THE GUESTLIST NETWORK | FEBRUARY 2011
HOUSE//ELECTRO//TECHNO 29
CARL CRAIG
You are going to be celebrating 20 years of Planet E on 5th march. Are you looking forward to playing in London? Yeah definitely, I always do. I used to live there.
Wow 20 years such a big achievement. How’s the journey been since you first started out? Yeah it is a massive achievement, in Detroit so many people don’t even live until there 20 and I have a company that is 20! It’s a huge high to really be able to perform as an artist and put out music with my label. To be totally independent and really to make my own way in the world. It is also amazing to have friends that have been involved, that have made music for the label and have remixed for me and for me to have remixed for them.
How did the story begin? How did it all start out?
It all started from me making music with Derrick May back in 1988/89 and I went on to start another label before Plant E. When I started Planet E I wanted it to be about artistic freedom. Nobody could tell me what they thought was hot. It was all about what I thought was hot and what I wanted to put out. That’s one of the greatest achievements you can have, the fact that you can work for yourself and not have anyone else telling you different.
It’s the first time that you are taking Planet E on tour across the world and this will continue for the whole of 2011. It’s gonna be big! You must be looking forward to it? Yeah it’s a lot of work! When you’re talking about the idea it’s like ‘yeah this is a great idea, it’s going to be fantastic’ and then the work starts coming in and it’s like...Oh OK! There is so much work even before we have done the date, so it’s great that people are getting
Tabatha Taylor
Carl Craig has been a busy man, he celebrates 20 Years of Planet-E this year. ‘20 F@#&ING Years - We Ain’t Dead Yet’ - Best of Planet-E Compilation will be released digitally on Feb 22nd and on vinyl in June, and his world tour starts in March 2011. We managed to squeeze in a chat about all birthday celebrations.
excited about me and my friends coming to their town and playing to represent Detriot and represent Planet E.
You have many artists that will be on tour with you. Is there anyone that you are looking forward to playing with more? No of course not, everyone that is invited has been invited because I really respect them and respect what they do.
You have got the Best of Planet E Compilation released this month, with this release you are running a competition for people to complete in a poll to suggest which tracks should be pressed onto a limited edition vinyl box set. Was it important to get your fans involved with this? Yeah definitely it’s been 20 years of my vision and it’s now good to have the people involved and for them to pick what they want to hear on vinyl. It’s great to put out
vinyl still these days, but really the digital revolution has overwhelmed what’s happening. So it’s great to make people feel like they have a better ownership into what they buy, I put this plan together to let the people decide.
I hear that whatever you do, whether that’s being a producer, DJ or owning your own record label, you like to get your hands dirty. Have you been getting your hands dirty recently? I am doing so much right now, I am working on remixes, I am putting together a whole year of releases, working on my live show and towards finishing a new album.
So lots and lots of stuff! Yeah for sure!
Is there any new music that you’re feeling at the moment? I really look to what people are doing when they send me promos on Soundcloud, it’s nice to hear
what people’s ideas are. I actually did this thing where somebody done a mash up of one of my tracks. So what I did, I kinda took it back remixed it, put it up for free and then gave everybody the opportunity to download it and do their own remixes, I repulsed it. I’m coming into this idea of collaborations with folks I do not have any idea of who they are and getting to know each other through the music.
You are seen as a forefather for House producers in Detroit. How is the whole music scene over there? Well we have always had great music, unfortunately we lost some when J. Dilla died years ago and now with the White Stripes breaking up. So there are things that are of course inevitable and that happen because that’s life. But we have had great music that have come and we have great music now.
So you’re keeping the torch alight for Detroit? Yeah I like to think so. I am looking forward to seeing how the future is going to plan out, how Planet E will be involved with this and how I can have some type of influence on how House music is going to be achieved in the future.
So, if you could be invisible for the day what would you get up to? Wow, that’s not a easy question!
Would you get up to some trouble? I would get up to a lot of trouble!
Can you give us an exclusive? Everything that I say is an exclusive baby!
For full details of the tour and recent releases check out www
carlcraig.net www.planet-e.net
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