Interplanetary Criminal

Interplanetary Criminal is the Manchester-based producer, DJ and ATW Records co-founder
leading a rip-roaring new wave of UK garage. Straight from the studio to the iconic Arcadia
spider, and from Dekmantel to Depot Mayfield, Croatia, Bogotá, Sydney, Miami and all-nighters
at Leeds’ beloved Wire, IPC and his speedy, rowdy sets – and speedier, rowdier productions –
are connecting with up-for-it audiences. His formula? Fresh, fun and foundation-minded,
balancing innovation with a wholehearted appreciation for everything that’s come before,
including the enduring influence of the North West.

His dedication is paying off. Recent years have seen IPC (real name Zach Bruce) earn DJ Mag’s
Best of British awards for Best Producer and Best Track, along with a Brit Award nomination.
He’s played ecstatic b2bs with legends like Skream, remixed for formative heroes like Dusky
and been a regular on Rinse FM. Not to mention all the music he’s created and shared, counting
2022’s celebratory “All Thru The Night” V/A compilation for the seminal Locked On label. Plus, of
course, the chart-topping “B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)” – an irresistible collab with Eliza
Rose. He’s been on a collaboration tip this year as well, releasing the sing-along, 00s-flavoured
“No Time” (featuring Canadian artist SadBoi) and the icy, 2-step-meets-drill “Races” (with
Harlem Spartans founder Blanco) via Room Two Recordings. And in the afterglow of another
packed festival season, he’s just wrapped up a North and South American tour. The UK and
Europe are next, with IPC’s hotly-tipped headline show at London’s HERE @ Outernet selling
out in hours. It’s going to be a massive club autumn/winter.

Perfectly aligned, then, with his new solo EP for ATW Records, which he launched in 2020
alongside Danish artist (and kindred spirit) Main Phase. If you were to ask IPC to describe
“ATW007,” he’d say it’s “no-nonsense, brash, rudeboy energy,” primed for club usage and
crafted specifically for his USB. The EP features an incendiary link-up with veteran MC Riko Dan
(“Gunman”), IPC’s go-to set opener (“The Valley”) and a “classic speed garage” love letter to his
hometown (“Manchester” – of course). Listening to it is like being plunged into a peak-time
dancefloor, not just in how it sounds but in how it makes you feel – pulled into a crowd, locked
in a groove, in the thick of something special.

This new EP (much like IPC’s output at large) is dedicated to the underground, which makes
total sense. When it comes to IPC personally – but also UKG more broadly – context and
authenticity are everything. ATW Records champions that, aiming to capture the energy and
perspectives of today’s garage scene while carving a distinct identity. For IPC, this is the key to
all that he does: taking in, giving back and staying true to what he stands for.