Another wayside waif from CAIN brought deservedly back into the ATB limelight, an oversight requisite of attention.

Release Date: 19th June 2025

Label: Fine Grains Records

Format: Vinyl / Digital

New to me, and late to me, CAIN, all capitals, is the nom de (turn)table of Duncan Grant, an electronic musician and DJ of some standing. However, ahead of this he was a teenage prodigy on the bagpipes, a junior world champion, no less. But, now, after years of hiding from that heritage, he has put together a first full length celebration thereof, blending his two disparate worlds.

No stranger to putting far-flung influences into his mixes, having worked with musicians from Africa and India, here he breathes a new vibrancy into this field, stepping into the big shoes of the late Martyn Bennett, and adding his own personality. Electronic neo-trad music, or, shhh, Gaelictronica, is not new, with Valtos now rampant across the Highlands, following the demise of Niteworks. However, Grant wants to look well beyond mere application of house beats to uptempo jigs, which, despite the sterling efforts of both bands, is still how listeners often tend to pidgeonhole their work.

A POTENT POTEEN

Here he has recruited longterm friends like Brighde Chaimbeul and ex-Breabach man, James Duncan McKenzie, each also on the same teenage competition circuit, along with McKenzies’s wife, Katie, who is an accomplished singer in the Gaelic tradition. With Chaimbeul’s small pipes, McKenzie’s flute slotting in against Grant, the four musicians brew up a potent poteen, or peatreek, in the Gaelic.

Opener, The Highlands, starts with the sort of flute and chiming keyboards that might grace a distillery experience tour, but, rather than the reassuring tones of Bill Paterson, in come some muted beats, that meet the melody at an adjunct that is both contrasting and intuitively complementary. All of a controlled skitter, it is perfect, ending on a bawbee. A voice, possibly Chaimbeul, then starts to speak, talking of how “other notes” can all be a “bit out“; rather than a criticism, I think she talks of what the collective are trying to achieve, with the insertion of such notes, melding the unexpected with expectation, so as to alchemise something altogether different.

Well, that’s my take, but the tune that follows has layers of competing motifs, gradually coalescing uner the guidance of rhythm. The sounds are all treated into gentle distort and gel against the odds. Very much, actually, in the style of early Orbital. It’s called Forged From Bagpipes, and is the longest track here.

GLIDING IN GLORIOUSLY

Ruthven is the first track to feature Chaimbeul’s small pipes, which glide in gloriously, if then subject to intermittent fade, distort and repetition, with other sounds stacking up alongside. It sears the authenticity of this project into being, that first full surge of muscle memory, to send goosebumps up any teuchter spine. Sticking with pipes, Cholla, as below, introduces a military clatter of battling clans. over which Chaimbeul again plays majestically. Morrigan is then the first with singing, Mrs McKenzie’s voice proving it to be a pure and direct force. Starting acapella, gradually layers build of electronic ornamentation slot in, ahead the influx of further warlike beats. It would certainly gain an impassioned heuuuch from my mother, a proud Gael.

Flames Of Wrath imparts a nightmare vision, a carnival of (lost) souls vibe, flute again to the fore that imparts a distant hit of 3 Kilos, by the Prodigy. Washboard style percussive textures rattle over prolonged keyboard chords, it all wonderfully discombobulating, not least as it suddenly just stops. This allows a sample of McKenzie’s voice to repeat over beats, for Galan, which could be primetime soundtrack material for anything pretty much post-apocalyptic. Ringing the changes, her husband then gives some fluffy, frothy flute, breathily acting as the main scaffold for Kin, a short track more to change the mood.

OLD SKOOL

For that next is the title track. Chaimbeul leads this one, against a backdrop of polyrhythms and, later, some similar flute tooting. The build pattern is again typical of old school, or is that old skool, techno, rather than the more polished house of Niteworks and Valtos. Up next, Weave starts from a completely different stance, a rotating motif that could be guitar, but possibly isn’t, with a distinct Latino or South Seas flavour to it, with wordless vocals. I’m not sure how or where this fits in, other than the reminder that many of those who “discovered” distant parts, or at least, crewed their ships, came from Inverness, from Portree and from Stornoway. Structurally the track is more in the vein of Banco De Gaia than any of the names mentioned before.

The final track too occupies and enjoys this slight shift in perceptions, vocals and chiming keyboard textures, against a shimmering background synthwash. More of a coda, or endpiece, than necessarily fully formed, as it leaves you, seeking more, rather than leaving you satiated. Yes, I like your new direction!

Here’s Cholla, featuring Brìghde Chaimbeul:

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