Interplanetary Criminal

Manchester's Interplanetary Criminal crafts productions shaped by numerous strands of U.K. club music, spanning shadowy breakbeats and buoyant garage rhythms. Early lo-fi house outings such as 2017's Intergalactic Jack gave way to jungle-tinged material like 2019's Sleepwalker, while 2022's Coming on Strong and subsequent releases nodded to speed garage. Unexpected mainstream attention arrived via his production on Eliza Rose's 2022 single "B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)," which reached number one in both the U.K. and Ireland.

Zachary Bruce first adopted the Interplanetary Criminal alias near 2012 while beginning university studies. Having relocated from Manchester to Leeds, he drew heavily from the outsider house movement and imprints including L.I.E.S. A return to Manchester in 2016 reignited his interest in the bass-driven sounds of his youth, notably jungle and garage. Two house EPs, Intergalactic Jack on E-Beamz and Out of Body on Kalahari Oyster Cult, surfaced in 2017, followed in 2018 by the multi-genre cassette Get Money on Seagrave. The 2019 releases Confused on Dansu Discs and Move Tools on Banoffee Pies emphasized garage and 2-step cuts, whereas Sleepwalker on Sneaker Social Club concentrated on breakbeat material. Beginning in 2020, he issued EPs on Shall Not Fade's Timeisnow imprint, opening with Nobody and Darkside. He also formed the duo ATW alongside Adam Emil, known as Main Phase, and contributed Warehouse Romance to the Warehouse Rave label. Further Timeisnow output in 2021 included In My Arms and the Ruff EP with DJ Cosworth, while Instinct put out Dangerous. A second ATW record and the first 12" from Ruff Kru, the trio completed by Cosworth, appeared in 2022.

"B.O.T.A. (Baddest of Them All)," the June 2022 collaboration between Interplanetary Criminal and DJ-vocalist Eliza Rose, debuted on her Rosebud Recordings. Built around a sample of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam's "Let the Beat Hit 'Em," the track gained traction at that summer's Glastonbury Festival, spread rapidly on TikTok, and prompted Warner Records to license and reissue it in August. It subsequently rose to become the 1,400th U.K. number-one single, held the top spot in Ireland for six weeks, and achieved platinum status in both the U.K. and Australia. After its release, an untitled 10" single with Cosworth emerged on Hot Haus Records, alongside the Coming on Strong EP on Timeisnow.