Approaching the 10th anniversary of the label, Planet Mu founder and head Mike Paradinas waxed equivocal on the advent of MP3 sharing in an interview back in 2004. The decline of physical mediums certainly meant a loss of revenue at the time, Paradinas explained, but the downsides of that were qualified by the fact that discovering new music is a pleasure rivaled only by a cool ocean breeze traveling up your bare human exterior. An additional 10 years later and Planet Mu has solidified itself as a premier independent propagator of electronic music, despite or because of the new digital landscape. From his early and influential work as µ-Ziq to the label’s more recent footwork excursions, Paradinas has been a stalwart for music lovers everywhere. Through breakcore and thin, you could say!
So naturally this warrants celebration. Coming September 4 is the whopping release of a gargantuan 20th anniversary package, partially comprised of three CDs, which are themselves filled with 50 tracks of remixes and unreleased work spanning Planet Mu’s two-decade long history. Acclaimed artists like Kuedo, RP Boo, Machinedrum, Venetian Snares, Ital Tek, and Boxcutter are all featured, and the music is backed by a 100-page book telling the story of Planet Mu, written by Rory Gibb of The Quietus. But you only get that if you want it.
Those weirdly overwhelmed by the amount of content have the option of purchasing a two-CD version of µ20 without the book. You’ll be tacitly admitting a mild illiteracy in the process, but at least you’ll undoubtedly hear some new Mu gems. Ah, that’s brisk.
Go here for the full µ20 tracklisting. Paradinas is where?!
• Planet Mu: http://www.planet.mu
