Random Factor - Silencer (2024)

20/20 Vision present the first new random factor album for 15 years.

Random Factor was originally created by Carl Finlow in 1994 as an alter ego alias for his productions, random factor has previously released four albums which contained some of the most memorable and unique songs in the label’s history including Broken Mirror, Convergence, Lockdown and Circuit Semantics. Random Factor then took the road as a pioneering live electronic music act appearing at Sonar Festival, fabric, The Loft, Moog Barcelona alongside extensive touring across Japan and America.

Finlow has forged a unique and instantly recognisable sound over the years rooted in an upbringing listening to Kraftwerk, Isao Tomita and Yello but moulded by Drexciya, Dopplereffekt, and Cybotron. Fans of Finlow include Helena Hauff, Stingray 313, Craig Richards and E.R.P.

Silencer sees Finlow create a stunning return to random factor, from the spine-tingling opening of Alleviation, very much reminiscent of the classic Convergence, right through to the closing Anomaly 5, the fifth version in the lauded Anomaly series. Along the way Finlow demonstrates his ability to write songs that stand the test of time with a production prowess considered second to none in the world of electronic music.
Silencer features a mix of electro pop songs with melodies that stay in the head, like Alleviation, sitting alongside tracks built on layers of granular vocoders pushed to the maximum such as Adulterant and Lucent. All countered with softly sung moments of melancholic bliss on Angle of Attack and interjected with no-messing heads down dark room blasters such as Causality, Juiced, Tronic and Emerge.

Synthesizers play a huge role as always and every track feels like an ever-evolving sonic adventure through Finlow’s imagination with the overall effect of a long-playing record that is best listened to from beginning to end.