Plutonic Lab

Leigh Ryan, better known by the stage name Plutonic Lab or sometimes as Pluto is an Australian music producer, engineer, artist & performer.

He is also one half of soul/pop duo "SoundsLike FRANCO" with vocalist Natalie Slade, one third of Canadian/Australian rap group "SHWING" with BBRC members Roshin & Bronze as well as the international tour drummer for the group Hilltop Hoods.

Pluto has collaborated with Ladi6 (NZ), Black Milk (US), G-Love (US), Guilty Simpson (US), Wiley (UK) Miles Bonny (US), Natalie Slade (AU), Notes To Self BBRC (Canada), Coma-Chi (Japan) Renee Geyer (AU), Drapht (AU), Hilltop Hoods (AU), Dialectrix (AU), Speech Debelle (UK), Task Force (UK), Fat Lip (US), Eternia (Canada), The Grouch & Eligh (US).

Early life and career

Plutonic Lab began drumming at the age of 10 and performing shows at 14. He obtained an honours degree in Sound Design/Media Arts from RMIT University, studying under Australian film composer/artist Philip Brophy and sound artist Phillip Samartzis.

In 1995 he produced the album "Mystery Shkool" for his group Macronauts on CD and Cassette & two beat tapes, Tri Chromes and M.O.S., in 1998 under his own label, Plutonic Lovely. In 2001, he released his first solo album, Give Me Sabotage Shell, followed by Collision of Days in 2004, both released on Nuff Said Records. His third solo album, Codes Over Colours, was released in 2005 on Obese Records. Taking 10 years between solo albums his last LP "Deep Above The Noise" won best Hip-Hop Album at the VIC Music Awards 2016. Attaining feature album status on Double J & 3PBS and Won 'Best Hip-Hop Album' at the AGE Music Victoria Awards 2016. The singles "The Crib" ft. Guilty Simpson & "Sliced Bread" ft Notes To Self BBRC received rotation on Triple J and Double J nationally.

Achievements

His album "Deep Above The Noise" won best Hip-Hop Album at the VIC Music Awards 2016. Attaining feature album status on Double J & 3PBS and Won 'Best Hip-Hop Album' at the AGE Music Victoria Awards 2016. The singles "The Crib" ft. Guilty Simpson & "Sliced Bread" ft Notes To Self BBRC received rotation on Triple J and Double J nationally.

Most recently nominated for "Engineer Of The Year" at the 2019 ARIA awards.

And won 2020 APRA Music Award "Most Performed Urban Work" with the "Leave Me Lonely" Hilltop Hoods.

He is a UK Mercury Prize Winner, (producing 2 singles for Speech Debelle's winning LP)

He produced Dialectrix's 2013 album, "The Cold Light of Day" which was shortlisted for the Australian Music Prize, won the 2009 UK Mercury Prize for his work with Speech Debelle, and was nominated for 'Best Urban Release' at the 2008 ARIA Awards as half of the hip-hop duo Muph & Plutonic, who also placed 2 songs in the Triple J's "Hottest 100" and landed the 'Triple J Feature Album' placements multiple times.

Production Plutonic Lab has produced albums and EPs for many Australian hip hop artists on labels including Nuffsaid Records (collaborating over a number of years with Australian MC/producer Prowla) and Obese Records (including the label CEO Pegz).

He has also produced beats on releases from Shawn Lov (USA), MC Tumi (South Africa), Karma and Esoteric (USA), Eternia (Canada) and Taskforce (UK).

He has performed shows in Australia, North America, Europe and Asia. Opening for The Pharcyde, People Under The Stairs, Ozomatli, Mad Professor, Lee Scratch Perry, MC Supernatural, DJ Shadow, Money Mark, Hilltop Hoods, The Next Men, Mr Lif, Cage, Swollen Members, Braintax & Mystro, Lupe Fiasco, El-P, Tricky, The Streets and events including Cockatoo Island Festival, Obese Block Party, Pyramid Rock Festival, Falls Festival, Big Day Out, Groovin' the Moo, Golden Plains Festival, Splendour in the Grass and Good Vibrations Festival.

Plutonic Lab was voted 'Best Producer' three years running (2004, 2005, 2006) on Australian Hip- Hop community site ozhiphop.com.

All three Muph & Plutonic Albums & Pegz "Axis" LP obtained 'Feature Album' status on Australian national broadcaster Triple J.

His third LP "Codes Over Colours" was a featured album on Melbourne's 3RRR radio, and on other independent radio programs nationally.

In 2008 The Album "And Then Tomorrow Came" was nominated for an ARIA. The album also landed two songs in Triple J Hottest 100, 2009.

