"Who better to release obscure UK drum juggler Ship Sket's first album than legendary UK electronic music outpost Planet Mu? Since its founding by Mike Paradinas (aka μ-Ziq) in 1995, the label has established itself as a pillar for some of the UK's most deranged dance music: It codified Aphex Twin and μ-Ziq's Chuckle Brothers fuckery, typeset Luke Vibert's acid-sodden liner notes, and unleashed Venetian Snares' miasmic orchestral breakbeat."
"Things weren't all bad, though; track 8, "Dysentery," came from a newcomer, 26-year-old English DJ Ship Sket (aka Josh Griffiths), and it didn't sound like anything else on the tape. As a DJ, Griffiths is notorious for pulverising genres like 140, bassline, and grime. "Dysentery" felt far from any of those scenes, though; it superimposed serialist cello, pagan glossolalia, bit-crushed 808s, and UK MCs onto a beat that sounded like the slow collapse of a star."
"Like Bassvictim, Griffiths sits on the fringes of the growing UK experimental scene, and his new album, InitiatriX, demonstrates his facility with electronic music that's both genuinely experimental and built for the club. Opener "Frost Cake" sounds like playing Pixel Gun 3D on speed: crisp breakbeats, quicksilver squelches, filthy distortion. The title track is essentially an apocalyptic gamelan beat over a text-to-speech prose poem-a medium that would be easy to execute terribly-yet you can't help but make a stank face."
Planet Mu has a history of pioneering deranged UK electronic dance music and released a 30th anniversary compilation touching jungle, footwork, and house. Track 8, "Dysentery," came from newcomer Ship Sket (Josh Griffiths) and combined serialist cello, pagan glossolalia, bit-crushed 808s, and UK MCs to create an otherworldly beat. Griffiths's DJ background pulverises genres like 140, bassline, and grime, yet InitiatriX leans both experimental and club-ready. Opener "Frost Cake" pairs crisp breakbeats, quicksilver squelches, and filthy distortion. The title track layers an apocalyptic gamelan beat with a text-to-speech prose poem. "Casting Call" with S280F navigates Morton Feldman-like textures and jungle speed.
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