Name: Challenge Me Foolish
Brand: u-Ziq

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

ziq400

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2018-04-13

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5055300392749

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Total Cap

2 / Extended format: No / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

ziq400cd

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5055300392756

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1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

u-Ziq

Genre GB

Electronic

Label GB

Planet Mu

Planet Mu is an independent music label that was founded in 1995 by Mike Paradinas. Originally starting as an imprint on Virgin, the label was created to release music from artists like µ-Ziq and others who shared a similar style. However, due to Virgin's lack of success in marketing this type of music, Mike Paradinas decided to establish Planet Mu as an independent label in 1998. It is at this point that the catalog numbers for releases under the name *ZIQ* began.

μ-Ziq (pronounced "music") is an English electronic/IDM project. Originally formed in 1992 as a duo of two former Blue Innocence members Mike Paradinas (keyboards) and Francis Naughton (bass). Francis Naughton left in late 1993, and since that time µ-Ziq became a solo project of Mike Paradinas.
With a career spanning over three decades, μ-Ziq has established himself as a pioneering force in the electronic music scene. Known for his innovative soundscapes and intricate compositions, he seamlessly blends elements of electronica, IDM, and ambient music to create captivating sonic experiences.
Throughout his solo journey, μ-Ziq has released numerous critically acclaimed albums and EPs on prestigious labels such as Warp Records. His distinctive style combines complex rhythms with melodic hooks, showcasing his exceptional talent for crafting immersive tracks that push the boundaries of electronic music.

Challenge Me Foolish is an almost lost album of µ-Ziq material circa 1998-99, an era that saw Mike Paradinas release Royal Astronomy on the now defunct Virgin subsidiary Hut records, and also tour with Bjork. It’s an era of his music that’s definitely worth re-exploring, in which Mike went against the grain by producing music that was baroque, melodic and whimsical, while the IDM movement he was lumped with made instrumental music that was often neurotic and complicated. His taste for melody and dreamy beauty above roughness and intricacy confused people who were hanging on too tightly to the rules. He even brought in Japanese vocalist Kazumi, adding an extra human touch. Challenge Me Foolish is something of a companion to the Royal Astronomy record; arguably even better given the fresh ears selecting the material. It’s imbued with a confident sense of pastoral colour, and a gentle optimism, utilising bells, studied orchestral arrangements and airy synthesisers that sit the album somewhere between, Jean Jacques Perrey (the French electronic composer whose whimsy was always balanced with serious innovation and chops) and the colourful, optimistic soundtracks of Joe Hisaishi. There’s a strange sense of the old and new throughout, the sentimental and utopia, with nary a hint of darkness. Even when the album dips into the hyperkinetic rhythms of jungle, the melodies and mood still retain a sense of gentle warmth. Dive into peak time Paradinas.

Challenge Me Foolish

Music GB