Fingas of fun

An album cover as mad as its contents...

Fingathing were a fenomenon (sorry) I discovered through the now defunct Manchester instrumental hip hop label Grand Central. I'd been a fan of the label's owners Rae & Christian since their debut 'Northern Sulphuric Soul' (check it out, it's ace...) and decided to look at some of their contemporaries too. Fingathing stood out for a number of reasons. One, the dynamic duo are made up of Sneaky, a classically trained Double Bass player, and DJ Peter Parker (really, really hope it's his real name). Decks and Double Bass are not the most obvious pairing but believe me it works. And two, their album artwork (created by artist Chris Drury) is some of the most random I've ever seen. Hands that are also wrestlers, in a comic book stylee, how could I resist?

Thing is, there's more to this dynamic duo than just pure quirk. Their music, filled with crazy film and TV samples, Double Bass noodlings and hip hop beats just can't help but make you smile. It's music with a sense of humour, but also a sense of deep cool. This is epitomised by one of the album's stand out tracks, 'Haze'. It begins with the sample: "Mmm, time to lay down some serious sound..." before a bluesy organ riff kicks in and some kicking bass. Vinyl crackles, scratches and laidback guitar licks then follow, creating a smoky mood every bit as thick and cloudy as the title suggests.

Other epic pieces on this 22 track long player include the sample laden 'Ogre', made even heavier with big drop beats, scratching and plenty of bass of the double variety. 'Criminal Robots' is another turntable-tastic number, with fun samples dialogue from the film War Games adding an extra layer of wit to proceedings before the beats and scratching kick in. 'Once upon a time in the East' is a more laid-back affair, with a hint of high plains drifter to it before finishing with a sample from a western that leads beautifully into the album's title track: 'Superhero Music'. "Think clearer, Run faster, jump higher and hit harder than anyone alive!" goes just one of the scratched in samples in this epic hero of a tune.

Maybe it's having Spiderman's alter ego's name, or the bonkers comic book hand wrestlers, but Superhero Music is a fingathing like no other.

Fighting crime has never sounded cooler.