This is a pre-order. It will ship on or around 11/6/26
Ramjac Corporation, aka
Paul Chivers, emerged from the UK's late-'80s rave underground, performing live at parties like Sunrise, Energy, Back to the Future, Fun-da-Mental and Synergy. Building tracks with an Atari computer and an E-MU 12-bit sampler, turning severe technical limitations into raw, elastic club music,
88-92: It is What it Was gathers music born in bedrooms then tested in front of crowds at warehouse raves, while the culture was still inventing itself without boundaries, completely free. Ramjac was the original artist on Irdial Discs, following label founder
Akin Fernandez's
Aqua Regia, and introduced
Lee Purkis'
In Sync and
Neuropolitique to the label, shaping the singular catalogue of that extraordinary imprint alongside
Luke Slater's
Morganistic,
Thee J Johanz and
Anthony Manning. That legacy is now revisited by Musique Pour La Danse, with the release of a limited edition vinyl and digital edition featuring extended liner notes by
Nick Halkes of XL Recordings, Positiva and Kicks Like A Mule fame, who witnessed the early Ramjac period first-hand. The release is illustrated by
Grant Fulton, who created the visual identity for
The Shamen's Synergy events and
Orbital albums. This album presents music written exclusively between 1988-92 and forms the foundation of Ramjac Corporation's ongoing live performances. Restored from the original floppy discs, the recordings preserve the unique relationship between early digital technology, sampling culture and live improvisation that defines the Ramjac approach. Mixed for release for the first time by
Trevor Lancaster-Smith, whose '90s engineering work encompassed
Leftfield,
Faithless, and
Roni Size, the album brings these compositions into sharp focus while preserving the character of the original instruments and performances. Not just a historical document,
88-92: It is What it Was is a living body of work: music created then, realized now, and continuing to surprise and evolve.
