Luke Slater
Encyclopedia
Luke Slater is an English
electronic musician
, DJ
and record producer
, who has concentrated on techno
since the beginning of the 1990s.
Born in Reading and raised in Horley
, Slater's early sound dalliances with his father's reel to reel
tape recorder
and his drumming
stints led to work in local record shops, including Jelly Jam in Brighton
. By 1988, Slater was immersed in the embryonic acid house
scene, DJing in London's Heaven nightclub
.
Slater began releasing original tracks under various monikers, and his single
debut came in 1989 with "Momentary Vision". Releases followed on DJax as Clementine, on General Production Recordings
as 7th Plain, and as Morganistic (with Alan Sage), and especially on Peacefrog Records
, with nearly a dozen of releases as The X-Tront and as Planetary Assault Systems.
After releasing four album
s on Peacefrog, he issued 1997's Freek Funk and Wireless two years later. His tracks "All Exhale" (2000) and "Nothing At All" (2002) reached #74 and #70 respectively in the UK Singles Chart
. His first volume of the mix series Fear and Loathing appeared in 2001, on the React label. Alright on Top (2002) was an "album of songs" with vocals from Ricky Barrows and others featured on every track. The second volume of Fear and Loathing appeared in late 2004.
Slater has released a mix for the Fabric DJ-mix series
, and has reinvented innumerable tracks in remixes from artists such as Depeche Mode
and Ken Ishii
to more recent remixes for Radial and Soul Designer.
In 2006, Slater set up his own label, Mote-Evolver, releasing limited 12" records and digital downloads through the Mote-Evolver and N.E.W.S. websites.
(As Planetary Assault Systems)
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
electronic musician
Electronic musician
An electronic musician is a musician who composes or plays music from synthetic sounds generated with synthesizers, samplers, drum machines or music sequencers....
, DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, who has concentrated on techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
since the beginning of the 1990s.
Born in Reading and raised in Horley
Horley
Horley is a town in Surrey, England, situated south of the twin towns of Reigate and Redhill, and north of Gatwick Airport and Crawley.With fast links by train to London from Horley railway station, it has grown popular with commuters in recent years...
, Slater's early sound dalliances with his father's reel to reel
Reel to Reel
* For the audio technology, see "Reel-to-reel audio tape recording"Reel to Reel is the debut album by Grand Puba. It was Puba's first solo venture, following group projects with the likes of the short lived group Masters of Ceremony and Brand Nubian. Both of the group’s albums were critically...
tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
and his drumming
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
stints led to work in local record shops, including Jelly Jam in Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
. By 1988, Slater was immersed in the embryonic acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
scene, DJing in London's Heaven nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
.
Slater began releasing original tracks under various monikers, and his single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
debut came in 1989 with "Momentary Vision". Releases followed on DJax as Clementine, on General Production Recordings
General Production Recordings
General Production Recordings is an electronic music independent label, founded in 1989 in England. The label helped establish artists such as Beaumont Hannant, Mark Broom, The Black Dog, Plaid and Luke Slater....
as 7th Plain, and as Morganistic (with Alan Sage), and especially on Peacefrog Records
Peacefrog Records
Peacefrog Records are an independent record label based in London, United Kingdom. The label produces releases in many different styles of electronic music as well as branching out into folk and indie artists such as José González and Nouvelle Vague. Started by Pete Hutchison and Paul Ballard in...
, with nearly a dozen of releases as The X-Tront and as Planetary Assault Systems.
After releasing four album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
s on Peacefrog, he issued 1997's Freek Funk and Wireless two years later. His tracks "All Exhale" (2000) and "Nothing At All" (2002) reached #74 and #70 respectively in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. His first volume of the mix series Fear and Loathing appeared in 2001, on the React label. Alright on Top (2002) was an "album of songs" with vocals from Ricky Barrows and others featured on every track. The second volume of Fear and Loathing appeared in late 2004.
Slater has released a mix for the Fabric DJ-mix series
Fabric 32
Fabric 32 is a DJ mix compilation album by Luke Slater, as part of the Fabric Mix Series.-Track listing:# L.B.Dub Corp - Rhythm Division - Mote-Evolver# Colin Zyskowski - For The Asking - Addon...
, and has reinvented innumerable tracks in remixes from artists such as Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode
Depeche Mode are an English electronic music band formed in 1980 in Basildon, Essex. The group's original line-up consisted of Dave Gahan , Martin Gore , Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke...
and Ken Ishii
Ken Ishii
is a Japanese techno DJ and producer from Sapporo. He graduated from Hitotsubashi University. He has released work under his own name as well as under the pseudonyms: FLR, Flare, UTU, Yoga, and Rising Sun....
to more recent remixes for Radial and Soul Designer.
In 2006, Slater set up his own label, Mote-Evolver, releasing limited 12" records and digital downloads through the Mote-Evolver and N.E.W.S. websites.
Pseudonyms
- Planetary Assault Systems (releases on Peacefrog RecordsPeacefrog RecordsPeacefrog Records are an independent record label based in London, United Kingdom. The label produces releases in many different styles of electronic music as well as branching out into folk and indie artists such as José González and Nouvelle Vague. Started by Pete Hutchison and Paul Ballard in...
, Mote-Evolver, Figure and Ostgut TonOstgut TonOstgut Ton is the label owned by the club Berghain in Berlin. Nick Höppner is the label manager.The label's first releases were by Berghain/Panorama Bar residents such as André Galluzzi, Cassy, and Ben Klock....
) - The 7th Plain (releases on General Production RecordingsGeneral Production RecordingsGeneral Production Recordings is an electronic music independent label, founded in 1989 in England. The label helped establish artists such as Beaumont Hannant, Mark Broom, The Black Dog, Plaid and Luke Slater....
and Ostguton Berlin) - Clementine (releases on Djax Records)
- L.B. Dub Corp (releases on Mote-Evolver and Ostgut Ton)
- Own name (releases on Peacefrog Records, novamute, Mute RecordsMute RecordsMute is an independent record label based in the UK. It was founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller and featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Goldfrapp, Depeche Mode, Yazoo, Erasure and Fad Gadget.-Beginnings:...
and Mote-Evolver)
Selected discography
(As Luke Slater)- X-Tront Vol. 2 (1993)
- My Yellow Wise Rug (1994)
- Freek Funk (1997)
- Wireless (1999)
- Alright On Top (2002)
(As Planetary Assault Systems)
- Archives (1995)
- The Drone Sector (1997)
- The Electric Funk Machine (1997)
- Atomic Funkster (2001)
- Archives Two (2002)
- Temporary Suspension (2009)
- The Messenger (2011)