Tag: History of Music

■Pre History: Technopop, Chicago House and The Electrifying Mojo

Krafrwerk 1970 –

Kraftwerk are German Technopop or Synthpop band formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970 Düsseldorf.
Ralf and Florian first met as student at Robert Schumann Hochschule. They studied Classical music and formed ‘Organisation’ and performed German experimental music dubbed ‘Krautrock’ by multiple instruments including synthesizers. Early times three albums of Kraftwerk are experimental avant-garde pop deeply influenced by Krautrock.
In 1974, Kraftwerk released the milestone album ‘Autobahn’. The album mainly featured synthesizers, rhythm machines and vocoders, took up German stereotypes ‘machinery’, ‘regularity’ and ‘technology’ then the concept of Kratwerk adopted them. The song ‘Autobahn’ expressed cool, monotony, calmness and funny far from Progressive Rock, which is the declaration the philosophy of Technopop.
In following albums ‘Trans Europe Express’, ‘The Man-Machine’ and ‘Computer World’, Kraftwerk refined their concept more and the albums came into the masterpiece of Technopop, hit in the world wide disco and underground club scenes, and influenced various music genres New Wave Rock, Synthpop, Disco, Funk, Hip Hop, Chicago House and Detroit Techno.
Followers of Kraftwerk were Telex, Devo, Yellow Magic Orchestra and so on, and yet they weren’t equal to the iron concept and integrated sounds of Kraftwerk.

Frankie Knuckles 1955 –

Frankie Knuckles is the creator of House Music. He was invited as Opening DJ from New York by a Night Club named the Warehouse at Chicago. His DJ play mixes multiple genre music. 1. Conservative hard-line Soul Music (Philly Soul, Motown, Salsoul) 2. Electronic Dance Music from Europe (Technopop, Munich Disco ex. Kraftwerk, Telex, Giorgio Moroder) 3. experimental German Rock, Progressive Rock and Minimal Music to use Chill Out and after hours (ex. Manuel Göttsching ‘E2-E4’, Tangerine Dream) 4. White New Wave Rock music especially has tastes Funk or Afro (ex. Frankie Goes To Hollywood ‘Relax’, New Order ‘Thieves Like Us’ ‘Blue Monday’, Talking Heads ‘Once In A Lifetime’, Clash ‘The Magnificent Seven’) And he played existing discs with a rhythm machine and tapes recorded rhythms. Then Frankie produced own making tracks using singers and musicians in Chicago with rhythm machines and samplers. The Blacks inspired Frankie’s DJ play began to produce using cheap instruments like rhythm machines, synthesisers and samplers. That makes a new style of Dance Music, it’s House Music.

The Electrifying Mojo

The Electrifying Mojo is a disc jockey (radio personality) based in Detroit. He is the grandfather of Detroit Techno.
Mojo’s seminal radio show ran from 1977 though the middle of 80’s. He wasn’t swayed selection by races and broke a musical barrier between white and black. His sets included various genres music for example P-Funk, Africa Bambaataa, Prince, The J. Geils Band, Cybotron through Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra, New Order, The B-52’s, Steely Dan, Phillip Glass. (But he never played Hip Hop.) He was free from the category of traditional Black Music, And his sets connected the idea ‘Black Sci-Fi’ and ‘Afro Futurism’ of P-Funk with Electronic Music from Europe. His programs very influenced young blacks in Detroit.

■The Belleville Three (‘Obsessive Fan of Kraftwerk’)

Juan Atkins (Cybotron, Model 500, Infiniti) 1962 –

He is the true originator of Detroit Techno. Atkins grew up in a wealthy family and his father is a music maniac especially Jazz. So Atkins became a music maniac, too. He was deeply influenced by P-Funk and Sly and the Family Stone and received an impact by Kraftwerk from The Electrifying Mojo’s radio show. And Atkins began to buy electronic musical instruments in late-70’s.

In 1980, When he entered college, he came across a Vietnamese guy Richard Davis. Davis introduced Alvin Toffler’s ‘The Third Wave’ to Atkins. This book is ‘The Book of Philosophy of Techno’. And they organized a Electro Technopop Band like Africa Bambaataa and Soul Sonic Force ‘Cybotron’. Cybotron make a smash hit in ‘Techno city’.

‘No UFO’s’ is a first his solo release of his alias ‘Model 500’ and a first song of Detroit Techno and Electro Techno. It’s deeply influenced by P-Funk, Kraftwerk and Chicago House.

Derrick May (Rhythim is Rhythim, Mayday) 1963 –

Derrick was a classmate and a friend or pawn of Juan Atkins at Belleville High School. He helped Atkins’ activity and label. When he went to sell Atkins’ records to Chicago, Derrick encountered Frankie Knuckles’ DJ play and Chicago House which gave him a shock. Derrick brought House beats, seriousness and emotion into Detroit Techno.

His masterpiece ‘Strings of the Life’ is almost non rhythm song features emotional piano backing and synth strings. 1989, the song license released by UK ‘label Cool Cut’. It became the biggest classic Techno anthem from late-80’s british Acid House scene to the rest of world and nowadays.

In 1987, an ex-Northern Soul DJ Neil Rushton asked May to produce a Detroit Techno compilation album. The compilation named ’Techno! The New Sound of Detroit’ released 1988 by Virgin Records and Detroit Techno infiltrate into UK underground music scene.

