This piece was originally published at THUMP in August 2016.
Back in the mid-1990s, the now antiquated phrase "intelligent dance music" still possessed that gratifying new car smell. Warp Records' Artificial Intelligence series had presented new forms in techno, creating opportunities for like-minded producers largely from the UK and Europe pushing these sounds to curious places often distant from the straight-faced seriousness of Detroit artists.
For Mike Paradinas, whose personal musical tastes ranged from the aesthetically minimal to the absurdly maximal, it was a time of creative growth and productivity. He captured the ears of discerning electronic music listeners through pseudonymous projects like µ-Ziq and Jake Slazenger for Warp and Rephlex Records, the latter imprint operated in part by Richard D. James, better known as Aphex Twin. Even with their rising profiles during this period, they managed to come together for a project that would come to be known as Mike & Rich. In 1996, Rephlex released the delightful and devious results of their home studio collaboration, Expert Knob Twiddlers.