something i wrote for idj mag in the uk - thought it worth sharing...
the intro...
the re-release of robert hood’s ‘minimal nation,’ and carl craig’s re-instatement as musical director of the demf, are momentous events, not far behind us. shadows of the first and second wave detroit forefathers, then, perennially loom large over the shoulders of any new motor city blood. whether that pressure is why techno headlines have come mainly from berlin in the last couple of years or not, is now irrelevant: detroit’s where it’s at in 2009.
few artists ever claimed to be minimal, the pre – sometimes mis – conceptions that went before it put many off, but now even less people are doing so. it seems that with the world’s economy as bleak as it is, austere soundscapes have become less inviting. people stopped having fun, forgot why we played this game, were taking it too seriously, and so there was bound to be a reaction as there was from hood in ‘93. the current crop of artists coming from d town (what? they actually call it that!) are that reaction. they represent a new, spirited digression from the underground’s previous position. the microscopic, cold, hollowed out backdrops of berlin are gone, and the rich, sexy, depths of detroit have arrived. house and techno got fun again.
these new sounds are coming from labels, as well as producers: as per the movements in the 80s and 90s, this third wave after atkins, may, saunderson, then mills, hawtin, craig (yikes), of motor city producers are being given a solid platform by a collection of concentrated detroit labels. and that’s all the more impressive in 2009 when many imprints are being consumed in the face of raging piracy, depleting vinyl sales and struggling distribution companies. but, in adverse times, techno fans are finding relief in the fresh, charismatic sounds and new thinking offered by the labels profiled here. there’s an endearing charm in the new wave and, as you’ll read, they range from well schooled heads that have gradually come to the fore, to breezy upstarts joining right atop the pile. it’s arguably that balance of old and new, seriousness and playfulness, which bring us back to techno’s homeland.
the advantages of living in detroit, and so of being submerged in its culture, its history, are obvious. but with ranks of dreamers and a quagmire of precedent to tread through, the city has its drawbacks, too. having struggled amongst what kris wadsworth calls “a city of haters,” the current few representing detroit are wrestling free from the shackles of history and having a little fun...
the artists...
seth troxler
the most celebrated of the new wave is not a geeky bedroom dj turned pro as are many, but is primarily a party animal and music lover. “when i moved to the detroit area, i started raving and never stopped. i still am a raver; i just do it professionally now” boasts troxler, and he’s not wrong. his ‘love never sleeps’ track was one of the most celebrated at this year’s wmc in miami, whilst his ability to string together a mix of rich house and techno has earned him sets everywhere from fabric in london, to movement festival in detroit: not bad for a 23 year old.ironically, he now resides in berlin after having lived in detroit between the ages of 14 and 21, a period in which he believes, “you really figure out who you are.” so, why move? well, because of the opportunities it presents. “this is berlin” he says “everyone’s around exchanging ideas. in detroit, conversations are based around history and ideas. everyone wants to change the world, but no one has the channels to do so - so they leave or just get stuck in life shit.”
he decided to leave, and in doing so left behind the close wolf + lamb community with which he had become synonymous. it’s a label which “is close to my heart: [label co-founders] zev and gadi really are family” says seth. that family, and the laid back ethos of the w+l hq where they smoke pot and watch tv, as well as make records and throw parties, is what has given troxler a confidence to always do his own thing, a place where fun has always been more important than anything else. “my music,” he affirms, “is me, my life, my experiences, my feeling, my thought of how i think people would like to experience music.” the result of that assured sense of self, reckons seth, is that “people think i’m an arrogant prick. i mean, i’m a prick, but i’m not arrogant.”
if you had tiefschwartz and matthew dear queuing up for collabs, fever ray allowing you to remix her (the results of which will rule floors for months to come, such is it diverse crossover appeal) and promoters like the warehouse project snapping up your services, though, you’d probably be a little cock sure, too, right? but what makes troxler according to troxler? “good parents, great friends, woman, acid, and just life yo” whilst he describes his sounds as coming from “listening to lots of indie rock, some jazz and soul, and the perverse sexuality and feminine touch i try to hide inside myself.”
if it weren’t for this artist pouring as much of his charismatic self into his music, we’d still be being presented with the ever more reductionist and sparse digital sounds of the naughties thus far. instead, heartless blips and drips void of personality have been replaced by the poetic beauty likes of ‘aphrika’ (with words from maya angelou's ‘phenomenal woman,’) the slightly unnerving, tumultuous world of ‘hurt’ and the hypnotic, trance-y grooves of productions like ‘doctor of romance.‘ and for that, seth troxler and his formative detroit years are at least in part to thank.
