Mike & Rich
Studio album by Mike & Rich
Released
June 1996
Recorded
1993
Genre
Ambient, Techno
Length
57:51
Label
Rephlex Records CAT 027
Producer
Mike Paradinas, Richard D. James
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source
Rating
Allmusic
Mike & Rich is an ambient-techno album by Mike Paradinas and Richard D. James. It was released in 1996 on Rephlex Records. The album is also known as Expert Knob Twiddlers.
The album is an amalgam of the music stylings of Aphex Twin and µ-ziq, complete with peculiar samples of jazz and of the human anatomy; "Upright Kangaroo" features a prominent sample of a belch as part of the beat. Familiar elements of both artists' works appear throughout; for example, "Winner Takes All" features a beat quite similar to that of "cow cud is a twin" from Aphex Twin's album ...I Care Because You Do, at a much faster tempo. According to Paradinas, the collaboration was partially inspired by James' unreleased Melodies from Mars project.
The album cover features Mike and Rich playing the game Downfall by Milton Bradley Company: the cover is designed as a parody of the original game's box art.
The caption on the cover similarly is written in the style of that on the MB game, and reads: "Cleverly manoeuvre your records onto the platters and then listen to the tracks in the right order to win! But watch out-the tracks are different on each side you could be helping your opponent instead of helping yourself!"
An unused track from the Mike & Rich sessions, "Brivert & Muons", was posted on the Planet Mu website around the time of the album's release, but is no longer available.
Track listing:
"Mr. Frosty" - 6:51,
"Jelly Fish" - 6:30,
"Eggy Toast" - 4:07,
"Reg" - 5:57,
"Vodka" - 4:12,
"Winner Takes All" - 5:44,
"Giant Deflating Football" - 6:22,
"Upright Kangaroo" - 3:31,
"The Sound of Beady Eyes" - 7:46,
"Bu Bu Bu Ba" - 6:51
