Upon hearing the opening bars of Mancunian Martin “J-Walk” Fisher’s new long-player, Broken Beauty, I thought we were going to be treated to simply a Jahtari tribute. While the record does borrow from Jan Gleichmar’s trademark 8-bit reggae beat, the album is, of course, way more than that.

Armed with a brace of Casio and Yamaha “beginners” keyboards, Fisher swaps his usual funk for some synthetic skanking but also taps into his hometown’s significant post-punk history. Resulting in something both squelchy and spiky. This is particularly evident on tracks such as Spring Well, Wellspring where the spoken prose references the city’s rich legacy of punk poets, and the bass playing is a ringer for Peter Hook’s.

Botox Fomo has a whopping great Jah Wobble-like B-line back its ping-ponging, effervescent electro patterns. As if M’s Pop Musik were locked in PiL’s Metal Box. Janky Waltz is Sleng Teng-y electrified Egyptian Reggae, whose Ennio Morricone-esque melody soundtracks a lasergun-slinger showdown. Soundsystem soundclash sound effects, in fact, shower the whole LP. Black Lion Passage sorta shadows The Specials’ Ghost Town.

Fisher reimagines Laidback’s Walking Into Sunshine – a latter day White Isle classic, revived by DJ Harvey. Transporting the tropical cod reggae to rainy Stockport, and serrating it with razor sharp riffs. All of the tracks feature licks from Fisher’s Fender “Wildwood III” guitar. It’s strumming and picking giving rise to walls of echoed 6-string ringing. Tremolo-ed rock ’n’ roll rumbling accompanying the bottom-end grumbling. Monotropicalia is digitally dubbed-out Tiki lounge exotica, with coo-ing computerised harmonies. Part Art Of Noise, Part Brenda Ray’s Naffi. Throughout, the eclectic juxtaposition of genres is most excellently definitely Balearic.

J-Walk’s Broken Beauty can be ordered directly from Before I Die.