µ-ziq

Interviewed autumn 1995 at Paradiso Amsterdam

Sonic Acts 1995. On paper it looked like a perfectly good idea. But as with so many pretentious festivals at The Paradiso, so many things go wrong. Especially the organization around the foreign artists was a complete farce. "The Aphex Twin would've been on his way home by now," says a tired Michael Paradinas. "But Mike is just too friendly to do that," laughs his girlfriend Jessica. Mike and Jessica have every reason to complain. Mike didn't get much time to do the soundcheck, his own dressingroom is occupied by people of the Amsterdam conservatory, he has to do five unexpected interviews, a meal hasn't been arranged, the concert is going to be an hour later than planned and to top it all, the sampler is broken.

Still, they are positive about it. Quite amazing considering the fact he has just flown in from a rave in San Francisco. Busy times for µ-ziq and his pseudonyms. "In the coming months Mike is going to bring out sixteen new records," Jessica tells me. Mike: "But it's almost all old material." One of the records he's quite enthusiastic about he has recorded together with The Aphex Twin. "That's only a year old. We did it during the world cup soccer. Rephlex want's to call it 'the worldcup album'. It was very nice to work with The Aphex Twin. We worked in silence, because we understood each other. We only ever said anything if something was really good or bad. I've even rejected some of his stuff." Jessica: "Ooh, you daredevil you." It'll probably take until the next worldcup before the record hits the street. "They work so slow at Rephlex. That's the major reason why I left them. The stuff they are putting out now, should have been released two years ago."

Of the sixteen new records, only three are released by Rephlex. All the other stuff is on Clear, T&B vinyl, Creation, SSR, Reflective and his own label Planet µ. "It's not a real label. It's actually High Rise, a guitarlabel, so for the µ-ziq stuff the name changes to Planet µ. I'm quite content with it, everything I give them will be released immediately."

Because Mike Paradinas uses so many channels to send his music out into the world, he has an impressive number of pseudonyms. High time for a who-is-who: "µ-ziq does anything. Gary Moscheles is jazzy with vibraphones. Kid Spatula is the same as µ-ziq, but had to be called differently because it's via Reflective. The Tusken Raiders are loud, acid with pounding rhythm. And Jake Slazenger is a funky bloke." "A sexsymbol?" I ask. "Oh yeah," Jessica answers. A bit disturbed Mike continues, "Jake is the most commercial stuff I've done yet. We hope to sell about 15000 of Makesaracket. And there's going to be a single of megaphonk with a jungle mix included."

At first sight Mike Paradinas looks like the prototype of a computernerd. But he's nothing of the sort, in earlier interviews he told he didn't like internet at all. "Maybe it's because I don't use it. And the times I did use it, it was so boring. Maybe Mixmaster Morris is to blame, he showed me and I almost fell asleep. But I can see the advantages. In San Fransisco every conversation I did went out onto the internet the next day. They use it so much better over there, everyone's on it. But over here it's hype. And I don't want to be lumped in with that. I don't want to be put in the internet corner together with the Future Sound of London."

There's one place he uses computers to the extreme, on stage. "Not an easy thing to do. Because there isn't any software that's made for playing live. So I use a lot of things in a way that wasn't intended." Live, Mike Paradinas isn't really the most exciting thing to see. He sits behind his computer screen, clicking away with his mouse, turning knobs, creating wondrous sound with his software and electronic equipment. "I could work on the show element. But I much rather concentrate on the music and sound. I try to recreate the studio on the podium. I could do just like The Aphex Twin or The Chemical Brothers and put on a DAT, that's not as much fun. But now the sampler's broke I may have to." But that night he luckily didn't choose for the DAT, he just played more old stuff without needing a sampler. One and a half hour of blindingly good electronic music. Let's hope he'll be back soon with one that works.