Fink

• Genre: Downtempo

About

Notwithstanding his unsavory alias, Fink -- aka Brighton, England's Fin Greenall -- makes unusually tender music. What might be even more remarkable is the way he bends strikingly different genres to his will, putting his stamp upon each. Fink began recording for London's Ninja Tune in the late '90s; in 2001 he released his debut album, Fresh Produce, a collection of understated beat collages patched together out of breezy soul samples and bits of movie dialogue. Unusually inspired for an album so decidedly downtempo, the record suggested Fink as a potential heir to Kruder & Dorfmeister's cozy throne. Instead, he followed up in 2006 with Biscuits for Breakfast, a fully formed piece of acoustic soul. Featuring brushed drums, chiming guitars, stabs of organ and Greenall's strikingly intimate voice -- dudes, think twice before you put Fink on a mix for your girlfriend -- the album betrayed nary an electronic touch. With 2007's Distance and Time, coproduced by Lamb's Andy Barlow, Fink opened up his sound and sense of space, but the attention remained focused intently upon Greenall at his heartbroken best. He continues to record electronic music as Sideshow.

- Philip Sherburne