listen to: ‘aphrika’ [wolf + lamb]
find at: myspace.com/sethtroxler
lee curtiss
after a decade in the game, lee curtiss attributes his success to “having surrounded [myself] with good people, who make good music, and run good labels.” people like those in the wolf + lamb stable, without whom curtiss adds, “i don't know where i’d be... probably curing cancer or something.” but instead, after being prompted into a move from west michigan to detroit by matthew dear in 2000, he’s making music with funk, soul and an ability to get you shifting. “house is more fun, techno is more mental” says curtiss, “i don't think they could exist without one another, and i keep that in mind when producing.” also in mind when producing, is the music curtiss is listening to when in the studio: “i’ve been drawing inspiration from 80’s and 90’s music again, like inxs, hall and oates and the cure.” wherever his ideas come from, they are unpredictable, be they on w+l, esperanza, leftroom or om. they move forward always, implode or explode unexpectedly and, in their diversity, are microcosms of the one of his sets: “sometimes i’ll play disco, house, 80's pop and techno in one set. it's all about waiting for the right moment and building up to dropping the right tracks at the right time” states curtiss, rather belying most electronic musicians from detroit, whose sounds are normally from more complimentary sonic pools.
so, what role does the city in question have? curtiss explains, “living in detroit gave me a rich background of electronic music. carl craig, zip, villalobos, moodyman, and magda were playing regularly, but those days are over... most of the clubs and parties in detroit have shut down, changed their programming to commercial music or just plain vanished.” if that’s true, it makes it all the more impressive that curtiss has persisted, risen through the ranks and is now a shining light in what he claims is a fading city.
listen to: the mantra [cityfox]
find at: myspace.com/leecurtiss2
omar s
omar 'alex omar smith' s, is a law unto himself. as purely detroitian as the ford motor company he works for, his bravado and introspection make him an interesting, if not controversial, character. he recently mixed a fabric cd composed entirely of his own tracks, and told idj, he "did it for promotion, because i knew it would reach a lot of different people" and reach it did…in 2009 the fxhe boss has stormed into the conscious of many house and techno fans, not least in part because of ‘pyscotic photosynthesis,’ a track on that mix which smith reckons is one of the best of the last ten years, and he’s not far wrong. rising bass line leads off, then, during the ten beautiful minutes that follow, you are taken on a trip through the highs and lows of its intertwined rhythms. there are no brash breakdowns just shifting timbres, subtle undulations, and a reserved excellence from a man who cares little for anything outside his hometown.
smith’s raw, mechanical music with its old school synths and heady funk tease body and mind, and represent the past, present and future of detroit music.
listen to: psychotic photosynthesis [fxhe]
find at: omarsdetroit.us
luke hess
at the polar opposite end of the techno spectrum to the clunky machine music of, say, jeff mills, is next new wave proponent, 29 year old luke hess. notoriously a man of more considered religious belief than most, he tells idj that his smoky dub atmospheres come “from a combination of analogue machines and god’s creation.”from heads-down, pure detroit minimalism, to drifting synths and rippling chords, there’s a lot of thought goes into hess’ work to reach the emotional depths and heady intensities it does. hess offers that “the theme of the record [light in the dark] is the ultimate battle that every thinking person has to face at some point in his/her life. what is my purpose here on earth? the album is meant to shed some light on the subject. popular culture and science suggests that we are matter and that we have a consciousness, but when we die we rot and cease to exist. i believe there is much more to life.”
having released on detroit labels fxhe, d records and berretta music, what influence has his hometown had on him? “detroit was founded on sweat, blood, and tears” offers hess. “where there is spirit - there is liberty. and where there is liberty - there is no limit to what can be achieved...” apparently not.
listen to: ‘self control’ [echochord]
find at: myspace.com/hesslabs
kris wadsworth
whilst part of the new crop of detroit producers, you’d be excused thinking kris wadsworth had been around a lot longer. well he has, sort of, as he started producing at just 14 years old, but it’s the breadth of organic instrumentation he employs which hints at talent to belie a man of 24 years.from intricate percussive foregrounds, to the more consuming kicks and toms which roll in from below, wadsworth is confidently restrained in his approach. keys, sax, horns whatever... he’s happy for his productions to undulate and evolve naturally, weaving funky lines or stomping a heavy groove as they go, without pushing too hard.
each have a timeless quality in their referencing - from motown and james brown snippets, to motor city shuffle and jazzy undercurrents, it’s all in there. if garnier’s happy to put his name on the growing list of wadsworth fans, so should we be.
