FINRG’s new compilation CD, Hakkapeliitta, arrived a short while ago after an epic wait – which is quite understandable, as it is the label’s first CD release. All in all, it’s pretty impressive, and in general the tracks are excellent choices. Rx’s Code of Silence, Alek Szahala’s Maruuk and Iron Squid and Proteus and Carbon Based’s Heavy Fusion are all well known, but still classic tunes. The stand out for me though has to be Re-form’s Silver Cube, an absolutely storming tune that either hasn’t been released before, or has simply passed me by completely until now. My previous favourite Re-form tracks (Cobra and Sunstroke) are both great, and wear their ‘Made By Re-form’ mark very conspicuously, but on listening I sometimes wish for a few more of the filtering tricks etc that other artists have been making use of for many a year. Silver Cube definitely delivers, sawtoothing away through the early sections until a classic Re-form melody kicks in after a couple of minutes. I’m not sure when the track was originally produced, but it bodes very well for the duo’s comeback this year.

Just a thought on Hakkapeliitta itself though – I noticed while I was researching tunes for the next mix that the whole release is available in mp3 format on Trackitdown. By then I’d already ordered it, so it made no difference to me this time, but to my mind it should be one or the other, at least at first. There are a couple of tunes on the CD that I could have done without, and had I known, I’m quite sure I would have only bought the tracks that immediately appealed. That would mean one less person buying the CD release, and given what I hear about the expense of bringing out a compilation in such a small scene, that’s surely something to think about. Maybe going the Electronica Exposed route, and making it CD only, is a decent idea if a label is going to go to such trouble in the first place.