Resident Advisor Travels To Brighton To Talk With Mike Paradinas

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http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1356

  On 6/21/2011 at 12:00 AM, troon said:

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http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1356

Beat me to it. I actually haven't even finished reading it yet...it's actually lengthy and detailed!

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Paradinas marks the label's major shift circa 2003: "Hellfish and Producer, I think, was the first one where I realized I could just call up someone whose records I was playing and get them to do a record for me instead of waiting for a demo from some spotty IDM kid."

Great interview. Really hope plans for ZIQ300 take place, I'd love to hear more of Mike's music!

great interview

i've been into a fair bit of the label's recent output too, for a brief time i had almost forgotten about the label because it had been so long since i bagged a release from it. back on track now :-)

looking forward to the machinedrum lp, samples sound so good

lol, if you can't defend it, embrace it wholeheartedly

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How do you respond to the people who might say that you are appropriating or exploiting a local scene?

 

Well that's what record labels do anyway isn't it? We are exploiting music for profit. I think that's what pretty much every label has done. I don't think we are exploiting them as black Chicago guys any more than we do with white dubstep guys. We're exploiting everyone, aren't we?

at least he admits it, and confirms my suspicions about Mu all along

But his point is surely it's what EVERY label does in order to function and make money? It doesn't mean he's putting out stuff he doesn't like?

he starts out by saying 'well that's what record labels do isnt it' in response to exploiting a local scene, i beg to differ, i think probably the best record labels out there are ones that created their own scene or something as a counter reaction to an existing scene

edit (2 days later): after a little more thought on this i havent changed my opinion much except to reinforce what he says by pointing out all the 'hot' scenes at one time Mike p tried to make his own or act like he spearheaded, after Rephlex did the grime comps, Mu went full dubstep. After Isolate records releases Venetian snares and breaks him through, Mike P sweeps up Vsnares to up the image of his imprint. When Warp breaks out flying lotus Mike P immediately dives head first into wonky and lazerbass. When Juke becomes a youtube sensation and local bay area Dj's like Dj Ripley and Kid Kameleon start posting tons of Juke mixes online, Mike P gets wind of it and tries to claim it once again as something he discovered. Seems to be kind of an endless cycle with him, i'm waiting one of these days with fingers crossed that he'll break free of the flavor of the month genres and release something as interesting as another Frog Pocket

He hasn't claimed anything about the juke/footwork scene he just wanted to bring it to a wider audience because he really likes it. The question and answer were worded differently before anyway so the original meaning has been lost, also Mike's dry humour doesn't always transmit too well......haha.

I think you have a deep hate for Mike P/planet mu anyway so whatever was in this interview you would find something to hate on.

good interview. i appreciate the bluntness and the honesty in there.

any heterotic samples available to hear online yet, rixxx?

We have also have this remix coming out:

http://planet.mu/discography/ZIQ308

we already have released a nastynasty remix few months back...

i'd forgotten about planet mu. i got bored of venetian snares... last thing i listened to was boxcutter. i'm going to sample all the new releases.

mike should make more music though, i love bilious paths and the ease up 12" is cool too.

  On 6/24/2011 at 3:03 AM, rixxx said:

He hasn't claimed anything about the juke/footwork scene he just wanted to bring it to a wider audience because he really likes it. The question and answer were worded differently before anyway so the original meaning has been lost, also Mike's dry humour doesn't always transmit too well......haha.

 

I think you have a deep hate for Mike P/planet mu anyway so whatever was in this interview you would find something to hate on.

you talking on his behalf? It seems like you're responding as if you actually knew a better context for what he said, by all means please explain to us what was intended to be said if the interviewer or I have unfairly understood it. Seems perfectly clear to me that by defending himself against hints of racially exploiting Chicago juke music he reveals that he has no problem being profit driven. If this was an example of his 'dry humor' than i offer my deepest apologies.

