Bleep

From µ-Ziq to Jake Slazenger to Kid Spatula, there is no shortage of aliases nor albums in Mike Paradinas’s explorative and far reaching discography. From the first record on UK label Clear in 1995 to the six volume strong Housework EP series in 2020, Tusken Raiders has a storied catalogue, and its first studio album is a piledriver of a record welcome among its ranks.

Citing Colin Dale and Colin Favor from Kiss FM’s 90s days, Paradinas said Boundary Road is his “attempt at a techno record, before genre definitions coalesced”. As such, it ducks genre completely, breaking down the boundaries to serve a melting pot of hard edged dance cuts. Paradinas churns together fried acid synths, cerebral atmospheres, and pounding hardcore and industrial rhythms, refracting his electronic history through a modern lens.

‘Whiplash’ wastes no time in getting started, its heavy four to the floor beats making impact craters every time they hit. This unrelenting energy continues through to the security alarms of ‘Windy Miller’ and the pneumatic ‘Butterfly’. ‘Synaptic Pressure’ is dizzying right off the bat, with murky bass snarls, crushing percussion, and lasers flying all over. ‘Mogadon’ is the calm after the brainstorm, its soft vocal manipulations rising above the nocturnal air.

If the Housework series was Mike Paradinas’s reflection on his club beginnings, Boundary Road is magnificent proof of his status as a champion in the scene.