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english / japanese
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Insta
25 years on from the release of Lunatic Harness, Mike Paradinas provides ten entry points into a vast discography of scattered pseudonyms as he speaks to Miranda Remington
As the owner of the label Planet Mu, Mike Paradinas has overseen over 400 releases, from the 1990s to the present day. His own work has been abundant too, and many of his albums, whether as label head or musician, have been crucial in the history of electronic music.
Best known as μ-Ziq among his slew of monikers, this month marks the 25th anniversary of Lunatic Harness, Paradinas’ masterpiece under the name and a classic of the IDM era which, especially on an upcoming boxset reissue, resounds in crystalline bliss. A reclusive pioneer, his melodic major label debut announced the era of the ‘bedroom producer’ just as electronic music began to drift from the dancefloor to the internet. Its rhythmic distortions also presaged Planet Mu’s catalogue of breakbeats rooted in the lineage of jungle, techno, hardcore and gabber, and carry their essential DNA through new mangled abstractions.
Paradinas freely deconstructs influences, his breakbeats varying from hovering to death-rattling. It’s exciting to hear Paradinas’ opinion on clubs today, especially as younger ravers seek out increasingly frantic BPM ranges. But now more than ever, living in Hove with his wife and children, he listens to music at home. “I used to get anxious to go out clubbing but I had to do it to play gigs,” he says. “These days? Not by choice.”
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