Speech Debelle's "Speech Therapy" LP won UK's Mercury Prize in 2009, for which Plutonic Lab produced two singles.

His music has also been featured in film and television including HBO's series Girls, TNT's series Franklin & Bash, and the feature films X, Noel Clarke's 4.3.2.1 and Chronicle.

He also produced Neon Heartache, the debut album of Jess Harlen, who was named best female artist in The Age'''s EG Awards in 2010.

Discography

Solo albums Album title Release date Label Format Tri Chromes (beat tape) 1998 Plutonic Lovely Cassette M.O.S. (beat tape) 1998 Plutonic Lovely Cassette Give Me Sabotage Shell 2001 Nuffsaid CD/vinyl Collision of Days 2004 Nuffsaid CD/vinyl Codes Over Colours 2005 Obese CD/vinyl Midnight on Pluto (remix EP) 2006 Obese Vinyl Give Me Sabotage Shell (Extended/Remastered) 2007 Shark Repellent CD Collision of Days (Extended/Remastered) 2007 Shark Repellent CD Submariner (7-inch EP) 2013 LWP Vinyl Deep Above The Noise (2x12" LP) 2016 Wax Museum Records Vinyl

Production Albums

Singles and EPs

Tracks on other albums Album title Artist Track Release date Label Evolutionary Vibes 2 Macronauts "Atstrue" (remix) 1997 Creative Vibes 4 Element Effect Plutonic Lab "Evidence" 1998 183 Rock Da City Plutonic Lab "Slipping into Darkness" 1999 Nuffsaid Madlock "Madlock" Sounds Like Left Plutonic Lab "Mental Big Gun" (remix) 2001 Sony (Asia) "Sunshine" 12 Apostles Pegz & Task Force "True to tha Art" (vocal) "True to tha Art" (instrumental) 2001 Obese Stealth Issue 2 Vol 3 Plutonic Lab "Glory Days" 2001 Stealth Top Fashion Dolphin (EP) Plutonic Lab "Mental Big Gun" 2002 C Side (UK) Tumi "The Inner View" Culture of Kings Vol 2 A-Love "Petty" 2002 Obese Obese City Plutonic Lab "Knowing Disintegration" 2002 Obese Muphin "Tape in a Green Case" Other Worldly Fusions Plutonic Lab & RuCL "Runnin Hot" 2002 Hardware Top Shelf Karma featuring Esoteric "Top Shelf" (vocal) "Top Shelf" (instrumental) 2002 Nuffsaid Karma "Art of War" (vocal) "Art of War" (instrumental) Strait From The Art Vol 1 Eternia & A-Love "Movin" 2003 Warner Diggin Deep Muphin "Smart Risk, Big Benefit" 2003 Culture of Kings Vol 3 Pegz "Tins of Beans" 2004 Obese Building With Bricks Volume 2 Karma "Art of War" 2004 Brick Descore Breakfast News (Main Title) 100 Forms of Happiness 2004 Sound Punch 15.OZ Vinyl Muphin "Smoke Stained" 2004 Crookneck JJJ Hip Hop Show Muph & Plutonic "Heaps Good" 2005 MC Que "Waters Breakin" Home And Hosed – Ripe and Ready Muph & Plutonic "Heaps Good" 2005 Trampled: Remix (EP) (Elefant Traks) Hermitude "Nightfalls Messenger" (remix) 2006 Obese Been There Done That Bias B featuring Billy Bunks "Bundle of Bees" 2007 Obese The Signal Urthboy "We Get Around" (Plutonic remix) 2007 Elefant Tracks More or Less Resin Dogs featuring Mika 9, Aceyalone and Abstract Rude "Coming With the Sound" (Plutonic Lab mix) 2009 Hydrofunk Records/MGM Cover Up Motel TZU "Get Up" (Plutonic Lab remix) 2009 Liberation Beatz International Tor "Pushin It" 2009 File Records (Japan)/UK Streetsounds (UK)

Battle vinyl Artist Title Date Details DJ Perplex DMC Battle Wax 2008 Various production beats and elements DJ Perplex DMC Battle Wax 2009 Various production beats and elements

Soundtracks Title Director Notes Hot Wet Dot: 16mm Skate Film Jo Harrison Molotow Masters: Graffiti Series Jo Harrison Words in My Mouth Voices in My Head, No 1 Anna Phillip Brophy Screened at ACMI Melbourne, 2004 Burn David Selvarajah Vadiveloo Nominated for AFI Best Short Fiction Film award, 2009

Awards and nominations Music Victoria Awards The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006. 2016 Deep Above the Noise'' Best Hip Hop Album