DJ Food ‘The Search Engine’

  • RELEASED: 19th Jan 2012
  • FORMAT: 4xLP / CD / Book+CD+Flexi disc / DL / CD promo
  • LABEL: NINJA TUNE
  • CAT No.: ZEN176 / ZENCD176 / ZENCD176X / ZENDNL176 / ZENCD176P
  • DESIGN: Openmind
  • ILLUSTRATION: Henry Flint
  • PHOTOGRAPHY: Will Cooper-Mitchell
  • SPOTTERS DELIGHT: Ten random copies of the 4×12″ were inserted with 12″x12″ artwork containing signed zoetrope prints and collages, all one-offs.
  • EXTRA ZEN: ninjatune page / BUY

I worked with 2000ad artist, Henry Flint on this, a true collaborative effort in every sense. I came up with the concept of a cosmonaut hanging in space, strapped into an unfeasibly large backpack, the kind you could only wear in zero gravity. He was originally to be suspended from the huge cylinder from the ‘Shape Of Things That Hum’ cover but we needed a bottom to the piece.

I asked Henry to illustrate all sorts of protrusions to attach to the image and additional pipes attaching the cosmonaut. In typical Flint style we went way above and beyond and illustrated a whole circular machine! This changed the whole composition as I felt it would be stronger with the cosmonaut suspended in the centre and then set about colouring both elements.

I bounced a myriad of different versions back and forth to gauge his opinion, some very rough and messy, others clean. We both agreed there was something missing at the end and, upon hearing the ‘Colours Beyond Colours’ track from my album, Henry suggested some sort of light beam or prism. I went away and tried a ton of lens flares and light effects to finish it off.

The Book + CD version contains a clear 7″ flexi disc with ‘Discovery Workshop’ on it. The 4×12″ quad foldout cover was released for Record Store Day 2013, containing represses of the three previous EPs and the remix 12″ from the previous year (this time on black vinyl).