Royal Astronomy

Royal Astronomy is the fifth studio album by English electronic music producer Mike Paradinas under the stage name μ-Ziq, released on 26 July 1999 by Hut Records and Astralwerks.

Royal Astronomy
Studio album by μ-Ziq
Released	26 July 1999 (1999-07-26)
Genre	Drill 'n' bass IDM
Length	58:41
Label	Hut Astralwerks
Producer	Mike Paradinas
Μ-Ziq chronology
Brace Yourself (1998) Royal Astronomy (1999) Bilious Paths (2003)
Singles from Royal Astronomy
"The Fear" Released: 12 July 1999

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Alternative Press	4/5[2]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[3]
The Guardian	[4]
Muzik	[5]
NME	7/10[6]
Pitchfork	5.1/10[7]
PopMatters	8.5/10[8]
Q	[9]
Spin	7/10[10]

Jon Dolan of Spin described Royal Astronomy as Paradinas' "most ambitious work to date: a bold stab at classicism steeped in lush orchestrations that can be anything from sweetly elegiac to darkly bizarre—as if the embattled soul conducting the musicians is being torn between millennial nightmares and wistful visions of empires past."^[10] Sarah Zupko of PopMatters called it "the most advanced and adventurous work of his career."^[8]

NME named Royal Astronomy the 38th best album of 1999.^[11]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mike Paradinas.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Scaling"	4:14
2.	"The Hwicci Song"	3:40
3.	"Autumn Acid"	3:42
4.	"Slice"	4:41
5.	"Carpet Muncher"	3:00
6.	"The Motorbike Track"	7:24
7.	"Mentim"	4:29
8.	"The Fear"	4:24
9.	"Gruber's Mandolin"	2:39
10.	"World of Leather"	4:22
11.	"Scrape"	1:42
12.	"56"	3:47
13.	"Burst Your Arm"	6:26
14.	"Goodbye, Goodbye"	4:11
Total length:		58:41

Japanese edition bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
15.	"The Fear (Remixed)"	4:54
16.	"Morning Frolic"	4:13
Total length:		67:48

Charts

Chart (1999)	Peak position
UK Albums (OCC)[12]	185