20 years of Planet Mu in 10 minutes.

In a world where artists can sell direct to fans, there’s valid debate around the role of record labels. Planet Mu is perhaps the best evidence out there that labels are vitally important signposts for music lovers.

Following a split from Virgin Records in the early ’90s, Planet Mu has always existed on very independent terms, spinning in an orbit of its own. With Mike Paradinas’s aka µ-Ziq at its helm, Mu racked up a reputation for daring electronic sounds; over two decades touching on IDM, jungle, breakcore, grime, dubstep, footwork – and joining the dots in-between. It’s truly remarkable that Planet Mu has continued to break boundaries without the structure and budget and big-hitting artists enjoyed by other electronic indies of its standing.

A skin of the teeth operation, there’s little concern for what will sell or how a release fits into the grander narrative of the label – instead it’s the vision, tastes and idiosyncrasies of its founder Mike Paradinas that drives Mu. An oddball perfectionist, Mike spends hours trawling Soundcloud for demos, and just as much time obsessing over tracklist order in the bathtub.

Credits:

Producer/Director: Amar Ediriwira
Camera Operators: Pawel Ptak, Kamil Dymek, Akeem Pennicooke & Duncan Parker
Editor: Pawel Ptak