Since 1998, Minus has been the home base and canvas for Richie Hawtin and a small family of like-minded artists, producers and DJs hailing from the Americas and Europe. Hawtin’s Plastikman and Concept projects established the label at the start while inspiring a new generation of producers to join his side, creating one of the most close-knit collectives in electronic music today.
The musical and live experience of the Minus sound is a varied and unique mix of minimal techno, heralding influences from the past with a strong sonic focus on the future, always integrating technology. A specific design aesthetic is present through the broad catalog of vinyl, CD, DVD and digital releases, accented with special packaging, limited editions and special promo products.
Although the label name is Minus, and that's how promotional materials refer to it in prose, the branding appears on releases as (approximately) M_nus, so to reduce confusion, that's the name used on within the database.
Brinkmann's 96:VR is essentially untouchable in the minimalist cannon. His reinterpretations of 96:CD seem absolutely timeless in comparison to the rest of the M_nus catalog (and of any other labels catalog for that matter). Despite the labels shortcomings over the last several years, the aforementioned releases (in addition to Artifakts and Consumed) will continue to hold strong as a context and resource to something truly wonderful in the history of electronic music.
it's my very first comment overhere...i always refrain from speaking because of command of english :) i'm not realy able to precisely express what i feel and think...
in 2006 i started getting disappointed and disillusioned with every single release dropped by M_nus - and it was really heart-breaking to realize that mighty Richie can not admit the fact of lost inspiration and exhausted M_nus magic, and simply shut the whole thing down...i really don't think he keeps on M_nus because of money, it's just because he most probably got too much carried away by the alleged (these days) movement...i truly and sincerely wish he had closed M_nus latest in 2007 which could have immortalized this fabulous back-in-the-days imprint, and perpetuated it...but nowadays it is absolutely regretably unfortunately good-for-nothing...
I would have to partly agree with the above review and partly disagree with it. Of course this is just my opinion. M_nus is no doubt a label that houses many talents, however, just because these guys, Richie Hawtin, in particular have done incredible things in the past, thier best days are definetly behind them. I remember seeing him DJ and play live back in the early to mid 90's and it was mind blowing. Now I wouldn't give him the time of day. His tracks are boring. The whole m_nus label has nothing on early plus 8 and Probe stuff. Those labels were when techno tracks actually stood out from one another and had an identity from one another. Now this whole minimal thing has gone a bit far, it's time to make techno again.
Despite the overwhelming attention and praise M_nus Records gets, what it all comes down to is that actually the whole frenzy sorrounding the label is over hyped. Simple as that. Don't take my statement for granted though, as a lot of respect must be due towards certain artists who have recorded albums under the M_nus flag. Some of their releases have had the key role in shaping, molding and pushing forward the minimal aesthetic, chopping it down to its core elements, and then rebuilding it all back up starting all the way down where the essence is. Richie Hawtin & the gang really have a persuasive way to prove how less is indeed more, spicing it up with monumental groove and a larger than life, whilst still geeky,
approach to music.
Whether it was reinterpreting, mixing, subtracting/adding or just producing, everything coming from this label was bound to ignite debates: genious work or uninspired sound manipulation? A combo of both, if you ask me. The entire history of M_nus is based on hit 'n' miss releases. Ranging from minimal bliss, highly intelligent and thorough music to enjoy listening to, all the way down to dull, pointless, random and allegedly arts tracks and albums. From hitting it on the nail with highly innovative music to hitting listeners with plastic bags filled with hot urine, these guys have done it all as far as minimal goes.
Unfortunately for, well, everyone, M_nus has had the terrible misfortune of getting tangled in their own web, and not really knowing where and how to go now. The label which pushed the envelope of minimal sound to an outer, yet unexplored galaxy of sonic wizardry, and provided a fair amount of, to this day unmatched and, far reaching musical gems, has due to an obvious lack of ideas, focus and a general sense of direction to pursue, started to rehash its own classics.
In my ears, certain more recent releases coming from these guys completely lack everything that made us love 'em in the first place. There is nothing about their newer work that even remotely hints at the great potential and capacity to churn out great music. Their whole sound evolution seemed to have stopped, and if 6-7 minute segments of repetitive drums and over used percussion effects are your thing, then M_nus might still have a trick or two up the sleeve for you.
On a whole personal level, I lost quite a lot of interest in their work. It's like I have this feeling their time has passed, the era of M_nus being the leader seems more of a great memory now than the actualy truth. Its relevance on the scene is strongle felt even now, anno 2008, but the "M_nus bar none" status is time after time broght to a test by persistant new arrivals such as Dial Records, Meerestief Records and other similar, small, but nonetheless top quality acts. While the label and its respective artists still enjoy a vast world wide fan base, and its releases are as cherished today as they ever were before, the once unquestionable reputation of this undeniably influential label is risking to get tarnished, unless they hop back on the top of their game and reinvent the entire genre. Hell, if they did it once, I have no dobut they can do it again...
A label to watch out for. Always. Checking out their releases is a must, and they should not be hard to find either, so there is NO excuse. M_nus is an integral part of the history of electronic music, and has played a key role in expanding the horizons of the techno spectrum through minimizing and reducing it to scattered microscopic particles of sound, only to reassemble them into some of the most mind bending, complex and thought provoking contemporary electronic music around. Their input on minimal orientated music is maximal, to say the least. Check!
triangulum
March 19, 2011