U-ZIQ - Challenge Me Foolish

'Challenge Me Foolish' is an almost lost album of -Ziq material circa 1998-99, an era that saw Mike
Paradinas release 'Royal Astronomy' and also tour with Bj rk. It's an era of his music that's definitely

worth re-exploring, in which Mike went against the grain by producing music that was baroque, me-
lodic and whimsical. His taste for melody and dreamy beauty above roughness and intricacy con-
fused people who were hanging on too tightly to the rules. He even brought in Japanese vocalist

Kazumi, adding an extra human touch. 'Challenge Me Foolish' is something of a companion to the Royal Astronomy record; argu-
ably even better given the fresh ears selecting the material. It's imbued with a confident sense of pastoral colour, and a gentle

optimism, utilising bells, studied orchestral arrangements and airy synthesisers. There's a strange sense of the old and new
throughout, the sentimental and utopia, with nary a hint of darkness. Even when the album dips into the hyperkinetic rhythms of
jungle, the melodies and mood still retain a sense of gentle warmth. Dive into peak time Paradinas.

Vinyl release of U-ziq - Challenge Me Foolish. Released through Planet Mu Records Ltd. and available on 2LP.