listen to: ‘mainline’ [hypercolour]
find at: myspace.com/thedepthsof
kyle hall
bizarrely, the youngest artist turning attention upon himself and his hometown is the one who draws most from what’s gone before, and who hints at the musical maturity of someone much older. cutting up soul, motown and rare funk with fxhe records and his own richly musical productions is what 18 year old kyle hall does when mixing, and is why his fans include omar s and patrice scott.when it comes to his productions, hall’s sounds are informed by - but not restricted to- the moods of forerunners like theo parrish and carl craig, but also draw on the raw, slumped hip-hop of dilla, and crackling jack of chicago house. the results of which are genuinely learned productions from someone, in the us at least, who’s not yet old enough to booze.
hall stands out in his disregard of the rules. whilst others use soul or funk inflections from a spread of genres in their productions, the framework often remains sternly house, or staunchly techno. this guy, though, imposes no such restraints on himself, and is as freeform as he likes, going where ever his preference takes him. and idj, for one, are happy to go with him.
listen to: the water is fine ep [moods & grooves]
find at: myspace.com/kylehalldetroit
patrice scott
patrice scott is by no means new to this. “i was drawn to electronic music back in the early eighties when i attended a party by a local detroit group called sharivari. another local dj group, direct drive, also played - from that point on i was hooked.” shortly after, he was brushing shoulders with artists from detroit’s first wave when the likes of troxler and hall were just knee high to a grasshopper. despite such early exposure to the detroit sound, this artist, unlike many of his peers, hasn’t restricted his a&r - curtailed his own influences - to the city’s outer walls. instead, both scott and sistrum draw on a world of sounds, past and present. they nod to many but bow to none, giving scott every chance of succeeding in his aim to “make timeless music that people can play years from now and that will still sound good.” lose yourself in one of his soul drenched, micro-evolving house textures, and we doubt you’ll disagree.
listen to: the evolution [sistrum]
find at: myspace.com/patricescott
intrusion
even if you’ve only tentatively peeked into one of techno’s dubbier pockets, you’re likely to have caught a glimpse of intrusion, for the busy man behind the moniker is stephen hitchell. one-half of echospace with rod modell and empathybox with josh werner, he’s also known as soultek for jazzier, faster techno, and runs a dub label, echospace [detroit], with modell. between deciding which of his productions will be attributed to which of his aliases, as intrusion, hitchell managed to create what was an early contender for ‘2009’s best album’ way back in january.his ‘seduction of silence’ effort is a dreamy, pulse slowing but trend setting offering as essential as was his last lp, echospace's 2007 oeuvre ‘the coldest season.’ ‘seduction of silence’ defies the usual techno blueprint by spurning crescendos, breakdowns and kicks, and instead spreading horizontally out wards, surreptitiously absorbing you from below. his tracks are surrounded by salt shaker hazes which soften the already round edged dub bumps below, all the while, sounds are melting together and minimal mutations are moving things on as your mind and body sink into the lush electronic depths.
comparisons to dub techno pioneers moritz von oswald and mark ernestus and their 90s basic channel work are unavoidable. but hitchell is enriching the arctic soundscapes of his forefathers with a calypso warmth, rhythmic playfulness and spiritual being. in doing so, he’s carving detroit its own special place in the hearts of many a dub techno fan.
listen to: ‘seduction of silence’ [echospace [detroit]]
find at: echospacedetroit.com
the labels...
wolf & lamb
set up “mostly out of necessity: we like to do what we want, when we want it” according to co-founder zev eisenberg, w+l’s playful music is unsurprising given their bachelor pad-like label hq. it’s home to detroit newbies lee curtiss, shaun reeves and ryan crosson who zev says are “an integral part of our family” and who have helped make w+l the hottest label of 2009.
find at: wolflambmusic.com
sistrum
detroit’s sistrum signs people from all over the world which “was not done intentionally,” says owner patrice scott, “it’s just the way things turned out. “ since 2006, the label has become synonymous with evocative deep house courtesy of releases from the likes of manuel tur, efdemin and giles smith, as well as the boss himself.
find at: sistrummusic.com
fxhe
run by omar s since 2003 and the home to releases from ryan elliot, seth troxler, redshape and more detroitians, fxhe was initially a very personal project. its independence has since waned due to - unsurprisingly for omar - frosty relations with distributors, and since the boss realised working with outlets like fabric and beatport has its merits. the quality remains, though.
find at: omarsdetroit.us
echospace
detroit’s answer to berlin’s lauded basic channel, releases from deep dons fit nicely into the echospace ethos. almost spiritual dub techno comes from rod modell (aka deepchord) and steve hitchell’s label which, they claim, is run ”for the love of it all.”
find at: echospacedetroit.com
spectral sound
spectral is the dance arm of ghostly international. “it is” says ryan elliot, “the dark horse younger brother who dates fast women and stays out too late.” the spectral sound is aimed squarely at the floor and comes from the likes of bodycode, audion and troxler.
find at: spectralsound.com
