Planetary Assault Systems

Under the name Planetary Assault Systems, Luke Slater has been developing a more rigorous and abrasive branch of his work since the early 1990s. Born in Reading and rooted in the British techno scene, he conceived Planetary Assault Systems as a solo project that explores dry, hypnotic, and physical techno built around tight rhythms, industrial textures, acidic loops and a structure very much oriented toward the club. The name first appeared on Peacefrog with several maxi singles, then expanded with the albums The Drone Sector (1997) and Atomic Funkster (2001), before a marked return beginning with Temporary Suspension in 2009. Subsequent releases include The Messenger (2011), Arc Angel (2016), Plantae (2019) and Sky Scraping (2021), with releases also on labels such as Ostgut Ton, Figure and Token. Alongside his other aliases, notably The 7th Plain and L.B. Dub Corp, Luke Slater reserves for Planetary Assault Systems a more stripped-down, percussive and taut language that is prominent in club and festival circuits devoted to contemporary forms of techno.