µ-Ziq - 1977

Out april 7th.

Pre-order: 
https://mikeparadinas.bandcamp.com/album/1977

When we established Balmat in 2021, neither of us could have imagined that within two years, we’d be putting out an album by one of our musical heroes: Mike Paradinas, aka μ-Ziq. The British producer has been an inspiration to label co-founders Albert Salinas and Philip Sherburne since the 1990s. In fact, his album-length remix project The Auteurs Vs μ-Ziq was one of the very first pieces of electronic music that Philip bought, way back in 1994. To have the opportunity to release his music now feels like a real full-circle moment.

Paradinas, of course, needs no introduction. Under a slew of aliases, chief among them μ-Ziq, the British artist revolutionized leftfield electronic music in the 1990s—coincidentally, this year marks the 30th anniversary of his debut album, Tango N’ Vectif, for his friend and sometime collaborator Aphex Twin’s Rephlex label—and his label Planet Mu has built up a formidable catalog of visionary, forward- looking records, mapping virtually every corner of the electronic spectrum. With 1977, he turns the clock backward in a sense, and not just with the album’s title: Rooted in classic ambient and electronic sounds, these 15 tracks evoke the anything-goes spirit of the early ’90s, before the tools and tropes had calcified into cut-and-dried styles.

There’s no shortage of familiar sounds on 1977. There are echoes of raves and chillout rooms and transmissions from the fringes of techno; there are detuned synths and glistening reverb tails and, above all, gauzy vox pads, the eerie glue that holds it all together. The title, he says, is meant to invoke a general sense of nostalgia, bookmarking a year in his boyhood when he became more self- aware. More than anything, 1977 sounds like μ-Ziq distilled: Stripped of his signature breakbeats and customary chaos, Paradinas’ first-ever strictly (well, mostly) ambient album presents the essence of his music in a whole new light.

Along the way Paradinas touches on dark-ambient drones (“Marmite”), horror-film themes (“Belt & Carpet”), jungle breaks (“Mesolithic Jungle”), and even house music (“Houzz 13”), which marks the first bona fide dance-floor moment on Balmat to date). Yet the album never—to our ears, anyway— feels expressly retro. Rather, Paradinas plucks timeless sounds out of the ether and gives them a gentle tap, spinning them into unexpected new orbits. At times, 1977 feels like an experience of extended déjà vu: When we first listened to it, we had the sense that we already knew this music. It was as though we had heard it years ago, perhaps on a battered cassette tape lent to us by a friend, and been searching for it ever since. We hope you feel the same.

nice. balmat is a dope label. also worth checking out Music for Six Rooms by Hoavi and See-Through by Portland’s own Patricia Wolf.

Excited for ambient μ-Ziq, it seems like unexplored territory. The last time he eschewed the beats was on Duntisbourne and while it was a slow burner, I ended up loving that album a lot.

This couldn't land soon enough.

Nice ambient track mike

Loving this. Xolbe 3 is wild

Still need to check this out, so much good stuff has come out these past weeks!

This album is amazing, of course he nailed an ambient album. So much good music this month! I’m in love with Eire in particular. Never stop making music, Mike.

Incredible album, easy contender for album of the year, plenty of great beats and diverse themes mixed with ambient vibes

Very rewarding listen that’s also easy to get into immediately, and production quality is amazing!

Agreed on all fronts. Incredible production - dare I say SAW8592 feels at parts.

  On 4/10/2023 at 3:32 AM, Extralife said:

Agreed on all fronts. Incredible production - dare I say SAW8592 feels at pats.

I was also going to say that, for instance mesolithic jungle was almost as if there was a lost drum+bass track from SAW1 

Mesolithic Jungle is my favorite on here, it sounds so dessicated. Very much loving this album - its got the murkiness and gloom of the 2 Rephlex albums but somehow also the polish and clarity of production of his modern work. Guys on a roll.

Wow never heard about this! 

Gonna take a listen this night 

I've listened to this album a lot. It kind of hits a nostalgic, comforting spot for me, it's borderline vaporwave in that way. Hits me in the same kind of spot as this album.

Jumped on Bandcamp 5 minutes after getting the email about test press.

Someone must of scooped it up quick

  On 10/7/2023 at 5:12 AM, silentvision said:

Jumped on Bandcamp 5 minutes after getting the email about test press.

Someone must of scooped it up quick

same, but not 5 minutes I was right in there like 12 seconds after and it was already gone. Makes me wonder if it was even legit for sale.