[Inspired by the mood of the North of England] Interplanetary Criminal has made one of the best UK garage mixtapes of the moment: and through the legendary Locked On label to boot. Here he explains how, with who, and why.
As years go, the recent one has been far from monotonous for Interplanetary Criminal – and a distant cry from his dance music epiphany in 2012, when Huxley’s moody house track “Box Clever” resonated so deeply that he began to navigate writing and mixing music for himself. Hailing from Bolton, Greater Manchester, the producer and DJ — real name Zach Bruce — is still reeling from his collaboration with Eliza Rose, “B.O.T.A (Baddest Of Them All),” reaching UK #1 last summer. And rightly so.
“It was this amazing, beautiful thing,” he recalls. “My mates were so gassed. It felt like everyone around me was celebrating it and I really didn’t process it at the time, actually. And it’s this crazy thing now where I’ve got a number one with Eliza. Like, I had a number one record. It’s so weird to think — you take a step back and it’s something I never would’ve wished for, especially not underground music, you know?”