Planetary Assault Systems - Archives

What a fuckin compilation this is. Mostly taken from Planetary Funks 1-4 with some different bits, this sees Luke Slater in punishing form over 9 amazing tracks.

I'm not in the habit of posting whole albums but this seems to be out of print and is basically a compilation of stuff I would have uploaded anyway. The track titles are slightly different form the original 12" releases.

Back in 1995, this was never off my turntables - Luke in this guise could do no wrong in my book. This has great UK techno, Detroit-esque techno and some German sounding stuff in there to boot. My pick o'the bunch (if I was forced to pick a couple at knifepoint) would be Gated and Booster - tip top techno tunes.

He released an album this year as well, but I've not got it. Will go check it out after hearing this again...



Planetary Assault Systems - Archives
Record 1
A1 - In From The Night
A2 - Twighlight
B1 - Trek
B2 - Flightdrop
Record 2
C1 - Manipulator
C2 - Gated
D1 - Booster
D2 - Elec-tric
D3 - Starway Ritual

Buy it here

The Ballistic Brothers - Peckings / Come On

Three very different tracks on this Junior Boys Own 12" from 1995.

On A1, the Ballistic Brothers get a right skank on with the sublime Peckings, nearly 3 minutes of rasta/reggae which is a tribute to the London record shop of the same name (142 Askew Road, Shepherds Bush, W12, fact fans).

A2 sees Wax Doctor using his family name for once, and I'll hand you over to Alain Patrick's review on Discogs for this one: "The 'Simon Templar Mix' for Ballistic Brothers - Come On belongs to the talented Wax Doctor, an artist rather committed to a more sophisticated form of art. With harmonic Jazzy Sax incursions and warm chords, this version is fully atmospheric and dub influenced, perfect for the intense listeners (just take a look at the part of the vocal echoes with the intensiveness of the chords & strings). A piece of art!"

Luke Slater delivers an outstanding techno track on the flip, unrecognisable from Wax Doctor's take on the A-side which is up there with any Planetary Assault Systems stuff which he was knocking out at the time.

Something for everyone then I reckon...



The Ballistic Brothers - Peckings / Come On
A1 - Peckings
A2 - Come On (Simon Templar Mix)
B - Come On (Luke Slater Mix)

Buy it here

Kenny Larkin - Loop 2

The follow up to this 12", released on R&S in 1996.

I couldn't believe that he LED with the drum'n'bass remix on A1, but it's a winner, courtesy of Mr 'Feel The Sunshine'. A brave move for such a techno bod I reckon. I fuckin love this mix, and was going through a wee d'n'b phase myself around this time. It cheekily starts and finishes with snatches of the regular mix as well...

I don't fucking believe it, had just finished ripping track A1 while I was typing that last paragraph, so leaned over to put the needle down to record track A2 and sent a full glass of red wine over the corner of a deck, onto the top of my open record box, splashing against the (white) wall, right down all the loose ones that were next to the box and I want to cry. Pretty much every record in the flight case (approx 100?) now has red wine stain somewhere on it's upper body. Now I've got a living room full of sleeves trying to dry their corners, an empty record box attempting to dry, and a heavy heart. An audience reaction sheet to a white label Finitribe Weatherall 12" white label caught it too. Aaaaaaggghh. Not even pissed as well - just a cheeky (large) glass to tan while doing this. What a clumsy cunt - this is about my worst booze-related vinyl damage ever and I am fuckin gutted. That's my Acid Ted t-shirt fucked as well (also white, of course) - it copped a load too.

Track A2 is called Life Goes On. How fuckin appropriate.

Track B1? Aye, Luke Slater in techno mode. It's a great mix. B2? The original. Off to cry now.

Bah...



Kenny Larkin - Loop 2
A1 - Loop 2 (Alex Reece Remix)
A2 - Life Goes On
B1 - Loop 2 (Luke Slater Remix)
B2 - Loop 2 (Original)

Buy it here

Planetary Assault Systems - Planetary Funk Vol. 3 (Visit To Pro-form iii)

My favourite Planetary Funk, this one. It's definitely a game of two halves - side A is full-on bangin' techno, I've heard both tracks played out over the years, mostly at Club 69. Side B is more contemplative, a very nice all-rounder.

