• RELEASED: March 1995
• FORMAT: 2xLP / 2xLP + ltd 12″ / CD
• LABEL: NINJA TUNE
• CAT No.: ZEN15 / ZENCD15
• DESIGN: Openmind
• PHOTOGRAPHY: Openmind
• EXTRA ZEN: ninjatune page / BUY

My second release design for Ninja and I was in at the deep end concerning print and post design technicalities as I’d not been taught that side of things at college (the worst thing about Camberwell College of Art). I wanted a tinted silver image but didn’t have the experience to spec it for the printer so had to go back and forth with the label manager, Peter Quicke – who had a bit of experience from doing it himself –  to try and get the effect. It was only partially successful and was something I later rectified when the Canadian office did a series of reissues after rights reverted to them.

The set of turntables on the front was a collage I had done of my own set up whilst in college, with Phonic mixer and surrounding ephemera (I Photoshopped out a Talkin’ Loud flyer that was a bit too prominent) I got my first Technics decks whilst I was at college in London in 1991 and it’s not wrong to say I was in love with them and everything associated with DJing. I had been using either an all in one stereo or two belt drive turntables since 1985 and now I finally had my own Technics after only playing on friends’ or hired ones at parties. I took photos of them, made collages and logos for a fictional turntable crew – the 1210 Technicians – as well as slipmat designs which I screen printed onto felt mats. Here, for the first time is the original image in colour, 35mm photos made to look like Polaroids and joined Hockney-style to form a whole piece.

The inspiration for this silver and black colour scheme was the A.R.T. album ‘Applied Rhythmic Technology 2’ which i thought was so simple and beautiful. Unfortunately I was way too inexperienced to pull off anything so subtle but you have to learn by your mistakes eh?