Untitled III by F/i surfaces from the project’s earliest recordings, offering a glimpse into the restless, exploratory spirit that shaped their work. The track arrives ahead of the reissue Invisible Men, due June 26th, 2026, and carries the hazy, otherworldly character that defined the project in its formative years.
Before founding F/i, Richard Franecki had spent the late 1970s immersed in the energy of punk, performing with bands like The Drag, The Shemps, and Surfin’ Führers. While those groups echoed the rawness associated with venues like CBGB, the artist's interests were already stretching toward more experimental terrain, drawing from kosmische and electronic sound.
F/i emerged from that shift. With occasional contributions from Greg Kurczewski and Lars Kvam, the project operated without fixed boundaries, guided more by curiosity than structure. Early recordings leaned into open-ended sessions, often prioritizing texture and atmosphere over conventional form. Over time, the sound expanded, moving toward a fuller space rock approach before eventually evolving into Vocokesh.
Untitled III reflects that initial phase, when ideas were captured as they happened, instinctive and unconcerned with outcome. The material that would become Invisible Men circulated informally at first, shared among a small network of listeners.
"This material is very early," Franecki says. "The Shemps were going on while Greg and I were doing the early F/i stuff. I was attracted to punk because it was raw hard rock, but I got bored with it. We were interested in exploring aspects of sound. We were into electronics during this time, often at the expense of more conventional instrumentation. We randomly experimented, rolling the tape and not worrying too much about much else. Invisible Men is probably one of the more extreme examples of this approach."
ZR