iTAL tEK

Active in electronic music since the mid-2000s, British producer Ital Tek, born Alan Myson, has issued a steady stream of recordings whose textures have shifted across dubstep, IDM, ambient, and related territories. A longtime presence on Planet Mu, he delivered his first album, the brooding and bass-heavy breakstep set Cyclical, in 2008. By 2012’s Nebula Dance the emphasis had moved toward brighter tempos and Chicago footwork rhythms, while later projects such as the cinematic Bodied in 2018 and Timeproof in 2023 continued the turn away from club frameworks.

Ital Tek’s recorded debut arrived in 2006 via the Net Lab download imprint with the five-track Terminator 2 EP, whose Aphex Twin-inspired constructions incorporated vocal samples from Arnold Schwarzenegger. The following year the 12-inch “Blood Line” on Planet Mu introduced the deep dubstep sound that became his hallmark. That same year Net Lab compiled unfinished pieces as Snippets, while a track on Planet Mu’s 200 compilation and the Square label 12-inch “Deep Pools” drew support from BBC Radio’s Mary Anne Hobbs. Hobbs included Ital Tek on her 2008 Presents Evangeline anthology, and Planet Mu issued the debut album Cyclical the same year; its glitch-distorted rhythms and expansive basslines prompted European live dates and further DJ attention. Massive Error followed on Planet Mu in May 2009, and the artist’s own Atom River label released the Mako EP that October. Atom River’s second outing, the single “Spectrum Falls,” appeared in May 2010.

Planet Mu released Ital Tek’s second album, Midnight Colour, in June 2010. Expanding on Cyclical’s intricate U.K. garage patterns and atmospheric depth, the record foregrounded luminous melodic lines and adopted a lighter overall tone. The track “Moment in Blue” was issued as a single featuring remixes from labelmates FaltyDL and Ikonika. A digital EP, Whip It Up, arrived the next July, translating Ital Tek’s approach to skewed instrumental hip-hop. In September he released the four-track Amnesty EP, donating all proceeds to Amnesty International; Whip It Up Remixes, containing versions by Boxcutter, Om Unit, and Blue Daisy, followed in October.

Planet Mu issued the Gonga EP in December 2011, which included a µ-Ziq remix and pointed toward faster juke- and footwork-derived rhythms while retaining Ital Tek’s expressive melodic sensibility. Further steps in that direction came with the 2012 digital release The Planet on Atom Nation and the full-length Nebula Dance on Planet Mu. Early 2013 brought the Hyper Real EP on Civil Music; later that year Planet Mu issued the jungle-tinged mini-LP Control. The somewhat darker Mega City Industry EP appeared on Civil Music the next year. Two years after that, the more austere full-length Hollowed arrived on Planet Mu, accompanied by the Beyond Sight EP. Continuing the move beyond dancefloor structures, Ital Tek released the expansive, score-like Bodied in 2018. Following the birth of his first child and a relocation away from urban surroundings, he issued his sixth album, Outland, in 2020, then the EPs Dream Boundary and Seraph in quick succession. Developed gradually during the COVID-19 lockdown, Timeproof surfaced in 2023.