TuneLab
Interplanetary Criminal
Mixmag Lab On Location
Interplanetary Criminal's Mixmag Lab On Location set is the audio equivalent of finding a perfect, greasy spoon cafe at 6am—it's comforting, inherently British, and built on a foundation of sublime chaos. The vibe is a sun-drenched (or possibly rain-soaked) parking lot soundsystem, all bass bins and shared cans. This is a masterful UK garage and breakbeat journey, with an average BPM of 141.3 giving it that signature skip and swing. Harmonically, it's rooted in 12A, a key that allows for the soulful, major-key lift of tracks like Chicane's 'Saltwater' to sit alongside grittier tools.
The energy balance is near-perfect for the genre: a solid 49% low-end provides the weight, while a healthy 41% mid-range carries the melodies and vocals, keeping things buoyant and joyful. Mixing is quick and creative, using chops, filters, and doubles to create a live, almost chaotic feel that's central to the garage ethos. For highlights, look no further than the opening gambit of 'Saltwater', a trance classic made fresh in this context. Fonzo's 'Boy Don't Waste My Time' is a rolling, contemporary garage weapon, while the mash-up of Dr.
Dre's 'Forgot About Dre' is the kind of edit we spend hours hunting for online. Conducta's 'Lessons', reworked by Interplanetary Criminal himself, is a brilliant, school-bell ringing moment of nostalgia. The journey starts with the ethereal vocals of 'Saltwater', peaks with the hands-in-the-air delirium of the Energy 52 'Café Del Mar' remix, and comes down with the crisp, percussive swing of Main Phase's 'Shell'.