Ten years have passed since Richie Hawtin opened shop for his Minus imprint, so we were thrilled to hear the label has many celebratory plans for its anniversary. Of course, when Hawtin is at the helm, weird surprises are a foregone conclusion, and the anniversary will be no different, and the label will start celebrations with… 10 weeks of silence.

“During the first ten weeks of 2008, there will be no new releases and no performances or appearances from any of the Minus artists,” said Hawtin in a recent statement. “I hope you all enjoy this moment of silence while we reflect and re-focus our energy, ideas, and inspiration for the upcoming 10-year anniversary celebrations starting in late March.”

Maybe they need time to catch up on their videogaming, or perhaps they’ve been burning too many CO2 emissions and need to rest. Whatever the reasons, consider this silence official.

The real festivities will commence in the spring, and carry on for the rest of the year in the form of events, new releases, new artists, and some special technology. In the meantime, you might want to dig out some of your old Plastikman 12″s to see you through the impending hibernation.