M-PRINT: 20 YEARS OF M-PLANT MUSIC

Twenty years have passed since Robert Hood established M-Plant as the outlet for his pioneering, minimal reinvention of the Detroit techno blueprint. To mark this anniversary, 2014 has seen classic M-Plant releases reinvigorated by a series of re-edits and remixes, culminating in the next milestone in the label’s musical journey: ‘M-Print: 20 Years of M-Plant Music’.

Spanning 33 tracks across 3 CDs, ‘M-Print’ brings together for the first time a collection of essential Hood moments from the vast M-Plant back catalogue, alongside a hoard of new, re-mastered and unreleased material. Covering Robert’s output under his own name, as well as his Floorplan and Monobox aliases, the compilation is a coherent journey that celebrates the past, present and future of the M-Plant label.

CD1 explores the imprint’s formative years and the golden age of Hood’s minimal approach, with classics drawn from genre-defining 90s releases including ‘Minimal Nation’, ‘Moveable Parts 1 & 2’, ‘Internal Empire’ and ‘The Protein Valve’. The track selection traverses this era with all the thought and momentum of a Hood DJ set, with stripped down masterpieces such as ‘The Grey Area’, ‘Minus’ and ‘Realm’ giving way to the driving atmospherics of ‘Untitled Sketch’ and ‘Unix’. A concluding bridge into 2001’s ‘The Greatest Dancer’ is a telling nod to Hood’s evolution in the decade that lay ahead.

This progression is reflected in CD2, focusing on M-Plant material from the last five years and the re-birth of his Floorplan alias, a period in which Hood has expanded his palette, drawing on house, funk, soul and disco influences whilst maintaining his status as a true techno architect. Here we see the many sides of Robert Hood at work, from the refined muscle of ‘Superman’, ‘Alpha’ and ‘Range’, to the soulful strains of ‘Never Grow Old’ and anthemic banger ‘Baby Baby’.

CD3 is a statement of intent that looks to the future of M-Plant whilst never losing sight of its past. New and unreleased tracks, re-edits and remixes tap into classic and contemporary Hood themes; the warped pulse of ‘Monkey’ and signature precision of ‘Minimal Minded’ sit amongst clinical Re-Plant revisions of ‘Externus Oblique’ and ‘The Family’, a faithful reinterpretation of 1994’s seminal ‘Minus’, and some re-mastered rarities from ‘The Protein Valve’ and ‘Moveable Parts’ vaults.

For the first time M-Plant brings together the evolution of a label and artist who continues to inspire the world of electronic music. From classic, ground-breaking techno releases, to spin-tingling soulful house and unreleased exclusives that hint to the future, ‘M-Print: 20 Years of M-Plant Music’ is nothing less than essential.

As Hood himself says, “M-Plant is more than a compilation. I wanted it to flow like a River of Living Water instead of just a flashback. It represents the unfolding of a dream, it represents passion and determination to make something out of nothing. It’s like planting a seed in the ground and watching it grow over time into a beautiful tree.”

ROBERT HOOD TOUR DATES 
OCT
Unsound festival, Poland  – RH live set
The Room, Trevino, Italy – RH DJ set
ADE, Resonate @ WesterUnie, Amsterdam – RH DJ set
Berghain, Berlin, Germany – RH DJ set
Dublin, Ireland – RH DJ set
Claydrum & EPM Indoor, Maastricht, Holland – RH DJ set
NOV
Code @ Fabrik, Madrid, Spain – RH DJ set
Aberdeen, Scotland – RH DJ set
Fabric, London – RH DJ set
/ RBMA lecture, Tokyo, Japan
RBMA, Tokyo, Japan – Floorplan DJ set & lecture
Helsinki – RH DJ set
Terracina, Italy – RH DJ set
DEC
Dude, Club, Milan, Italy – RH DJ set
Timewarp, Holland – RH Live set
Phobic, Venice, Italy – RH DJ set
Electric, Paris, France – RH DJ set
Manchester, England – RH DJ set
Ultra, Buenos Aires, Argentina – RH DJ set
NYE: Dec Rotterdam & Amsterdam
JAN 2015
Lyon, France – RH DJ set
XOYO (Skream night), London, England – RH DJ set
Icee Hot 5th anniversary party, San Francisco, USA – RH DJ set
Atonal, Berlin, Germany – RH DJ set
Hope Works, Dublin, Ireland – RH DJ set