Gramme - Fascination

The story of London four-piece Gramme is a fascinating tale of misfortune, mystery and, ultimately, redemption. Originally forming over 16 years ago, the punk-funk group are only now releasing their (very) long-awaited debut. Fortunately, ‘Fascination’ is very much worth the wait.

Gramme have always been out of step with prevailing musical trends. Perpetually ahead of the curve, they’d long since descended to underground status following their 2000 implosion. In those early days, despite never releasing a full album, they did record the staggeringly brilliant ‘Like You’, which was picked up by the likes of James Murphy and Joe Goddard. Indeed, Murphy proclaimed Gramme a big influence on the early DFA sound. As their cult following grew ever more powerful, other artists emerged in the post-punk mid-00s boom propagating a sound pioneered by them years before; The Rapture a notable close comparison. Nobody quite knows how Gramme spent the intervening decade before re-convening, but ‘Fascination’ suggests they’ve not lost their knack for making dancefloor fillers. It’s easy to see why they’re so revered.

The template here is very much based around a wonderfully elastic rhythm section making an irresistible dirty electro-funk. ESG and Liquid Liquid are obvious comparisons, but Gramme have a litheness and grasp of dynamics that lift them far beyond being revivalists. ‘Girl Talk’ is full of insouciant cool and funky attitude; Sam Lynham’s bratty vocals give the whole thing a swaggering sense of empowerment. Perhaps the best thing about ‘Fascination’ is the band’s uncanny ability to provide subtle but crucial twists on a basic format.

‘Rough News’ is equally as progressive; drums, scratchy guitar and that faithful cowbell whip up a groove-led storm that bubbles in to a brilliantly vibrant climax. And it’s the climax that Gramme excel at. They understand the transcendent quality of the overpowering groove - like on ‘I Feel The Moment’, a glorious piece of mutant disco that builds to ecstatic release with the title repeated mantra-like to the finish.

‘Fascination’ is by no means perfect, and suffers from a slight lag in the middle, but despite a few tracks lacking strong melodic hooks, the sheer danceable quality of the rhythms and beats leaves you hooked. Gramme really are masters of their craft, and anyone with an interest in electronic post-punk will find much to savour in the return of one of the UK’s hidden treasures.