Ital Tek - one of electronic music's most versatile sons returns with his latest EP, 'Gonga'. Making a welcome return to leftfield stalwarts Planet Mu, Alan Myson first debuted as Ital Tek with 2008's animated Cyclical LP, and has since been quietly and deservedly celebrated in all the right places for his wrought electronics and stratospheric soundscapes. You'd be forgiven for assuming Myson was from somewhere much more otherworldly than his native Oxford or current home Brighton, as the apparent futurism of his boundless, uncatagorisable electronics often begs for more quasi-genres and intergalactic-adjectives than the internet can supply.

His sophomore release 'Midnight Colour' was incorrigibly atmospheric, whilst his 'Moment in Blue' EP saw Dilla-esque cuts of amaranthine hip hop taken skywards; simply, with Ital Tek, stock phrases and analyses do not suffice. Having long since left the realm of straight-forward boom-clack dubstep, 'Gonga' could perhaps most accurately be viewed as an expression of appreciation and fascination with the recent spate of footwurk and juke emerging from the ever-idiosyncratic corners of the Planet Mu camp. Rebooting, rewurking and drawing from the fascinating genetic links between these pan-atlantic genres, 'Gonga's tremulous rhythms are unlikely to catapult Ital Tek into the Top 40 anytime soon, but they do demonstrate a producer, who, as Dazed Digital discovered, is as deserving as attention as he is in need of new socks.

WHAT'S…

...your secret talent?
I'd like to say I'm pretty good in the kitchen, however you'd have to get confirmation from my girlfriend

...your worst vice?
Self imposed solitude. When I'm in "music world" I'm not very good at getting out of the house and doing normal person stuff.

…the story behind your name?
6 years ago or so I got offered my first gig in my hometown. It was just a few weeks after I had started messing around with electronic music and I had to come up with something quickly to put on the flyer. It just popped into my head and I went with it. The name doesn't mean anything to me outside of the association with my music. I think it's fairly memorable so serves it's purpose.

... your favourite sound?
The original Playstation loading sound is wicked: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goPduGKpcIE - Proper nostalgia from that.

...your worst fashion secret?
Pretty much all of my socks have holes in them...

...your favourite website?
http://futuretimeline.net is a fascinating prediction of the future of the planet and humanity. I got obsessed with reading this, it's amazing.

...the best thing about where you're from?
I've been living in Brighton for the past 6 years, I can't really think of anywhere I would rather be at the moment. It's got a really chilled out and creative vibe. Doesn't have the layer of stress lingering over it that London does for me and has got a great music scene. Plus you can't beat having the beach down the road in the summer.

...at the top of your shit list?
Well without going in heavy on all the screwed up stuff going on in the world at the moment, i'll just say the winter darkness.

...are you listening to now?
Bangs & Works Vol.2, the new footwork compilation on planet mu. most exciting stuff i've heard in a long time. And the new Oneohtrix Point Never album is great too.

How would you describe your work?
Heavy on the synths, heavy on the bass. There's definitely a lot of sci fi inspired elements in there. I want it to be emotive and get peoples feet moving.
 
What are you most excited about next?
I'm really looking forward to people hearing the new EP "Gonga" and my new album which will be out early next year. It's quite a shift for me, I'm excited to see what people make of it all as I've put a hell of a lot of work into it.

Gonga is released on Planet Mu on December 5th, 2011

Text by Mike Coleman