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Mike,
what are you up to at the moment?
I am creating "presenters" for the new Planet Mu compilation,
The Cosmic Forces Of Mu which involves making
3 page mini info-booklets for the "chains" (HMV, Tower,
Virgin). Also day to day running of the label - A&R,
booking cuts, answering emails, getting artwork done,
finding this month's cheapest manufacturers... Looking
after Caleb, my 5 year old son, cooking meals, housework
etc... learning to drive, maybe making tunes if I get
the time.
Rephlex is currently re-issuing Tango N’ Vectif
on CD, with tracks previously only available on the
LP, and also includes the much sought after Phi*1700
[u/v] EP. How do you think the album has stood
the test of time?
Still sounds OK to me, I don't think it has dated at
all, which was one of my feelings about it when I
wrote it. Especially compared to all the junk that was
coming out around that time (anyone remember the Naturists?
Children Of The Bong?). I remember being tired of Tango
right after I wrote it (several months before it's release)
and I was (and still am) much more into Bluff Limbo
which was my second album, I think it is significantly
better, or maybe more to my tastes.
Who came up with the idea of the re-issue?
Grant and I had always meant to issue the vinyl only
tracks on cd at some point - and some other tracks which
Rephlex owned the rights to but never released - but
it was picking the right time and context. Neither of
us was happy just putting out a 5 or 6 track cd or 12"
of leftover tracks. The catalyst was 2 things - the
reverting back of rights of the R&S ep to Rephlex
and Warp's re-issue of Surfing On Sine Waves
which prompted Grant to ring me with the idea - to re-issue
the album as a 2cd job with extra tracks. I think he
first suggested that the 1st cd be the same as the original
issue with all the extras on the second disc. I wasn't
so happy with that as I preferred the original double
vinyl's "flow" and wanted to duplicate that. So
I worked on a tracklisting while Grant did the artwork
(I gave him the brief to be as faithful as possible
to the original vinyl sleeve).
How do you think electronic music has changed since
then?
Now we've had jungle, gabber, 2-step, breakcore and
fatboy slim, back then it was just detroit techno and
the KLF. (I am referring to when I started making electronic
dance tracks, in 1990 - not 93 by which time the uk
scene had a head of steam with hardcore rave and the
beginnings of gabber).
You played in a band called Blue Innocence for a
good few years. What decided you to go solo and take
the musical direction you have?
Well, I was just the keyboard player, you know - I was
already doing these electronic tracks on my 4-track
and had interest from labels (like Rising High etc)
while I was still in the band. I was still doing gigs
with them in 1994 and 1995, but I sacked it like in
June 95 I think. The musical direction was just wrong
for me by then. Think an Italo-House Jamiroquai vs The
Charlatans.
A lot of young musicians seem to borrow a lot of
influences from the early nineties UK electronic scene,
to which you were an active part. How does it feel to
be a source of inspiration?
I have noticed a bit of Artificial Intelligence era
revival happening, with B12 and stuff like that being
an influence, to be honest I never liked that clean
detroit copyist style, 808 and pads, I was always into
a dirtier sound like Meat Beat Manifesto and MBV who
were more influential to me than the AI movement and
labels like Eevolute. My other influence was original
Detroit Techno - which is SO different to the early
90's copies - you can't copy soul. Derrick May is still
one of the best producers of all time. New labels like
Defocus and Neoouija though are much more in keeping
with the original detroit feel though, but bringing
in many new influences. Stuff like CiM and Norken are
great. As for the youngsters rippin' my style - I'm
all for it - send me a demo.
Did the fact of signing to Virgin after Bluff
Limbo changed your perspective on music?
No. It probably changed others perception of me. I carried
on much as before - making tracks. The only thing to
have changed my perspective on making music was changing
from Atari to Mac.
Planet-Mu is one of the most dynamic record labels
of the moment, and has been growing a lot over the last
couple of years. How do you explain its success?
The back catalogue's been growing, that's for sure.
I don't know how you judge success - but I'm happy with
everything we put out and I'm 100% behind it all - that's
what counts. It takes a lot of hard work to put out
25 releases in a year (2001) and it presents a face
to the public which says we are serious about the label
- it's not just an artist's hobby label for putting
out the odd 12" under an alias or something. I hope
it does end up being successful (breaking-even-wise)
because Attila and I have put a lot of work and time
into it and there still seems to be such apathy. What
pleases me is that the fans are hardcore into it and
they realise that it's one of, if not the best label
out there. But there's only so much we can do to promote
the label to a wider public without loads of cash. The
buying public still seems to think it begins and ends
with Warp, no offence to them - they're putting out
some pretty blinding stuff themselves this year (Brothomstates/Prefuse
73/Aphex).
What usually makes you decide to release the work
of a new artist?
