It truly pains me to say it, but Planet E has almost completely fallen off. I only realized just now how many releases I have skipped buying (all of the Saunderson rmxs, Attias, Sebastian San, Jona, the new Buttrich record, and even the underwhelming Kenny Larkin 12″) or regretted buying (Lazy Fat People, first Buttrich 12″) in the past year and a half. The Tribe record appeared on a sub-label, so I am not sure if it counts and I am still holding out hope for the overall quality of the Larkin album. Aside from those, the return of Planet E has been pretty much a waste of time.
After a few years off following rampant rumours of non-payment for many of the heavyweights who released on Planet E in the late 90’s and early 00’s, Carl’s initial releasess had me very excited. From “Just Another Day” to “She’z Satan”, it is quite obvious that he never lost his touch. Adding in the re-releases of classics that were hard to find, it seemed as if the label was about to hit another period of greatness. And the Ican and Vince Watson 12″s delivered on that promise, coming through with beautiful variations on soulful house and techno. The release of Radioslave’s heinous reworking of “Darkness” seemed like an opportunity to take advantage of a bootlegger to make some extra cash, while Martin Buttrich’s “Full Clip” took Carl’s production style and sucked the life out of it without being truly offensive. Then the onslaught of sub-par tunes began.
I ordered the Lazy Fat People 12″ blind on white label, and although the C2 mix is not so bad the quality of the rest of the tunes took Planet E off of “buy-on-sight” status. Now, I don’t even really like listening to the sound samples of new Planet E releases because of how disappointed I invariably end up being. What made this change? Judging by Carl’s recent productions and deejay sets, he still knows what good music is. Is someone new in charge of A&R at Planet E? Is it just a money grab? This could be, seeing as how the Planet E website (which was forever stuck on those silly “coming soon” messages) is now just a shill for his remix comp on K7!. If that is the case, I hope that the money is making Carl happy. I don’t think it is possible for anything to truly mar his reputation due to the depth and breadth of his nearly flawless production career, but this is truly a disappointing turn of events especially considering how brilliant so many Planet E records have been: “Spelunking”, “Dem Young Sconies”, “Lofthouse”, and really so many more that I could link to almost every release on Discogs prior to this weak run. Read through them all to remember what quality music came from it, and compare it to the new releases. What a shame.
It’s sad to hear that, but I’m not surprised either. The last release that got me really excited was Tres Demented “Demented”, and that was around 5 years ago. Gotta say though, whether it’s a shill or not I’m glad someone is finally updating planet-e.net
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yeah…unfortunately the last couple party’s I heard him spinning at were pretty damn awful as well. His selection really surprised me.
(Not that it’s necessarily a positive indicator for me, but I must mention that 90% of the crowd was having a good time.)
I think he just shifted towards the prevalent popular berliner/european sound. (both in his productions and DJ selection)
When I see his name on a flyer I dont even consider it anymore, and honestly neither do I listen to his remixes /planet e releases in the shop.
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fair play for calling it what it is. i have also been well disappointed with it. I don’t want to give up on it yet even though i stopped at “she’z satan” too. pandering the big club circuits might pay but it throws any credibility down the toilet. good luck to them.
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I thought this too, so I’d say you’re not alone in thinking this.
However I’m really liking “Secret 47″ on the Jona 12 right now. It has shades of Osunlade/Afefe Iku/Boddhi Sattva but that’s no bad thing.
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same as jordash, last couple of times i’ve seen him play it’s been pretty crap too. last time was at plastic people on a sunday night, where he could have played anything he wanted (seen him do a set like this before playing jazz, disco and lots of other styles). Anyway, it sounded like he was just playing his session mix cd end to end. zzzzz
this one is a favourite planet e release not mentioned so far…
Gemini - A Moment Of Insanity http://www.discogs.com/release/11447
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yeah, i’m afraid i have to agree for the most part - in fact i think i mentioned it on another post here several months ago - it has really taken a nosedive of late. most of the releases are quite similar sounding - big, almost c2-esque production, slightly euro-ey, a tad overblown and… ‘big’ i suppose. a lot of the releases sound like people trying to make a c2 track, and we all know he’s a one-off. one of his main strengths has always been to inject soul into the machines, and soul is something i feel has been missing from a lot of the recent output. the likes of the buttrich and attias records you mention are just not up to the high standards set in the past by the label. c2’s own productions remain a cut above - the paris live ep was superb, but the last 12″ i picked up before that was ican’s ‘a quien’ which is an excellent four-tracker, but i can only agree that to my ears it has gone through a very bad patch - i can’t see any of those records really standing the test of time - whereas things like ‘pungtang’, detroit experiment, the paperclip people back-cat, kdj, recloose’s stuff etc etc - most of that stuff still sounds totally fresh and relevant. i fear they may be alienating their grass-roots supporters and pandering to the minimal massive. here’s hoping they get back on track soon.
