µ-Ziq - Somerset Avenue Tracks (1992-1995) (2013)

Celebrating 20 years of influential operations, Mike Paradinas marks Planet Mu's 300th release with a collection of unheard µ-Ziq dating to the early '90s.

This was arguably his most cherished era of productions, hailing from a time when he, alongside the ranks of The Black Dog, AFX, and Autechre, among others, were realigning ambient techno and electronica along new, proggier vectors equally inspired by Hip Hop, jungle and new age composition. Compiled by his wife and partner in Heterotic, Lara Rix-Martin, 'Somerset Avenue Tracks (1992-1995)' traverses 12 tracks taking in Mike's signature, sweet-toothed melodies on the Roedelius-like 'Air' and the gorgeous P.L.U.R techno orchestrations of 'Vinxel', or to a bluer degree in the Suzanne Ciani-esque 'Pollux', beside the 'Tango & Vectif'-era synths of 'Diala', contrasting with the hyper cut-up breakbeats of 'Airto' from '95, and finishing at two poignant moments from his '92 Peel Session, 'Johnson's Q-Fab' and 'Green Lanes'. It's a lovely dose of niceness for all the nostalgia-bots...