Magda, Marc Houle and Troy Pierce have left Minus in order to pursue their own label, Items & Things.
All three artists have been central to Richie Hawtin's iconic imprint since its early days. Growing up in Detroit and nearby Windsor, Canada, Magda, Houle and Hawtin were friends long before the label materialized, and teamed up with Pierce not long after it launched. Over the next decade, Minus played a big role in defining the sound of minimal techno, eventually growing from an underground label into a global brand. In some respects the core artists acted like a band, frequently appearing together at Minus parties around the world, which ranged from club showcases to enormous audio-visual events.
"While we're sad to be leaving behind a big part of our history, we feel that we have reached a point in our careers where it's time to creatively spread our wings and focus our energy and enthusiasm on our own label, Items & Things," reads a written statement prepared by the artists. Reached by phone on Monday, Magda and Houle gave us the rest of the story:
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