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Agreed, barely even checking the new non-CC Planet-E releases these days, and Carl himself has been churning out quite a few ordinary formulaic remixes. But I really liked Paris Live and am holding out high hopes for the Tribe album.
A couple other dope non-CC Planet-E releases from the past;
Common Factor EP
http://www.discogs.com/release/12863
Chaz Vincent - Dream Zenith
http://www.discogs.com/release/19223
always wondered though if Chaz Vincent was just another alias for Carl, never seen anything else under that name?
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Yep recent releases on P-E has been totally disappointing, but I’m really looking forward the new full length from Carl’s long-time pal and live keyboard player Kelvin Sholar. A great musician and jazz pianist that under Carl’s direction has all the potential to come out with a great record.
Other than that, I want Detroit Experiment Vol.II !
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Interesting post. Yes a lot of the latest Carl remixes, I have to give it to him, are truly floor-driven, ultra-dramatic. Great for DJs who play out, but I miss the sublime and the details in his work (and label!). Agree the Kenny Larkin I wasn’t feeling. Some unforgettable Planet-E records for me:
A.R.T. complation 1994! and Quadrant - Infinition, all of the 69 records.. the Connection Machine 12″, the Gemini.. (crossing mars!), Urban Tribe….. so many good records
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yeah, i’m bewildered as well and i’m not even a fan by any means. i see these recs comin’ through at work, put the needle on them and its either boring minimal or some weak tech-house. kinda blows when you hear all this hype on it. what is happening to the “edginess & attitude” that used to rule in this music? :::rhetorical question:::
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I think the direction its gone in is floor-filling techno anthems. I agree alot of it does sound like C-2 imitations but the ridiculous reaction they have on floors across the world is undeniable. If you’ve seen DJs drop Buttrich’s ‘Full Clip’, Sebastien San’s ‘Rising Sun’ or the Locodice ‘Bassline’ mix you know what I’m talking about. I agree its not the ‘deep/timeless’ stuff but in comparison to most of the floor-oriented big tracks coming out on most labels, those on Planet E I still feel are a cut above. The new Jona isn’t bad either although I agree the Kenny Larkin is boring and pretty useless.
Anyways, I would like to see him drop something by Recloose on there or even some fresh C2 tracks (and not just remixes!)
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Fan reply on July 4, 2008 4:48 pm:
“Anyways, I would like to see him drop something by Recloose on there”
Definitely in need of some more Recloose action on Planet E.
I think Ibex (http://www.discogs.com/artist/Ibex) has started releasing music again too.
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Fan reply on July 4, 2008 4:53 pm:
Damn, can’t edit, can I?
More Common Factor too.
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pipecock reply on July 4, 2008 5:26 pm:
i actually have a draft about Tony Ollivera (Ibex) that i am going to make into a full post at some point soon here. his new record is dope.
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floor-filling techno anthems are well and fine but the ones i heard leave me feeling “uh, basic channel wants their beats back” or “Azimuth, Kenny, Azimuth or Art Of Dance”. LOL. I’m sure its been there done that in regards to Kenny and he’s on to a ‘new sound’ but just something that’s more edgy and not so safe was what i was expecting.
anyways, i’ll have check out the others and see.
cheers!
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Shit goes in cycles…. Its a universal fact. Artists or labels seem to end at their peak or end up selling out into dis-reputation. Its a shame but there are new and exciting lables/artist ready to take the podium. Personaly I hope its not RIP for Planet E.
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pipecock reply on July 9, 2008 4:34 pm:
i don’t know that Planet E ever really had a peak, it was more like a really high plateau that seems to be falling off. i am also not sure that an argument can be made for any new labels that are holding it down like Planet E did for so long in so many different styles. most labels these days seem to be a single sound only. let’s hope this is just a blip on the radar!
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I hear you all and feel very similarly. The label had some stellar moments and has seen some its quality level stumble into mediocrity in terms of the eclectisim it used to really strive for. That said, I just heard the new Ican 12″ coming out in August and am pretty impressed by it. Great usage of a local LA Cuban bandleader, Jose ‘Perico’ Hernandez’s vocals, on a techno track with a nice organic breakdown. Nice to see Ican staying true to their roots and imbuing the label with some much needed soul - latin american style.
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pipecock reply on July 7, 2008 10:18 pm:
cool, i was hoping Ican would continue to do some things for Planet E. their first 12″ is so hot it is ridiculous, and really all the stuff they have done since then is dope too. it seems like the releases on their own label haven’t been on peoples’ radars even though they should, especially the “Plastic People” one!
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