Mike Paradinas made Magic Pony Ride after releasing several albums of archival material, in addition to preparing a 25th anniversary reissue of 1997's Lunatic Harness, a truly groundbreaking record that redefined breakbeat manipulation while showcasing his gift for writing eloquent melodies. Feeling driven to return to a more breakbeat-heavy sound, he envisioned Magic Pony Ride as a sort of sequel to Lunatic Harness. This context more or less urges the listener to compare the two albums, which isn't entirely fair since they ...
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Mike Paradinas made Magic Pony Ride after releasing several albums of archival material, in addition to preparing a 25th anniversary reissue of 1997's Lunatic Harness, a truly groundbreaking record that redefined breakbeat manipulation while showcasing his gift for writing eloquent melodies. Feeling driven to return to a more breakbeat-heavy sound, he envisioned Magic Pony Ride as a sort of sequel to Lunatic Harness. This context more or less urges the listener to compare the two albums, which isn't entirely fair since they both come from much different points in Paradinas' life and ultimately express different perspectives. The beats on Magic Pony Ride are more inspired by jungle and breakbeat hardcore than anything Paradinas has recorded since the 2000s, but they aren't nearly as unhinged or manic as those on Lunatic Harness, and the melodies don't quite tap into the singular mixture of fear and excitement that made the previous album so riveting. Magic Pony Ride has melodies that exude a sense of childlike wonder, but here they come from the perspective of someone who's been raising children for years. Some of the tracks even feature vocals from Paradinas' daughter Elka, who adds an innocent touch to the interlude "Picksing" and catchy, reverb-caked "dum-dums" to the eponymous "Elka's Song." Other wordless vocals are sliced and sprinkled throughout the album, with the levitating voice on the illuminating "Uncle Daddy" resembling Paradinas' past collaborator Kazumi, and others such as first single "Goodbye" and bittersweet finale "Don't Tell Me (It's Ending)" drawing from the same bank of vocal samples. The midsection of the record contains its most cheerful moments, particularly "Turquoise Hyperfizz" (which goes harder than expected during its ultra-choppy second half) and the lush, rapid-fire "Brown Chaos." Nearly 30 years on from the release of the first µ-ziq album, Paradinas' production ethic has become much tighter and more refined, so it doesn't feel quite as messy or driven to the brink of panic as some of his work from the '90s. Magic Pony Ride is more comforting than challenging, but it's still highly enjoyable, providing a unique view on family life from an artist who has remained inventive for several decades. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi
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