Saw Luke play live with a full band at Glastonbury a few years back, on the Jazz-World stage of all places (my one and only trip to that stage). He was tip top back then, and I hear there's a new Planetary Assault Systems album in the pipeline for 2009. Cannae wait...



Planetary Assault Systems - Planetary Funk Vol. 3 (Visit To Pro-form iii)
A1 - Starway Ritual
A2 - React Interact
B1 - Forms
B2 - Sleeping Sin Seemless

Buy it here

Clementine - Time Explored EP

... aka Luke Slater's DJAX moniker.

Rather than the full-on techno of Planetary Assault Systems, this sees Luke, if not exactly in 'electronic listening music' mode, then certainly less pounding-pounding-techno-music. Well, on some of it anyway... Lots of nice flange on A1 (we like the flange round these parts).



Clementine - Time Explored EP
A1 - Approaching Fulfilment
A2 - Drifting Signs
B1 - Ram Rod
B2 - Dream
B3 - Groove Me
B4 - Untitled

Buy it here

Planetary Assault Systems - Planetary Funk Volume 5

One of Luke Slater's later expeditions into Planetary Funk, this 3-track 12" from 1996 shows him still to be on form when it comes to this guise.

Mind you, I'd imagine that the 10mins plus 'Surface Noise' won't appeal to many casual dance fans - a bit of a Ravey Davey Gravy style alarm sound right through it which might put off the non-believers...

Watch out for the false ending on 'Gruve' - nearly tripped me up when I was ripping it.



Planetary Assault Systems - Planetary Funk Volume 5
A - Surface Noise
B1 - Gruve
B2 - Funk Electric

Buy it here

Alter Ego - Luke Slater & The 2 Lone Swordsmen Decode The Hacker Myth

Way before the 'heavy rotation' of the Rocker track from FIVE years ago (WTF - how old does that make you feel?), Alter Ego had an album called Decoding The Hacker Myth. Not a collaboration with The Hacker *sigh* but still a no' bad release. I never had it but heard it about, only got this one due to the remixes if the truth be told.

The Luke Slater mix is suitably 'bangin' with lots of mental noises over the top - ie just what you'd expect. The two TLS mixes could have fitted into their own releases at that time as well. Remixes by numbers for cash? Surely not...



A - Lycra (The Dinosaur Mix)
B1 - Mescal (2 Lone Swordsmen Remix)
B2 - Mescal (2 Lone Swordsmen Dub)

Buy it here

Steve Bicknell - The Remix EP

Now this is a PUNISHING set of remixes on the Cosmic label. Remixes of what? No idea, there are no titles or anything like that. Check out the list of remixers though - Planetary Assault Systems, Steve Bicknell himself, Dave Angel and Andrew Weatherall in his Lords Of Afford guise.

The Weatherall mix is mental - I used to mix with it over all sorts of inappropriate tracks, it just begged for it.



Steve Bicknell - The Remix EP

Orange Side:
Untitled (Dave Angel Remix)
Untitled (Lords Of Afford Remix)

Black Side:
Untitled (Planetary Assault System Remix)
Untitled (Steve Bicknell Remix)

Zipped on Zshare

Buy it here

Jack-Tronic - The Hustler (Planetary Assault Systems Remix)

I've always had a lot of time for Luke Slater (and Stacey Slater too, but that's another story), particularly under his Planetary Assault Systems guise. He was on at the Sub Club on Friday night but I didn't make it along. This is a remix he did for Jack-Tronic, who I don't know anything about at all - it might be another alias for Luke. These fuckin techno guys don't make it easy for you, do they?

This is a good example of mindless pounding techno music, the kind of thing I couldn't get enough of about 15 years ago. The kind of stuff that non-believers would think you had to be 'oot yer nut' to listen to.



Jack-Tronic - The Hustler (Planetary Assault Systems Remix)

Buy it here