Name: Magic Pony Ride
Brand: u-Ziq

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

ZIQ444CD

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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

2022-06-10

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

5055869566230

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Total Cap

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

ZIQ444

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Black

5055869566254

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

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.

Planet Mu welcomes back owner Mike Paradinas (a.k.a. µ-Ziq) for Magic Pony Ride, an album of joyful, melodic, jungle-inspired music, and his first LP of new material on the label since 2013. The title reflects the childlike wonder of the album, happy melodies are foregrounded, wordless vocals bounce and echo while sounds bubble and sparkle. Paradinas had been releasing archival albums but got a taste for making new music after a trip to Wales (inspiring ‘Scurlage’, his 2021 album on Analogical Force). This influence of using trips away as a muse is carried on in Magic Pony Ride after a weekend getaway to found Paradinas riding Icelandic horses across a snowy landscape at dawn. You can almost feel the relaxed wide open spaces in the lush synth chords of the title track and ‘Uncle Daddy’. The album also reflects on family with features from his daughter Elka on ‘Picksing’ and ‘Elka’s Song’ and ‘Galope’ in memory of his father who passed away a few years ago. The theme of family is also found in the meditative ‘Shulem’s Theme’, a title inspired by the Netflix series Shtisel. These reflective themes tie in with this year’s 25th anniversary reissue of µ-Ziq’s 1997 breakthrough album Lunatic Harness. In Mike’s own words “Magic Pony Ride was written as a kind of follow up to ‘Lunatic Harness’, at least in terms of genre and style. After mastering Lunatic for its reissue I went back to using breaks again on some newer tracks and this is the result!”

Magic Pony Ride

Music GB