Planet Mu

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Planet Mu
Mulogo.jpg
Parent company Virgin Records (until 1998)
Founded1995
Founder Mike Paradinas
Distributor(s)Cargo (Europe + R.O.W), Redeye USA (North America and Canada)
Genre IDM, dubstep, breakcore, footwork, grime
Country of origin England
LocationEngland
Official website http://www.planet.mu

Planet Mu is an English electronic music record label created and run by Mike Paradinas. The label started out as a subsidiary of Virgin Records then Paradinas set up the label independent of Virgin. After releasing intelligent dance music, the label moved to jungle and breakcore, and then grime and dubstep and later footwork. The label also releases the music of Paradinas under various aliases such as μ-Ziq, Kid Spatula and Tusken Raiders. It celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2020.

Contents

Beginning

When Mike Paradinas signed as a musician to Virgin Records in the mid-1990s, Paradinas was asked for suggestions for the new dance subsidiary and suggested Planet Mu as a play on Carl Craig's label Planet E. [1] When Virgin lost interest in the project, Paradinas took it over. He quickly drew critical acclaim for releasing a string of important IDM (intelligent dance music) records, from artists such as Jega, Leafcutter John, Luke Vibert, WWWINGS [2] [3] and Venetian Snares. [1] [4] The label also releases Paradinas' music under a range of aliases including Kid Spatula, Tusken Raiders and Mu-Ziq, establishing itself as an electronic music label to rival Skam Records and Warp records. [4]

Progression

As the new decade began, Planet Mu began to release jungle and breakcore records from artists such as 0=0, Tim Exile and Shitmat. [4] [5] Later in the decade, Paradinas moved towards grime and dubstep, signing artists such as Boxcutter, Milanese, Mr. Mitch, Pinch, Vex'd and Virus Syndicate. [1] [4] [6] [7] In 2006, the label released three Warrior Dubz compilations curated by Mary Anne Hobbs. [8] In the 2010s, Planet Mu changed direction again, releasing the footwork compilation Bangs & Works Vol. 1 which featured DJ Rashad and brought the Chicago genre to wider attention. [1] Bangs & Works Vol. 2 came out the following year and launched the career of Jlin. [9]

In 2020, the label celebrated its 25th birthday. In 2019 it had not made a profit but in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, sales went up. [1] It released the compilation PlanetMμ25 which featured grime from East Man & Streema, pop from RUI-HO, IDM from Bogdan Raczynski and jazz from Jana Rush. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Paradinas</span> British musician

Michael Robert Paradinas, better known by his stage name μ-Ziq, is an English electronic musician from Wimbledon, London. He was associated with the electronic style intelligent dance music (IDM) during the 1990s, and recorded on Rephlex Records and Reflective Records. His critically acclaimed 1997 album, Lunatic Harness, helped define the drill 'n' bass subgenre and was also his most successful release, selling over 100,000 copies. Paradinas founded the record label Planet Mu, begun in 1995, where he has championed genres such as juke, IDM and footwork.

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<i>In Pine Effect</i> 1995 studio album by μ-Ziq

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<i>Lunatic Harness</i> 1997 studio album by μ-Ziq

Lunatic Harness is the fourth studio album by English electronic music producer Mike Paradinas under the stage name μ-Ziq. It was released on 30 June 1997 in the United Kingdom on the Planet Mu label, and on 29 July 1997 in the United States on the Astralwerks label. It was rereleased with bonus tracks from the My Little Beautiful and Brace Yourself singles in 2022 for its 25th anniversary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leafcutter John</span> British musician and artist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Exile</span> Musical artist

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Speedy J</span> Dutch electronic music producer

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<i>Expert Knob Twiddlers</i> 1996 studio album by Mike & Rich

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jega (musician)</span> British electronic music artist

Jega is the recording name of the Manchester-based electronic music artist, Dylan Nathan. Jega has released records on the Planet Mu, Matador and Skam record labels.

