µ-Ziq - Tango N'Vectif Sessions (2xLP)

µ-Ziq's Tango N'Vectif Sessions revisits the world of Mike Paradinas' 1993 debut from a moment when UK electronic music was still inventing its own vocabulary. Written while Paradinas was still in his late teens, the material grew out of a fast, DIY process using borrowed gear, then found its way to Rephlex, the label run by Aphex Twin and Grant Wilson-Claridge. That origin matters: these tracks come from the same restless period that helped establish Paradinas as one of the most distinctive voices in early British electronica.

What still comes through is how unusual his approach was. Source material points to a mix of techno, UK hardcore and melodic experimentation, with help from early collaborator Frank Naughton and sessions made around an Atari 1040ST in Wimbledon. The sound is loose, crunchy and playful rather than polished, pulling in Detroit techno energy while leaving room for melodies that have been compared to John Barry and classic TV themes. Even in extra cuts like “Whale Soup,” “Driving Is Easy” and “Glink,” you can hear the combination of rave physicality and off-centre composition that made Tango N'Vectif stand apart.

This edition focuses on the extra material around the original album, presented as a 15-track 2xLP selection on Planet Mu. For anyone who knows Paradinas through later records or the label he built, it is a useful way back to the raw, formative phase where his style was already fully taking shape.

Features

• 2xLP
• Gatefold jacket
• 15-track selection of extras and exclusives from the Tango N'Vectif sessions

Reviews

• a truly staggering album - Pitchfork