Knowledge talks to Planas, co-founder of Ranking Records, about choirs, sound system culture and why his biggest influence is J Dilla.

Ranking Records was founded in 2006 in Leeds to release the group's first tune, a lavish orchestral dubstep track called Miserere that had been spun by Radio 1's Mary Anne Hobbs, among others.

The label has continued in an eclectic vein ever since, embracing dub, tribal techno, and even combining hip hop and metal in The Nature of It, a collaboration with Virus Syndicate.

Ranking Records is rooted in dubstep, but it's also outward-looking, drawing in influences from across the musical spectrum.
 
"We fly around the edges of a lot of genres," explains Planas, a co-founder of Ranking as well as one of its contributing artists. "We want to be a bit like Ninja Tune, a bit like Warp, and create our own sound, our own ethos."
 
A glimpse into Planas' musical tastes explains why the label has such a wide scope. "I listen to hip hop, Detroit soul, classical music, choral music, jazz, funk. Anything that forces you to listen and that will in five years' time still be an interesting piece of music is what I gravitate towards," he explains.
 
"J Dilla is probably my biggest influence of all," he continues. "His use of samples, his use of space, and the soulfulness that runs throughout every single track he writes. There's so much of his that makes my eyes go wide, I just don't understand it. That's always something that I gravitate towards.

"If there's something I can't work out or don't understand, that makes me want to listen to it more and more. Sometimes I end up never understanding it, but I kind of like that because it means it's pushing me to think."
 
Ranking is a label that enjoys exploring new terrain, aiming to make thoughtful, questioning music that, in Planas' words, "will stand the test of time". It's clear that the desire to create something fresh and interesting is very important.

At one point he criticises the practice, common among amateur producers, of "using a sort of pastry cut-out of other producers, with just a tiny bit of variation. It's all very well but that's music that, to be honest, is not going to last."
 
It's not to say that Ranking only makes complex, ambient music. The label formed amid club nights and house parties in Leeds in the middle of the decade – a scene that was enraptured by the emerging dubstep sound and which liked very much to party.

Planas admits that the last few releases have been "pretty cerebral ... or headphone-friendly, whatever you want to call it", but promises some party-style dub tracks are forthcoming, as well as a release from Quark that he describes as "mind bending" and an album of unheard material from label mate Ruckspin.
 
Given that he's been managing the affairs of Ranking for some years now, does Planas have any advice for aspiring label owners? "You've got to make the decision about what you want to do it for," he explains.

"You can spend ages hammering out releases and you can become unhappy with it, [especially] if you're spending all your time releasing music that doesn't make any money ... Put as much time into it as possible, release tracks that you love and see what happens. And keep a job on the side! Because at the moment, especially if you're releasing records, it's a dodgy industry to be in."
 
It's good advice, but then Planas has had plenty of time to think about his approach to music. He entered the industry for the first time aged just seven, as a professional choirboy.

"That was unbelievable," he explains. "I was doing world tours, touring South Africa, Australia. I played the Sydney Opera House to a sell-out crowd. It was incredible, I was quite young at the time, but it really gave me a big boost when it came to doing music professionally."
 
Planas still has an interest in choral music, but he made the jump to livelier, more exuberant world of dub music while studying in Leeds. "The thing that appealed to me about the sound system culture was the idea that the fun side of things was associated with the music," he explains.
 
"Before then it was very much about sitting there in a wooden chair, listening to some extremely well-performed, but slightly wooden music. I'm quite a social person, when I got to university my social life collided, in a good way, with my musical background. And that's what keeps driving me, you just keep meeting new people, making new music and having new experiences. It can be really life-changing experiences with this kind of music: dub, reggae, hip hop, dubstep. It's been quite a journey man!"

Words: George Mitton
Photography: ldpix.co.uk

Planas has given us a fresh dubstep mix showcasing some of the best music Ranking has to offer. "My mix showcases the soulful side of dubstep," he explains, "crunchy chords, blissed-out synths and deep, grooving basslines."

 

Tracklisting

1. Planas - Blind (Dub)
2. Ruckspin - Hold Your Collar (Dub)
3. Ruckspin, Planas & Lavellian - Steppin' (RANEP001)
4. Planas - Rush (Golf Glove Rerub) (Dub)
5. Ruckspin, Planas & DLR - Heart Murmer (RAN009)
6. Planas - Look Into My Eyes (Immerse)
7. Planas - Agbekor (RAN011)
8. Planas - Kutumba (RAN011)
9. Evergreen & Landlord - Life Dat We Choose ft. YT (Dub)
10. Planas - Seventeen RMX (Dub)

 

• Ranking Records

Related Links:

• Podcast 07
• Adam Neate Solo Show @ Elms Lesters
• Jack Sparrow - Circadian LP Preview
• Author Announce New Album on Tectonic
• Podcast 02

Like it? Share it!
Sign up for more with the Kmag weekly newsletter.