Lunatic Harness is the fourth studio album by English electronic music producer Mike Paradinas under the stage name μ-Ziq. It was released on 30 June 1997 in the United Kingdom on the Planet Mu label, and on 29 July 1997 in the United States on the Astralwerks label. It was rereleased with bonus tracks from the My Little Beautiful and Brace Yourself singles in 2022 for its 25th anniversary.
| Lunatic Harness | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 30 June 1997 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 70:51 | |||
| Label | Planet Mu | |||
| Producer | Mike Paradinas | |||
| μ-Ziq chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Lunatic Harness | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [3] |
| Muzik | 8/10[4] |
| NME | 8/10[5] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[6] |
| Rolling Stone |   [7] |
A retrospective Apple Music editorial review describes Lunatic Harness as "the prettiest album to come out of the mid-'90s 'drill 'n' bass' movement", noting that Paradinas eschewed the abrasiveness of similar works by Squarepusher and Aphex Twin in favor of "atmospheres of ethereal color and shimmering melody", bringing the album "closer to pop music than anything Paradinas had previously attempted".[8]
In 2013, Spin named Lunatic Harness one of the 20 best Astralwerks albums.[9] In 2017, Pitchfork placed it at number 27 on its list of "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time".[10]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Mike Paradinas
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Brace Yourself Jason" | 6:22 |
| 2. | "Hasty Boom Alert" | 5:15 |
| 3. | "Mushroom Compost" | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Blainville" | 3:40 |
| 5. | "Lunatic Harness" | 6:05 |
| 6. | "Approaching Menace" | 7:01 |
| 7. | "My Little Beautiful" | 5:39 |
| 8. | "Secret Stair Pt. 1" | 4:16 |
| 9. | "Secret Stair Pt. 2" | 5:00 |
| 10. | "Wannabe" | 6:49 |
| 11. | "Catkin and Teasel" | 4:36 |
| 12. | "London" | 6:11 |
| 13. | "Midwinter Log" | 6:38 |
| Total length: | 70:51 | |
References
edit- ^ Remington, Miranda. "The Strange World Of… Mike Paradinas". The Quietus. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- ^ "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 January 2017. p. 3. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ Cooper, Sean. "Lunatic Harness – μ-Ziq". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ Wyatt, Kieran (July 1997). "μ-Ziq: Lunatic Harness (Planet/Hut)". Muzik (26): 126.
- ^ Goldsmith, Mike. "μ-Ziq – Lunatic Harness". NME. Archived from the original on 17 August 2000. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
- ^ Schreiber, Ryan. "u-Ziq: Lunatic Harness". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 22 June 2008. Retrieved 4 September 2006.
- ^ Micallef, Ken (7 August 1997). "μ-Ziq: Lunatic Harness". Rolling Stone: 64.
- ^ "Lunatic Harness by μ-Ziq". Apple Music. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
- ^ Sherburne, Philip (29 July 2013). "μ-Ziq – Lunatic Harness (1997)". Spin. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
- ^ "The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time". Pitchfork. 24 January 2017. p. 3. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
External links
edit- Lunatic Harness at Discogs (list of releases)