I actually really respected what planet Mu was doing until it turned into a label that was riding the hype machine at every curve (breakcore, dubstep,wonky,juke, in that order). I liked the label a lot when it had it's own voice, it's pretty hard to do deny that Mu has taken a distinctly more commercial/money making direction in the last 6 years or more. But yeah i suppose it's easier to deflect any criticism as 'oh you just hate us' because then you don't actually have to take into consideration any of the things i said.

and for those who will once again say 'but what labels don't exploit scenes for profit'

Raster Noton, Mego Records, Highpoint Lowlife, Skam, Rephlex, Pthalo <--- all of these labels have created their own universe of music, not relying on a local or hot scene to exploit. Carving your own path i think is a very respectable attribute of any imprint these days, and since Mu no longer seems to focus on this they have lost quite a lot of respect in this department.

I couldn't care less about planet mu these days. Even the annual Vsnares releases are starting to suck.

Great interview though. Mike seems like a nice guy. Haven't heard a whole lot of his music, but some of it is pretty good. He should totally release that ZIQ300 thing

  On 6/22/2011 at 11:18 PM, Awepittance said:

lol, if you can't defend it, embrace it wholeheartedly

 

  Quote

How do you respond to the people who might say that you are appropriating or exploiting a local scene?

 

Well that's what record labels do anyway isn't it? We are exploiting music for profit. I think that's what pretty much every label has done. I don't think we are exploiting them as black Chicago guys any more than we do with white dubstep guys. We're exploiting everyone, aren't we?

 

at least he admits it, and confirms my suspicions about Mu all along

wow, did you learn logic from fundamentalist Christians?

  Quote

How do you respond to the people who might say that you are appropriating or exploiting a local scene?

 

Well that's what record labels do anyway isn't it? We are exploiting music for profit. I think that's what pretty much every label has done. I don't think we are exploiting them as black Chicago guys any more than we do with white dubstep guys. We're exploiting everyone, aren't we?

O LOOK I BOLDSED A DIFFERENT BIT AND NOW IT MEANS WHAT I WANT IT TO MEAN

at least ieafs had the decency to actually respond, if you didn't react so emotionally like the christian accusations you throw at me then maybe we can have a conversation.

ieafs took care of the necessary logical rebuttal and i took care of the necessary mockery of your creepy closet racism - defending the interviewer's implication that "exploitation" in the pure business sense suddenly acquires sinister overtones when applied to young black kids

  On 6/28/2011 at 9:07 AM, ieafs said:

  On 6/27/2011 at 10:30 PM, Awepittance said:

  On 6/24/2011 at 3:03 AM, rixxx said:

He hasn't claimed anything about the juke/footwork scene he just wanted to bring it to a wider audience because he really likes it. The question and answer were worded differently before anyway so the original meaning has been lost, also Mike's dry humour doesn't always transmit too well......haha.

 

I think you have a deep hate for Mike P/planet mu anyway so whatever was in this interview you would find something to hate on.

 

you talking on his behalf? It seems like you're responding as if you actually knew a better context for what he said, by all means please explain to us what was intended to be said if the interviewer or I have unfairly understood it. Seems perfectly clear to me that by defending himself against hints of racially exploiting Chicago juke music he reveals that he has no problem being profit driven. If this was an example of his 'dry humor' than i offer my deepest apologies.

I actually really respected what planet Mu was doing until it turned into a label that was riding the hype machine at every curve (breakcore, dubstep,wonky,juke, in that order). I liked the label a lot when it had it's own voice, it's pretty hard to do deny that Mu has taken a distinctly more commercial/money making direction in the last 6 years or more. But yeah i suppose it's easier to deflect any criticism as 'oh you just hate us' because then you don't actually have to take into consideration any of the things i said.

