iTAL tEK

British electronic artist Ital Tek (born Alan Myson) has been steadily releasing material since the mid-2000s, his sound constantly evolving through forms of dubstep, IDM, ambient, and more. A longtime mainstay of the Planet Mu label, he made his full-length debut with the dark, heavy breakstep of Cyclical in 2008. By the time he released Nebula Dance in 2012, his sound had become faster, brighter, and heavily influenced by footwork. He later moved further away from dance music with brooding, cinematic albums like 2018's Bodied and 2023's Timeproof.Brighton's Ital Tek first appeared in 2006 on the download label Net Lab. The release was the Terminator 2 EP, five tracks with a heavy Aphex Twin influence and samples of Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 2007 he introduced the deep dubstep sound that would become his signature when his "Blood Line" 12" dropped on Planet Mu. That same year, the Snippets collection rounded up unfinished works for Net Lab, while an appearance on Planet Mu's 200 compilation, along with the 12" "Deep Pools" for the Square label, would make influential DJs like BBC Radio's Mary Anne Hobbs fans and advocates. Hobbs would feature Ital Tek on her 2008 Presents Evangeline collection, and Planet Mu would release his debut full-length, Cyclical, that same year. The album's glitchy, distorted beats and thick yet spacy basslines struck a chord with listeners, leading to gigs throughout Europe and additional play from in-the-know DJs. The EP Massive Error followed on Planet Mu in May of 2009, and another EP, Mako, arrived on the artist's own Atom River label in October. "Spectrum Falls" was the label's second release in May of 2010.Ital Tek's second full-length, Midnight Colour, arrived on Planet Mu in June of 2010. Building from the previous album's complex U.K. garage beats and lush atmospherics, the album placed more of a focus on bright, touching melodies, and was generally lighter than its predecessor. The album track "Moment in Blue" was released as a single, including remixes by labelmates FaltyDL and Ikonika. The following July, Ital Tek released a digital EP titled Whip It Up, which applied his signature sound to wonky instrumental hip-hop. In September, he issued the four-song Amnesty EP, with all proceeds donated to Amnesty International. Whip It Up Remixes followed in October, containing reworks by Boxcutter, Om Unit, and Blue Daisy. In December of 2011, Planet Mu released Ital Tek's Gonga EP, which included a remix by label founder µ-Ziq and signaled a shift toward faster rhythms inspired by Chicago's juke/footwork scene, but still contained the artist's vivid, expressive melodies. The 2012 digital EP The Planet (on Atom Nation) and Planet Mu full-length Nebula Dance continued in this direction. Ital Tek then released the Hyper Real EP on Civil Music in early 2013, followed later in the year by Control, a more jungle-influenced mini-LP on Planet Mu. The slightly darker Mega City Industry EP appeared on Civil Music the following year. Two years later, a much darker and more brooding full-length titled Hollowed appeared on Planet Mu, followed by the companion EP Beyond Sight. Continuing his evolution beyond club rhythms, Ital Tek released the spacious, soundtrack-like Bodied in 2018. After the birth of his first child and moving away from the city, Ital Tek released his sixth full-length, Outland, in 2020, followed shortly by the EPs Dream Boundary and Seraph. Timeproof, an album which slowly developed during the COVID-19 lockdown, appeared in 2023.
© David Jeffries & Paul Simpson /TiVo

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