Hove duo Flip Fantazia press their new EP on plant-based vinyl

Flip Fantazia, a duo who record in an old bank vault in Hove, have put out their new EP on Evovinyl, a record compound made without PVC. Silent Bloom came out on 4 October, and the band celebrated it with a launch at the Alphabet Hi-Fi Pub, the Argus¹ first reported.

The Argus called it one of the world’s first commercial Evovinyl pressings. The band said: “It marks a huge turning point in vinyl manufacturing, helping pave the way for a future where we move away from PVC plastics and towards plant-based alternatives.”

Evovinyl is made by Evolution Music^3,4,5. The company says it blends two biodegradable polyesters, PLA and PHA, with plant-based materials from sources such as sugarcane and agricultural waste. It runs on the same presses as ordinary vinyl, and the company says the records play on any turntable with the usual stylus. Offcuts from pressing can be ground up and pressed again. A finished record can’t go in the home compost, though: it needs industrial composting to break down. The company has its own “world’s first” claim, calling Evovinyl the first plant-based bioplastic vinyl record, and a full life cycle study is still to come.

Silent Bloom has four tracks: Silent Bloom, Warm Rain, Concrete Jungle and Eyes Of A Cat. It is the duo’s first vinyl since their 2020 album The Trip. Tim Nolan Belcher and Douglas Horner are joined by Sabrina G on vocals and Tristan Banks on drums. The band likens its music to the classic ’90s Bristol sound of Portishead and Massive Attack, the Argus reported.

The Bandcamp page lists Brighton Vinyl⁶ as the label. Brighton Vinyl’s website describes a pressing plant and recording studio at the British Engineerium. This EP was pressed by Vinyl Presents.

The vinyl is £20 on the band’s Bandcamp, with a download, or £9 for the digital album. The band has also pointed fans to Capsule, Resident Music, Puck and Rarekind, the Argus reported.