Planet E Communications is an independent electronic music recording label that started in 1991 in Detroit, Michigan. The label is the brainchild of DJ/Producer Carl Craig. Evolving from Craig’s desire to have creative independence from the major label industry, Planet E would manage, in a short time, to become one of the most ground-breaking independent labels in the genre. When a number of independent techno camps entered a stage of dormancy, Planet E consistently released music that mutated the conventional arrangements of the genre. Planet E has gained its burgeoning success by persistently experimenting with sound, expanding the genre of electronic music beyond the commonplace landscape it has traveled.

Planet E’s first release was titled “Four Jazz Funk Classics,” which Craig recorded under the moniker 69. This album set the standard for what was to follow. In addition, it set the stage for listeners to prepare themselves for the unique and undeniable sound the label would become synonymous with, a sort of “futuristic funk” that remains true to its techno roots, while redefining the genre as a whole. Initial releases on Planet E would mainly be Craig’s projects under a multitude of monikers, but would later evolve into being home to a myriad of electronic music’s most influential artists such as Kevin Saunderson, Moodymann, Kenny Larkin, and Recloose. In 2001, Planet E celebrated its 10 year anniversary with a celebration at the Detroit Electronic Music Festival..[1] Planet E is continually developing a roster of up-and-coming artists who only facilitate the label in remaining a force in the realm of music, with producers such as Martin Buttrich, Jona, Ican, Glimpse and more.

In addition to remaining a staying power in the studio, Planet E artists regularly appear in clubs worldwide. Planet E has forged a reputation for being a vanguard and a leader in independent recording and producing with respect to the techno genre. It has forged an inimitable identity by presenting a wide array of futuristic electronic dancefloor driven music. In addition, Planet E has given birth to a sister label, Community Projects. Craig developed this label to present music that has always been a muse to him, everything from afro blues to space jazz to world music.