It is difficult for me to not associate Planet Mu as a label with boss Mike Paradinas's Mu-Ziq project; after all, the label is named after it, and generally speaking the two have always been complementary in terms of creative vision. So when µ-Ziq's drill & bass aesthetic seemed to fade from the foreground, I lost a bit of interest in the label, and the inevitable trend-hopping that persists in electronic music didn't necessarily always leave a lot of room for Paradinas's tried and true dedication to his own cause. But more power to him, because in 2008 the label celebrates its 200th release, and can stand proud for having weathered the storm and brought the noise with no regrets.
With the emergence of Burial's debut on the Hyperdub imprint in 2006, the dubstep genre really grew significant legs beyond its insular UK club scene, and Planet µ earned a well-deserved boost as one of the central hubs of dubstep and its various permutations, most often veering into something more sinister, spastic or melodic, crossing over into IDM, hardcore and drum & bass. What 200 does spectacularly well is serve as a showcase of all of these various aspects of the Planet µ roster and more.
For starters, it's a two-disc set and is priced at a mere $10, a total steal for the especially high level of quality control to be found herein. From the opening notes of Ceephax's downright jolly "Castilian" to the deeeep dub of MRK1's "Sensi Skank," it's a pretty top notch collection of tracks, culled from both the label's backcatalogue (several tracks previously only available on vinyl) as well as unreleased treasures.
The easiest way to describe some of what's on here is to break it into loose categories. There are the deep dub-infused sounds of MRK1, Distance (whose "Fallen" appears here as remixed by Vex'd, really stellar stuff), Pinch, Darqwan and Boxcutter (whose "Good You Dub" is a real standout). A few of the tracks veer more into the classic IDM sound: iTAL tEK's "White Mark" is wonderfully gloomy, µ-Ziq's "Lexicon" is delightful and melodic, recalling some of Orbital's more memorable tunes, and The Doubtful Guest's "Nannita" is unusual in its blending of operatic vocals and electro stylings. Some tracks are even more leftfield, namely Jo Apps' "Kausikan," a weird off-kilter downtempo track, The Gasman's oddly beatless arpeggio noodler, "Equino," Ambulance's woozy "The Tams" which closes disc one, and Julian Fane's "The Moon Is Gone," the most proper pop song here, complete with Thom Yorke-esque falsetto voice and a more full arrangement. But for fans of the label, certainly the most immediate tracks will be the crazy, frenetic hardcore and drill & bass tracks that seem somehow to best characterize the personality of the label in its several years of existence. Venetian Snares' "Devil's Totem" could be considered the culmination of the spazzy sequencing experiments of µ-Ziq, Squarepusher and Richard Devine all rolled together, only darker. FFF's "The Feeling" is the tasty essence of every overwrought Speed Limit 140+ BPM throwaway you ever secretly loved, and Shitmat's "Shut Up" (remixed here by Hellfish) is a total monster of noise and furious speed. The funniest track is Duran Duran Duran's "Face Blast" which combines electro, booty bass, mash ups and a good amount of humor into a dancefloor slammer. The only tracks that fall a bit flat for me are Parson's "Throw Some Ds" – it's got more of a hip hop vibe but plods along a bit aimlessly – and Bizzy B & Equinox's "Merda Style 2004" is a little too breaks-by-numbers for my liking.
All in all, 200 is a fantastic way to sample the Planet µ label's repertoire, past, present, and future, and seals the deal that not only is the label here to stay, but it's a consistent innovator in the often splintered landscape of leftfield electronic music.
mp3s: Ceephax: Castilian | Ambulance: The Tams
more information: Planet Mu
buy it: Bent Crayon | Boomkat | Amazon | iTunes | Emusic
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