VARIOUS ARTISTS µ20: PLANET MU RECORDS

Planet Mu has always been a label unafraid to push the boundaries. Over its twenty year life span, the label can count releases from some of electronic music’s most forward thinking artists amongst its stellar discography.  To celebrate reaching this momentous milestone, the good people at Planet Mu have decided to release a 3CD compilation that features no less than fifty of the labels finest cuts to date.  A lot of the material featured is previously unreleased, making this all the more special.

Something that helped Planet Mu build its longstanding reputation is its diverse musical policy. Across this latest release there are tracks that encompass nearly every form of electronic music; acid, jungle, house, techno to dubstep and rave. The album flows through the genres and decades with consummate ease, taking you from the centre of the dance floor to the darkest corner of the club and back again.  

Whilst artists like Aphex Twin and DJ Rashad remain absent, the rest of the label’s big hitters are in attendance, including RP Boo, Machinedrum, FaltyDL, Venetian Snares, Luke Vibert and Itel Tek.  A healthy amount of the labels newer artists make appearances throughout (the likes of Demarc and Silk Road Assassins), proving if nothing else that sure, Planet Mu has an illustrious past, but it’s also got a very bright future. The sheer depth of the labels output is showcased to perfection here and label head honcho Mike Paradinas, who features under his U-Ziq moniker, has done a great job curating.

µ20 could be classed as both a history lesson and a celebration, but certainly not a nostalgia trip.  Nearly all of the artists featured have built solid, longstanding relationships with the label, and this will no doubt continue. Even if you are familiar with Planet Mu, this is an education on one of the world’s foremost labels. Here’s to another twenty years of mind blowing releases.

Check out the preview below.

Words by Joseph Docherty