µ-Ziq’s Tango N’Vectif was released in 1993, a classic year for auteurist electronic music that didn’t always fit on the dancefloor. Written by Mike Paradinas in his late teens with some help from Frank Naughton, it still stands up really well today and its influence on electronic music in the decades since is obvious.

Across an expanse of ideas, taking influences from early Aphex, Detroit Techno and UK Hardcore, Mike created this spirited, funky, jerry-rigged, lo-fi version of rave; with crunchy drums and a knack for melody that fell somewhere between John Barry and classic TV themes.

Without owning a computer, Mike had been writing techno, house and industrial tracks on and off since 1990, playing live keys alongside drum machine rhythms on his 4-track recorder. µ-Ziq started when Mike linked up with Frank who was also writing dance-influenced music, and importantly owned an Atari 1040ST computer with Cubeat software. They pooled their equipment and Mike would travel up to Frank’s house a couple of miles away in Wimbledon to record together.

By 1992, and after a false start when a proposed EP for Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton’s Evolution label got shelved, Mike had started at Kingston University where he deejayed and met like-minded people including a couple of guys who knew Aphex Twin who was also a student at Kingston too, and they passed Aphex a demo of Mike’s material. A few days later Mike got a message from his mum to ‘call Aphex Twin’ and he gave Mike some advice, and seemed interested in releasing something. So when Frank and his family went on holiday that summer Mike borrowed his Atari and synths and wrote the majority of the Tango N’Vectif album during that 2 weeks. By the end of 1992 a release with Aphex Twin and Grant Wilson Claridge’s Rephlex label had been agreed – Aphex had moved to the house in Clissold Crescent where he recorded a lot of his early classic albums and Mike went over to collect his advance, in the form of his very own Atari computer.

The Tango N’Vectif: Sessions 2LP contains tracks from the original CD version, the 2001 2CD reissue, remixes and alternate versions of album tracks, music from the Phi*1700 [u/v] EP on R&S and other exclusives, selected by Mike, completely remastered from DATs by Beau Thomas.

2LP Vinyl
A:
Whale Soup
Xenith Filigree Anus (Edit)
µ-Ziq Theme (Original)
Driving Is Easy
B:
Methyl Albion
Ad Misericordiam (Remix)
Auqeamb
Amenida
Mucky Puppy
C:
Phi*1700 [u/v] (Extended)
Paco
Crosstown Traffic
D:
Xolbe 2
Rainforest
Glink

Digital
01 Tango N’Vectif
02 Swan Vesta
03 Burnt Sienna
04 Iesope
05 µ-Ziq Theme
06 Auqeam
07 Vibes
08 Ad Misericordiam
09 Beatnik #2
10 Die Zweite Heimat
11 The Sonic Fox
12 Caesium
13 Phi*1700 [u/v]
14 4 Time Egg
15 Phragmal Synthesis Part 1
16 Phragmal Synthesis Part 2
17 Phragmal Synthesis Part 3
18 Whale Soup
19 Xenith Filigree Anus (Edit)
20 µ-Ziq Theme (Original)
21 Driving Is Easy
22 Methyl Albion
23 Ad Misericordiam (Remix)
24 Auqeamb
25 Amenida
26 Mucky Puppy
27 Phi*1700 [u/v] (Extended)
28 Paco
29 Crosstown Traffic
30 Xolbe 2
31 Rainforest
32 Glink
33 Amenida 2
34 Tango N’Vectif (Plib Mix)
35 Whale Soup (Original)
36 µ-Ziq Theme 2
37 Dig
38 Tomato N’Vectif
39 3 Time Egg
40 Plack
41 Schnüsschen