Planet Mu 30

Planet Mu 30 continues the labels tradition of marking its five-year anniversaries with compilations that mainly center around its roster at the time rather than reflect on its history. (The mammoth three-disc special edition of Micro20 was a considerable exception.) The sets 25 tracks come from longtime mainstays as well as more recent signees making their label debut, and it leans heavily on footwork, jungle, experimental techno, and various permutations of all of the above. Most of the material is exclusive at the time of the compilations release, with only a handful of tracks previously surfacing digitally. Jlins "B12" begins the release, weaving curious samples of classical instruments throughout a rhythm that starts out sounding close to neo-soul but quickly becomes twisted and complex. Venetian Snares "Drums" plays around with speech samples from a percussion expert, making it sound like hes talking about the tracks erratic breakbeats and tense synths. Of the selections originating from the Chicago footwork movement, cuts from RP Boo and Jana Rush have spooky horror-flick vibes, while DJ Manny and Elmoe are considerably more atmospheric, and Traxmans frantic yet celebratory "Ace Boogie" feels closest to the scenes dance battle origins. Several newer signees push things forward with hard-to-define sounds, such as Nondi_s bubbling, lo-fi "Worrygirl" and surreal strangeness from Rev and Ship Sket. FaltyDL returns to the label with something close to a hybrid of ghettotech and hyperpop, and Kenyan cybertrap master Slikback makes a welcome addition to the lineup with the harsh, alarming "Foli." Newcomer BAE BAE provides some ecstatic jungle, Xylitol brilliantly fuses drumnbass with Berlin-school kosmische synths, and label boss Micro-Ziq updates a vivid, breakbeat-heavy highlight from 2024s excellent Grush. The second disc seems more experimental than the first, with sweeping ambient drone from Meemo Comma, abstract melancholia from Herva, and a noisy, free jazz-inspired sonic boom from Speaker Music. Theres also dark, slamming sound design from Ital Tek and a lengthy Rian Treanor piece that progressively builds before ripping to pieces with percussive glitches. Big Thief percussionist James Krivchenia explores Afrobeat-influenced techno along with multi-instrumentalist Sam Wilkes on a piece called "Quantum Flirt." As heavy and challenging as the release gets, theres still room for a few more carefree club tracks. Luke Vibert continues to bring good vibes only with the horn-driven, disco-ish "Bullet Drop," and Detroits DJ Girl melds breakbeat hardcore with electro on the brisk yet whomping "Bonito Applebum," which speeds up the Rotary Connection sitar lick famously sampled by A Tribe Called Quest and the Fugees. The entire compilation confirms Planet Mus status as one of the most forward-thinking labels around, and theres clearly much more to come. ~ Paul Simpson