Various - µ20

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  • Planet Mu is a label for the weird kids, lorded over by a big weird kid. A firm dedication to the new and unusual has prevented Mike Paradinas's 20-year-old label from earning Ninja Tune or Warp's elder statesmen status, though it's also kept its discography fresh and unpredictable. Its wide range of outré sounds and its unstoppable release schedule can make it easy to gloss over the contributions that Planet Mu has made to electronic music. In addition to issuing early IDM classics, the UK institution has helped define breakcore, bring dubstep to an outside audience and, perhaps most notably, introduce the world to footwork. And the platform Mu has given oddballs like Luke Vibert and Venetian Snares, the lost jungle classics it has reissued and its single-handed relaunch of grime vet Terror Danjah's career shouldn't be understated. For its 20th anniversary, Planet Mu, still run out of Paradinas's home in Brighton, has attempted the difficult task of taking stock of two decades within two CDs. In typically forward-thinking fashion, µ20 does so not by rifling through past achievements, but by digging into the archives and offering up unheard and sometimes new material from some of its most respected artists. The unreleased songs date as far back as 2003, meaning that we get exclusive tracks from the likes of Vex'd and Milanese. It creates a more well-rounded picture of the label than a compilation of contemporary tunes could have. Some of the best cuts are uncovered from the past—like the humid tropicalia of Oriol's "Near Me," glossy Machinedrum roller "Le Ol Skool" and Terror Danjah's vintage remix of Swindle, for example. The thread of woozy hypnagogia that has characterized Mu's past five years is represented, too, from Miracle's synth-pop to Polysick's synth-wave, while recent contributions from Mr. Mitch, Ital Tek and Kuedo offer dark ambient perspectives. All of which sits next to forlorn techno from Ital, old-school footwork from RP Boo and the thunderous death knell of Jlin & Fawkes' "Ankou Celeste" (perhaps the collection's standout, if picking just one was possible). The tracklist drives home the sheer diversity of the label's output. Granted, that variety makes µ20 a slightly disjointed listen, but no true representation of Planet Mu could ever be smooth or uniform—the label rejects those qualities in principle. Originality is what binds the discography together, not aesthetics. Paradinas prefers artists with strong, signature voices, and µ20 shows off their most characteristic tracks. Anti-G's "Oohh Shit" is apocalyptically funky; Silk Road Assassin's "Shaded" sounds like a blockbuster film's opening sequence; Venetian Snares' extreme, cathartic "Meeting A Buddha" rivals anything we've heard lately from the Winnipeg outsider. The dubplate mix of "Thunderclap," Remarc's 1995 jungle classic, is so unhinged that it practically one-ups breakcore years before it was invented. Contributions from Snares and Remarc represent a crucial but oft-forgotten facet of Planet Mu: heavy-as-shit, occasionally humorous drum break rinse-outs. You won't find artists like Shitmat or Hellfish & Producer on the two core discs of µ20, which is fine—there's barely enough room to contain a few years of Planet Mu, nevermind 20—but those who shell out for the deluxe edition are treated to a third helping of oddities. Largely for the diehards, you get abstraction from the likes of Hrvatski, Mrs. Jynx and The Gasman, as well as a few revelations (Dykehouse's "Cloud Sculptor" does not sound like it came from the early 2000s). The collector's edition of µ20 also comes with a lovingly written book from Rory Gibb that outlines the label's history, connecting the dots between the more extreme ends of its discography and offering a glimpse into Paradinas's mind. The music on µ20 is equally a view into that mind and its peculiar tastes. Though he rarely gets the level of recognition and respect as his good friend and one-time collaborator Aphex Twin, Paradinas is a visionary, an incredibly talented producer and a savvy curator. His label is, in essence, one big vanity project: an erratic imprint that releases what Paradinas likes, regardless of how trendy it might look or how successful it may or may not be. (In the book, it's also revealed that operating Planet Mu is still a financially precarious situation, likely because of his mercurial interests.) µ20 is almost like Paradinas's own alternate history of contemporary electronic music, where Vex'd outshined Digital Mystikz, Remarc was one of the most influential jungle producers and FaltyDL was the next Burial. With footwork, however, it's an irreplaceable historic resource. Footwork initially attracted Paradinas because of its raw energy and inscrutably fast rhythmic patterns—like a Midwestern mutation of the breakcore, jungle and rave music that's inspired him since the beginning—and it's become the label's greatest legacy in recent years. In typical fashion, Paradinas gravitates to the rougher ends of the genre, resulting in recent releases from Jlin, Traxman and RP Boo instead of the more polished work of DJ Spinn. But we probably wouldn't have those bigger, more popular footwork producers if it weren't for Paradinas's support and exposure in the first place. Over the years, Planet Mu has been the springboard for all kinds of artists, the recluses and icons working on electronic music's next step. That's the thing about these weird kids: they only seem weird because they're miles ahead of everyone else.
  • Tracklist
      CD1 01. Kuedo - Slow Knife (2014) 02. Herva - Kila (2014) 03. Remarc - Thunderclap (Dubplate Mix) (2009) 04. DJ Diamond - Dozin (2014) 05. Anti-G - Oohh Shit (2015) 06. Ital - Digi Dub (2015) 07. Mr. Mitch - Phantom Prophet (2015) 08. Ekoplekz - Detroit (2014) 09. Claude Speeed - Center Tech (2014) 10. RP Boo - Azzoutof Control (2004) 11. Traxman - Nothing Stays Tha Same (Funk Bomb Remixx) (2015) 12. Ital Tek - Vacuum I (2015) 13. FaltyDL - Brazil (Maddslinky Remix) (2010) 14. Boxcutter - Neonia (2012) 15. Venetian Snares - Meeting A Buddha (2013) CD2 01. µ-Ziq - Cherk (2014) 02. Jlin & Fawkes - Ankou Celeste (2015) 03. Silk Road Assassins - Shaded (2015) 04. Oriol - Near Me (2012) 05. Machinedrum - Le Ol Skool (2011) 06. John T. Gast - Congress (Original Version) (2015) 07. Swindle - Airmiles (Terror Danjah Carbon Footprint Remix) (2010) 08. Milanese - 1Up (2004) 09. Luke Vibert - Starchild (2011) 10. John Wizards - Lushoto (µ-Ziq Remix) (2013) 11. Miracle - Strange Taste (2013) 12. Polysick - Magog (2014) 13. Gemmy - Goin' Up (2014) 14. Heterotic - Cute (2014) 15. DJ Nate - Awww Baby Yea (2014) 16. Vex'd - Firestar (2003) 17. Konx-Om-Pax - Astro Belter (2014) CD3 01. Jega - 103 (1997) 02. Leafcutter John - Kickcut (2001) 03. Neil Landstrumm - Beauty Sq (2010) 04. Dykehouse - Cloud Sculptor (2002) 05. µ-Ziq - Improper (1997) 06. The Gasman - 2teq-10 (2013) 07. Hrvatski - Glass (2000) 08. Datach'i - Greenwood Mating Ritual (2003) 09. Hellfish - Pandora's Front Smash Hole (Planet Puke Edit) (2015) 10. Ed Lawes - Chain 1 & End (2004) 11. Slag Boom Van Loon - Butch (Speedy J Remix) (1999) 12. Mark One - Dirty Birds (2004) 13. Frost Jockey - Twee (1998) 14. Remano Eszildn - Contax (2008) 15. Ambulance - Circlette (2002) 16. Mrs Jynx - Coral Face (2006) 17. Tim Tetlow - Stelophane 101 (2000) 18. Shitmat - S950-003 (2008)
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