amed after the famous philosophical treatise A Thousand Plateaus, Mille Plateaux- the music label- has remained at the forefront of experimental electronic music for almost its entire existence since 1994. The label was first formed as a sort of response to the emergent intelligent dance music community that had been forming in England around Warp Records and their Artificial Intelligence series. Label founder Achim Szepanski found it to be the perfect musical system to explore the ideas that Deleuze and Guattari expounded in Mille Plateaux. And to a certain extent, the label roster has embodied some of these ideas, albeit through no real fault of their own.

Instead of being caught up on theoretical frameworks for the creation of music, Szepanski and others (Simon Reynolds and Philip Sherburne included) have applied the ideas to the music after their release- denoting the ways in which the music adheres to certain ideas and deviates in others. The most significant application of theory to the music has come in the form of the Clicks and Cuts movement, in which Philip Sherburne wrote an extensive essay for the liner notes of the second compilation. In detailing the idea of the failed machine- the glitch/click, Sherburne gave underpinning to an already expansive array of artists exploring the possibilities within failure of technology.

Recently, the label has once again climbed on the bandwagon to release its first micro-house compilation, entitled Digital Disco. On the cusp of the genre, and with the money to help popularize the genre beyond its underground status, Mille Plateaux collected the best of the best to craft an engaging and important document of this emergent movement.

Future-wise, the label will most likely continue to release its large core of artists and attempt to remain on the cutting edge of experimental electronic music- it’s done an amazing job, thus far.

Ten Essential Releases:
Donnacha Costello- Together is the New Alone
Alva.noto- Transform
V/A- Clicks and Cuts, Volume 2
V/A- Digital Disco
V/A- Electric Ladyland
Vladislav Delay- Anima
Gas- Pop
Dan Abrams- Stream
SND- Tender Love
Frank Bretschneider and Taylor Deupree- Balance