 

and for those who will once again say 'but what labels don't exploit scenes for profit'

 

Raster Noton, Mego Records, Highpoint Lowlife, Skam, Rephlex, Pthalo <--- all of these labels have created their own universe of music, not relying on a local or hot scene to exploit. Carving your own path i think is a very respectable attribute of any imprint these days, and since Mu no longer seems to focus on this they have lost quite a lot of respect in this department.

what he's saying is that at it's heart any kind of commerce on behalf of someone else's music is exploitation quote un-quote. if you can't see that as a bit tongue-in-cheek i don't know what to say

 

if he wanted to partake in wholehearted exploitation i don't think giving up his career as a musician and working long hours promoting niche electronic music is really the way to do it is it?

 

and the reason that people hop onto bandwagons is often because they like the music... it would be pretty hard to get in wonky et al priot to the time that they existed wouldn't it? it's like, of course loads of people got into jungle in 1994/95... cause it had just come about and they liked it!

This.

Also I was present at the interview, someone has to serve the tea!

oh yeah also..

Mike was listening to footwork for over a year before any releases came out, he took a long time to get all the contacts together and gain full insight into the scene, he released the music because he really likes it, not because of fashion/ 'band wagon jumping'

Mu have always released other stuff apart from what they are known for at the time, eg dubstep, breakcore, etc... OK, so a lot of footwork might be coming out on Mu right now, but they're releasing lots of other stuff at the moment... Tropics, new Mark Pritchard, new Boxcutter, etc. This argument is so ridiculous, Mu clearly just release what they dig, I doubt there is any type of ulterior motive apart from wanting to release what they find exciting

Not having read the interview (as usual dleetrs a maejor laezor)

Yeah, he probably gets that question a lot and just decided to deflect it by removing it's overtones from the discussion, so they could move on and talk about something else. You took things too seriously awe. The reason why most of the music that he puts out now is crap is cause he's got tastebuds in his arse, not cause he's a suit in nerd's clothing.

;-]] hah (sorrrree)

That being said, they still gotsta pay the rent. So be sure to lookout circa 2015 for Planet Mu - Sands like 1997 : Ibeza Doof Dance Classics Revileval Compilation .

mike has put out some amazing stuff on his own and on mu

good to see him back on the up again

as for everything else-who really cares what these jealous toys think?

your opinion is irrelevant at best

Just found this thread after searching for ziq300 and ziq303 (both have been missed out of the chronological discography so far on their website)

The owners of [XXXXX] release music they think is exciting at the time - omg.

where XXXXX = Planet Mu, Warp, XL, Rephlex, any bloody record label you can think of to be honest.

  On 6/28/2011 at 11:19 AM, rixxx said:

oh yeah also..

 

Mike was listening to footwork for over a year before any releases came out, he took a long time to get all the contacts together and gain full insight into the scene, he released the music because he really likes it, not because of fashion/ 'band wagon jumping'

his remarks smell a bit defensive! i don't mean it as attack on mike p. or p. mu when i give the footwork stuff a bit of a hard time. this is an IDM forum, and it's kind of natural to talk about what planet mu releases.... and this round of releases rubbed me the wrong way. please tell him to just ignore this silly board if it's that stressful! he should release whatever he wants/likes, perhaps with the distant awareness that i wouldn't pay money for any of this footwork stuff.

also -- i'd never even heard of footwork before WATMM started talking about planet mu footwork, and never for a second did i think this was him hopping on a trend. who's saying it is? i missed that soapbox

i'm saying it because its true, in San Francisco there were 3 djs obsessing over juke for 2 entire years before i even heard Planet Mu mention it. Just like everything else Mike P has 'discovered'. I just don't see why everyone has to be so defensive at Mu's intentional direction to seem more like part of the core of these movements under false pretenses. Never once in this thread did i say Mike 'didnt like the music' i guess people have to put words in my mouth in order not not listen to what im saying. Jumping on a bandwagon or 'discovering' things to appear iconoclastic don't automatically mean that he's pretending to like the music he releases, that would far far worse than what im describing.