Luke Slater
b. 12 June 1968, Reading, Berkshire, England. Turned on to music via early experiments with sounds and noises on his father's old reel-to-reel, rather than by any affinity to a particular musical subculture, Slater set about defining his vision during 1989 on the fledgling label Jelly Jam, an offshoot of the Brighton record shop of the same name where he was working at the time. A batch of Detroit-influenced tracks were spat out at an alarming rate, and a contract with D-Jax Records soon followed that saw Slater adopting the guise of Clementine. However, it was not until his link-up with Peacefrog Records in 1993, and another change of name to Planetary Assault Systems, that Slater's name became widely known and praised. He became heralded as the UK torchbearer for the Detroit techno sound, managing to capture the essence of that city's musical qualities, whether recording pounding, abrasive sounds as Planetary Assault Systems for Peacefrog, or alluding instead to classical textures as the 7th Plain for GPR. However, Slater's furious output during 1993/4 soon started to take its toll: "I began to realise you can't do everything, I was beginning to lose focus on what I originally intended to do in the first place." Taking time out from a hectic studio and DJing schedule, Slater returned in 1997, with Freek Funk, recorded in his home studio in Crawley, Sussex. With Freek Funk, Slater achieved what so many aspire to - a highly accomplished and highly variable album, unique and accessible, that pushed musical boundaries more than most. The follow-up Wireless experimented with electro and breakbeats to great effect.
Listen to Luke Slater
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Albums
- (1999) Wireless
Top Tracks
- All Exhale
- Hard Knock Rock
- Love (12" Mix)
- Sum Ton Tin
- Body Freefall, Electronic Inform
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