Bleep

Mike Paradinas has long been highly regarded for constructing detailed, expressive breakbeats and invigorating, complex techno rhythms. With µ-Ziq and his many aliases there's no shortage of this (Lunatic Harness is a shining example), but there's far more to his work than bouncing beats. In comes 1977, Paradinas's first album of ambient-focussed electronica. Where the previous Magic Pony Ride coaxed the lighter and poppier sides out of breakbeat, 1977 reaches for something even more melodic and weightless by doing away with the dancefloor drums (almost) entirely.

Stripping back the mayhem allows µ-Ziq to be seen in a new light, as '4am' shows with its gauzy synths and humming vocal cuts evoking openness and nostalgia, guided by soft bass stabs and subtle drum machines. When the beats do appear, they’re more like textural accompaniments to the glossy melodies and ambient haze; still, ‘Houzz 13’ is by all accounts a hypnagogic house banger, perfect for a night drive where the colours blur together as the springy bass propels forwards into the early hours.

'Belt & Carpet' shifts the tone back with crystallised console startup sounds, dripping and glistening like an underground lake as its cavernous kicks thump slow and captivating. Not everything is so wistful and quaint however: the power surges of 'Marmite' sputter viscerally, short circuiting with the zaps of a Tesla coil as cinematically enrapturing synth-wave textures intensify. Frantic acid-typical synths bubble on the title track, occasionally dropping out to highlight the tension, while icy piano notes, churning bass, and wordless vocal incantations on 'Reference Gravy' channel the malevolent forces of 80s horror movies.

With only their 5th release to date, burgeoning Spanish label Balmat from the Lapsus Records crew have already landed a golden record with one of their heroes as µ-Ziq completely reinvents his sound on 1977.