<i>Duntisbourne Abbots Soulmate Devastation Technique</i> 2007 studio album by μ-Ziq

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Drill 'n' bass is a subgenre of drum and bass which developed in the mid-1990s as IDM artists began experimenting with elements of breakbeat, jungle, and drum and bass music. Artists utilized powerful audio software programs and deployed frenzied, irregular beats that often discouraged dancing. The style was often interpreted as having a lightly parodic relationship with the dance styles that inspired it.

Footwork, also called juke, footwork/juke or Chicago juke, is a genre of electronic dance music derived from ghetto house with elements of hip hop, first appearing in Chicago in the late 1990s. The music style evolved from the earlier, rapid rhythms of ghetto house, a change pioneered by RP Boo. It may draw from the rapid rhythms and sub-bass frequencies of drum & bass. Tracks also frequently feature heavily syncopated samples from rap, pop and other sources, and are often around 160 bpm.

Boxcutter is the pseudonym for Barry Lynn, an electronic musician from Northern Ireland. Early Boxcutter material from 2005 and 2006, like that released on Hotflush Recordings and on the debut Planet Mu album Oneiric, was frequently associated with the genre dubstep, although it was also compared to experimental artists such as Amon Tobin and Boards of Canada. The second Boxcutter album Glyphic was more influenced by classic dub music such as King Tubby, but also drew comparisons to artists such as Squarepusher, Foul Play and Seefeel, and continued Lynn's reputation for working outside of conventions and taking a genre-hopping approach. In 2009, Lynn released the SETI-themed album Arecibo Message. In the same year, he also founded the Kinnego Records label, on which he released a collaboration with Kinnego Flux featuring artwork by London designers La Boca, and the first vinyl single by Space Dimension Controller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jlin</span> American electronic musician (born 1987)

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venetian Snares</span> Canadian electronic musician

Aaron Funk, known as Venetian Snares, is a Canadian electronic musician based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is widely known for innovating and popularising the breakcore genre, and is one of the most recognisable artists to be signed to Planet Mu, an experimental electronic music label. His signature style involves meticulously complex drums, eclectic use of samples, and odd time signatures, in particular, 7
4
.

<i>Dark Energy</i> (album) 2015 studio album by Jlin

Dark Energy is the debut album by American electronic music producer Jlin, released in 2015 by Planet Mu. It received acclaim from critics and was named the best album of 2015 by The Quietus and The Wire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Venetian Snares discography</span>

Canadian electronic musician Aaron Funk, better known as Venetian Snares, has released 24 studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, 19 extended plays (EPs), eight singles, four promotional singles, one remix, and one music video. Funk began producing music in 1992 and self-released several cassettes during the 90's. He released his first three studio albums in cassette. These albums are Spells and Subvert! both released in 1998, and Rorschach Stuffoacte released in 1999. He released the 1999 EP, Greg Hates Car Culture, followed by his fourth studio album, printf("shiver in eternal darkness/n"); in May 2000.

<i>Greg Hates Car Culture</i> 1999 EP by Venetian Snares

Greg Hates Car Culture is a breakcore EP released by Venetian Snares in 1999 on Minneapolis-based label History of the Future. It was his first official release and led to him being signed by Planet Mu. Twenty years later, a re-mastered version was re-released with three extra tracks on Timesig, a sublabel of Planet Mu as the twenty-fourth studio album of Venetian Snares. The tracks were originally made using an Amiga 500 and an effects pedal.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Finlayson, Angus (3 December 2020). "Mike Paradinas on Planet Mu's Past, Present, and Future". Electronic Beats. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  2. "WWWINGS release PHOENIXXX on August 19". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  3. "planet mu · WWWINGS". planet.mu. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Madden, Joe (20 July 2006). "Planet Mu label profile". BBC. Archived from the original on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  5. "Henry Collins". Crack Magazine. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  6. 1 2 Cardew, Ben (22 December 2020). "Various Artists: PlanetMμ25". Pitchfork. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
  7. Pearl, Max (15 February 2017). "Planet Mu announces new Mr. Mitch album, Devout". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  8. "Planet Mu biography". IMO Records. Archived from the original on 2 May 2012. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
  9. Beta, Andy (15 April 2015). "Never Scared: The Fearless Footwork of Jlin". Pitchfork. Retrieved 26 January 2021.