Cult following or mass audience; it's hard to have it both ways,
but m-Ziq (nee Mike Paradinas) is doing a pretty good job. This EP's release
coincides with his tour opening for Björk, but it's also a collaborative
effort made with input from his closest fans. Paradinas put samples of
various tracks up on a website and had his fans vote to choose which ones
would be included on the record. A nice gesture, but it'd mean nothing
without the goods to back it up, and Paradinas delivers by leavening his
drums 'n' bass with pop hooks.
His drum programs move from hip hop derived
rhythms to skittery snare beats that spray across the top of pieces,
working more as foreground than structure. The compositions are organized
around catchy, evolving little melodies that are playfully interrupted by
video game blips and beeps. The disc slows down as it progresses; the
penultimate track "Abmoit" nearly forgoes beats in order to evoke a
drifting atmosphere. It's that variety, and Paradinas's willingness to be
brief (he packs eight tracks into this 33 minute long EP) that make
Brace Yourself more than dance floor fodder.
If you like m-Ziq check out:
Aphex Twin
Richard D. James
Source Direct
Controlled Developments
