Jimi Tenor - Sã„Hkã–Mies (30Th Anniversary Edition) Jimi Tenor

Released: 16/08/24

Jimi Tenor's incredible solo debut is so utterly lo-fi weird, so alien-sounding, that on its release in 1994 it already sounded, to paraphrase the Danish prince and fellownordbo, out of time and out of joint. ThatSähkömiesalready existed on a different temporal plane means that 30 years after its original release, it has not dated a jot.  

Written, recorded and produced entirely by Tenor in his New York apartment, the LP has lost none of its spontaneous, roughcast charm. A mixture of drum machine, electronics and Sun Ra-inspired jazz, courtesy of Tenor's judiciously employed smoky saxophone playing, we are treated to compositions of dazzling, singular synthesis. And so while the stately post-rave opener Theme Sax' comes on like 808 state crossed with Astrud Gilberto, Take Me Baby', which features a Teutonic-sounding Tenor on vocal duties, is kind of cold wave if Kraftwerk had ever made a stab at it. And let's not forget Voimamies', which may be best described as the industrial dub of The Bug with Delia Derbyshire on keys and sound effects. Which, yes, is bloody amazing.