Bleep

Credit to the man, Planet Mu label boss Mike Paradinas has been busily overseeing the rise of left-field and experimental electronics for the best part of fifteen years, such that he’s barely found the time to deliver anything he’s made himself under the Tusken Raiders moniker. Luckily, we get the next best thing to brand new Paradinas tracks; some hefty, mutant electro and D&B bangers on the long-awaited third volume of his Bantha Trax series, specially dedicated to unearthing unreleased gems from his back catalogue.

Crafted during his Lunatic Harness sessions (as µ-Ziq) in 1998, Bantha Trax, Vol. 3 bears the full extent of Paradinas’ drill n bass phase, as grizzled and noise-encrusted as any past and present Squarepusher LP. That said, there’s distinct accessibility to opener ‘Pulze’ and ‘Sea Dweller’ that reveals a desire to send bodies moving; a ribcage rattling beat traces out a disorientating realm of breakbeat progression, chased by synaptic bass swells and whirling synth ambiences. Elsewhere on the release, ‘Generate Tusks’ ignites curiosity with its melodic chord samples recalling a monstrously morphed strain of house music, with all the rhythmic sophistication that entails. What’s more, it’s a wonder what meticulous production can do to really cause such jagged, sharp compositions to pop throughout the mix.