a perfect illustration of the DIY philosophy and independent spirits of the time, cutting through time barriers with a sound as valid today as when it was first made.