We were pretty excited when Stones Throw and Now-Again were the first of our favourites to roll out the subscription services. Though despite the low-cost and ease of getting new tracks, the combined convenience of Phonica also meant that I wasn’t using it a great deal; just checking out the releases quickly, buying what you play out on wax and leaving the rest.
Now the situation’s changed, and shipping costs combined with stupidly escalating cost of records make getting my hands on everything I want a cost that’s more than what most plates are worth. And while I’m unlikely to trash my collection and start playing out on digi, being away from a weekly visit to a London record store has definitely provided me with the kick up the ass to start appreciating teh WAV format properly.
The news of Planet E striking a deal with Drip.fm is proper business. We’ve waxed poetical on everything from the alias of Carl Davis Sketches release of late to Timmy K’s amazing shots of the 20th Anniversary at Ewer Street car and loads in between. The Carl Craig run label continues to be THE name in techno and one of the most consistently reliable, not just as the foundation but pulling up new talent as well without compromise. C2 himself is said to curate the Planet E x Drip.fm home page.
Signing up on the spot got me wav downloads of three joints, with only 16 hours left till the next one arrives. All heat as well, with one of the best ever King Britt drops in the form of last year’s deep ended Secret Of The Stars and a stunning four-tracker from Urban Tribe that shows the throwback to what techno should like, both of which we slept on for some stupid reason at the time.
The exclusive highlight comes in the form of Drip Remix Pack #1, which as well as some well known heat such as Kenny Dixon Jnr and Amp Fiddler’s mix of People Make The World Go Round, you get modern fire in the form of Psycatron’s She Is Music flipped up by Monty Luke, which has been a digital rarity in it’s own right, being available for download sparsely since it appeared on Soundcloud. The standout is again something that was released and I slept on on back in 2010, Orlando Voorn’s remix of Dimitri Kneppers is just fucking crazy.
Kyle Hall, Innerzone Orchestra, Kenny Larkin, Ben Klock and Recloose are amongst the names appearing for either remix or to be remixed duties as well, 9 tracks well worth the price of entry already.
To keep it desirable though you obviously only get the releases thrown up from your join date onwards, so get it on asap.
via Drip.fm
Planet E is one of the most beloved labels in dance and electronic music history. We couldn’t be more excited that they have chosen to be part of drip.fm with Planet E Select.
Founded in Detroit by the legendary Carl Craig in 1991, Planet E Communications has been integral in the launch and development of artists such as Moodymann, Recloose, Kenny Larkin, and numerous others, and also plays home to the many aliases of Carl Craig himself, from 69 to Paperclip People.
An innovator in all respects, Carl and his label have been known for blurring the boundaries between music and technology, and has experimented with the subscription platform in the past, which made for a perfect fit for the classic Detroit label.
On a personal level, our enthusiasm for Planet E is deep. Since the co-founders of Drip.fm grew up in the Detroit suburbs, the music of Planet E has been a consistent influence. Co-Founder Sam Valenti’s first exposure to Carl’s music, apart from hearing the records on late night Detroit radio, was when Carl visited his high school for a live surround sound performance.
Planet E will be seeing more exclusives and classic releases through Planet E Select. Label Manager Monty Luke says, “Drip is fantastic. Carl is really excited about it and what it represents, which is a direct-link to fans of Planet-E. Very much looking forward to pushing the envelope with the service and offering all kinds of exclusive goodies.”