How It Was Made: Fluke – Insanely Beautiful

Fluke, a well-known electronic music group famous for their unique sound, has recently released a new single called “Insanely Beautiful.” The release includes various song versions, including a central vocal mix, a version featuring Leah Clever, an ‘All Buttons In’ club mix, and an instrumental chug version by Sean Johnston & Duncan Gray, released under the Tici Taci label. These different mixes highlight Fluke’s versatility and talent for blending modern sounds with their style.

The group’s journey started in the early 90s with notable white labels like Thumper, Joni, and Philly, eventually leading to a deal with Alan McGee’s Creation label. Their albums, including Six Wheels on my Wagon, Oto, Risotto, Progressive History X, and Puppy, solidified their position in the electronic music scene. Fluke achieved success with their own music and gained recognition for remixing songs by big artists like The Rolling Stones, Bjork, and New Order. Their music was also featured in popular movies and video games like The Matrix and Tomb Raider.

This article explores the creative process behind “Insanely Beautiful,” sharing insights from Fluke’s extensive experience in the music industry. We discuss the technical aspects of producing the song, their collaborations with other artists, and the reasons behind the different mixes. This interview aims to give fans and fellow musicians a closer look at the effort it takes to create music that remains relevant over time and continues to push boundaries in the ever-changing world of electronic music.

Labs Soft Piano

There are may synths and effect used in this track, including a Roland Juno 6, System 100, Guitars, Bass and Cello.

The Piano in “Insanely” is “Soft Piano”from Labs. It’s sampled from a felted piano to give you that soft intimate sound. I like all the Labs stuff. They are created by a community of sample lovers.

There are three instances of it. One is the main melody, a higher track of that and a chord progression. All these are processed with a little EQ, compassion and Valhalla’s “Shimmer”. This is a particularly good version of the classic Crystalliser effect. You can use it to instantly create vast other-worldly spaces. 

FabFilter “Timeless 3”

The other heavily use plugin was FabFilter “Timeless 3”. It’s used heavily on the vocals and as an occasional effect. It’s pretty easy to use but endlessly deep, especially if you automate it. You can do some mad things with it!

Alchemy

The other notable synth is Logic’s own “Alchemy.” It is an incredibly versatile synth with many automatable parameters. It was used for the main bass part in the choruses. The cutoff and the dist sweep were heavily automated.  

The handy part of this synth is having 8 variations for each sound.

Oxford Inflator

The Oxford Inflator was one of the many plugins used on the mix buss. This is a great tool for maximizing the mix. It increases the perceived loudness by manipulating frequencies that the human ear is most sensitive to. You can use it on individual tracks or the main mix. 

Quick Tips! 

Tip 1: Never shy away from plugins that are free or included with your DAW.

Tip 2: Try sampling you own work, or resampling something in your arrange window.

You can often find unexpected results.

Tip 3: Never run with scissors!