If I'm into it I usually release it. I just have to
really like it, play it loads on the stereo - the stuff
you find yourself coming back to, even when it was cheesy
on first listen (Joseph Nothing was like that). Really
it's pretty obvious on 1st listen whether something
is good or not.
Is there a record you released on Planet Mu that
makes you really proud?
Yeah, all of them. There are loads of really fantastic
albums that are my all time favourites regardless of
label, like, off the top of my head:
Jega - Geometry
Leafcutter John - Microcontact
Slag Boom Van Loon
Hellfish - Meat Machine Broadcast System
Capitol K - Sounds Of The Empire
Kid Spatula - Full Sunken Breaks
Phthalocyanine - 25 tracks fer 1 track
Criminal ep
Vsnares+Speedranch - Making Orange Things
Hellfish and Producer - Constant Mutation
Joseph Nothing - Dummy Variations
Venetian Snares - Songs About My Cats
Dykehouse - Dynamic Obsolescence
Is there any artist currently signed to another
label that you would like to release?
Aphex/Boards/Atomsmasher/DJ Scud/Derrick May/LFO...probably
loads. I could go on.
You’ve collaborated with Luke Vibert, Richard D.
James and Speedy J on various projects. What did it
bring to your music?
The process of collaboration is not simple addition
of styles or techniques. You have to find a place -
somewhere different, where you can both work happily
on the same level. With Jochem (Speedy J) and myself
we found we worked together best in a more freeform
linear improvisational manner than either of us worked
alone. With Rich it was probably more fooling around
pissed and on acid.
Expert Knob Twiddlers is one of the most
playful electronic records of all time. How did the
project get started, and what was it like to work with
Richard?
Right, well I've partially answered this one above.
It started round his place and we just did this track.
I think we both enjoyed working together, it was quite
a laugh, so we carried it on. We were serious about
the music though - it's not a pisstake, just elements
of joy.
How did the Slag Boom Van Loon remix project started,
and what did you think of the end result?
I had known Jochem for a number of years when he suggested
we collaborate. I think during our friendship I had
been part of the force that brought him from the more
techno trancey waters of his Warp stuff to the Public
Energy album which was.. industrial? So I was well
on for a bit of collab. It was a shock to me what we
ended up with (the more ambient sound) but we knew we
were on to something when we finished Light Of India.
Are there anymore of these collaborations to come?
Maybe.
With Urmur Bile Trax and Lunatic Harness,
you explored the realms of drum’n’bass, but your music
retained a more obvious melodic structure than the experimentations
of Tom Jenkinson or Richard D. James in the same field.
Was it deliberate?
I don't think it was deliberate - my style is more melodic,
usually has been. I was saving all the melodic stuff
for Lunatic Harness - although most of the
tracks pre-date Urmur Bile Trax.
Can we expect any more releases from Jake Slazenger,
Gary Moscheles, Kid Spatula or Tusken Raiders, or are
these projects well and truly in the past?
I think we have seen the last of Gary Moscheles...
You are currently working on the follow up to Royal
Astronomy. When is it likely to be released, and
can you tell us about it?
It will probably be out next year and I can't tell you
anything.
You said once that you only release new stuff to
finance Planet Mu. Is it really your only motivation
these days?
The Kid Spatula album (Full Sunken Breaks)
funded Planet Mu for a while which was useful, but that
wasn't the reason to release it. My motivation to create
is not the same as the desire to publicly release something
either. Dunno. Next.
What’s in the pipeline for Planet Mu?
On 3rd September we have the new Hellfish album Meat
Machine Broadcast System which is a fucking blistering
follow up to Constant Mutation and has already
received the thumbs up from Aphex Twin, Grantphlex ,
DMX Krew, Vsnares & Simon Reynolds among others.
That's followed on the 24th by The Cosmic Forces
Of Mu, a 26 track 2cd compilation of exclusives
from all the Planet Mu artists (details on the site).
We are also doing a vinyl edition of Songs About
My Cats by Mr Snares which will be out soonish.
There are also releases planned from Kettel, Doormouse,
Nautilis, Decal and Hrvatski and many more...
What are you listening to at the moment? What is
the latest album you bought?
I'm listening to lots of demos, and artists new tracks
- there's a few new vsnares tracks floating around.
Last album bought? I think it was the new Fennesz and
Oval albums - both good.
How do you see your music evolve in the next few
years? Is it something you think about?
No - that's your job. I would go mad if I thought about
that.
INTERVIEW EXPRESS
All time Top Five best albums?
I don't have a top five of all time. What is "all-time"?
Track you wish you had written?
Thriller - Michael Jackson.
Best Mike Paradinas track?
Hard Love - Kid Spatula
Thank you to Mike. |