In the summer 1988, ’Detroit Music Institute’ one of the prototype of night clubs was opened in the downtown of Detroit. The club is very plain or shabby but there are emotional May’s DJ play and liberty. Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin, Richie Hawtin and Daniel Bell visited there frequently and May’s philosophy. The club to give birth to The Second Generation of Detroit Techno.
He quit almost music production in early few years and traveled all around the world as DJ. His Tech-Funk DJ style is influenced by Ron Hardy’s.

Kevin Saunderson (Reese, Inner City, E-dancer) 1964 –

Saunderson is from Brooklyn, New York. After move to Detroit, he became a friend with Derrick May and a acquaintance with Juan Atkins.

Saunder is a different from Atkins and May, In a point he loved New York Garage House sound and Larry Levan’s DJ style. So he went Larry Levan’s legend night club ‘Paradise Garage’ many times.

In 1988, Saunderson’s New York Garage style House Unit featured female vocalist Paris Grey ‘Inner City” made a great success in Popular Dance Chart by ‘Big Fun’ and ‘Good Life’ released from Virgin Records. And ‘Rock to The Beat’ released by the alias Reese was smash hit in club scene.

One of his alias ‘E-dancer’ is a project of funky future-chic Detroit Techno. ‘Pump the Move’ has a mysterious characteristic synth solo was played by many DJs.

■Early Detroit Techno Producers

Blake Baxter

In 1987 Baxter debuted ‘When We Used To Play’ by Kevin Saunderson’s label KMS.
Chicago House sounds.

Eddie ‘Flashin’ Fowlkes

In 1986, Fowlkes released first EP ‘Goodbye Kiss’ from Juan Atkins’s ‘Metroplex’ label. In 1992, he released ‘3MB featuring Eddie Flashin Fowlkes’ collaborated with Thomas Fehlmann and Moritz Von Oswald.
Suburban Knight (James Pennington)

Mark Kinchin

■The Second Generation

Carl Craig (BFC, Psyche, Paperclip People, 69, Designer’s Music, Innerzone Orchestra)

Carl Craig learned the basic of music production from Derrick May. Craig is a successor of pure emotional Techno by Derrick May. In addition to he has excellence composing and keyboard playing skills and intelligence. His music have a tendency to listing and Ambient like Tangerine Dream in the beginning.

He released first EP ‘Elements’ alias under Psyche from Derrick May’s label ‘Transmat’ in 1989. The early his tracks made in Derrick May’s studio when May wasn’t in. Then he founded his own labels ‘Retroactive’ and ‘Planet E’. The first EP of Planet E, ‘4 Jazz Funk Classics’ expanded artistry of Detroit Techno. And Planet E adopted european producers Kirk Degiorgio, Plaid and others to intended for variousness. In 1994, Paperclip People ‘Slow’ featured Loleatta Holloway’s ‘Hit and run’ samples hit.

Craig uses multiple aliases and produce various tastes and genres music. For example Paperclip People is a alias for funky danceable DJ tracks, 69 alias created experimental Techno tracks. ’Carl Craig’ is a alias for serious works. In 1995, the alias of Carl Craig released a perfect work ‘Landcruising’ from Warner Music. Then 1997, the alias released the album fusing Detroit Techno sounds and Jazz and Fusion Piano play ‘More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art’ includes ‘At Les’. The song became a anthem song of chill-out time.
Designer’s Music

Innerzone Orchestra, the Future Jazz project and three piece band of him, released the album ‘Programmed’ from UK Club Jazz label Talkin’ Loud.

In 2000, He hosted The Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF). The event was performed by not only Techno and House musicians but also Hip Hop musicians in Detroit, Slum Village, The Roots and Mos Def.

Stacy Pullen (Silent Phase, Kosmik Messenger, Bango)

Kenny Larkin (Yennek, Dark Comedy)

Alan Oldham (DJ T-1000, X-313)

In 1992, Alan Oldham took part in UR as DJ a successor to Jeff Mills.

His label ‘Generator’ released works except artist in Detroit for Dave Clark.

Daniel Bell (DBX)

Early years Dan Bell was active in Windsor with Richie Hawtin. After graduated a university Bell moved to Detroit and founded ‘Seventh City’ the first label of Detroit Techno by whites form outside of Detroit.

K. Hand

Kelli Hand is the first female DJ of Detroit Techno. She was also shocked by Frankie Knuckles’ party in mid-80’s. After graduated a college, she worked at a telephone company in Detroit and on weekends she went to Paradise Garage often. Staring at Derrick May’s DJing, she started DJ and music production and founded Acacia Records helped by Mad Mike and Jeff Mills. In 1991 K. Hand released the album ‘Detroit History Part 1’ from Tresor.

Her works was House tracks affected by Deep House and Chicago House. And she also makes Hard Minimal Techno tracks.

Scan 7

Dan Curtin

Mike Clark (Agent X)

He was concerned with early UR.

Octave One (Random Noise Generation)

In 1990, Octave One released a elegant House track ‘I Believe’ from Transmat.

Anthony Shakir

Sean Deason

Jay Denham

John Beltram

Urban Tribe

Detroit Escalator Company

‘Sound Track 313’

■Detroit Minimal Techno

Jeff Mills (The Wizard, Underground Resistance, Millsart) 1963 –

Jeff Mills grew up musical friendly family and visited hi school parties and any clubs in Detroit from his teenage. He acquired the spirit of Funk there. At this time he practiced DJing and equipped many DJ skills. In 1983, he became a DJ of the local radio stain WDRQ named himself ‘The Wizard’ and played Hip Hop, Post Disco, Progressive Disco, New Wave Rock in radical outstanding skills influenced by Hip Hop DJs’.

After Jeff was transferred to WJOD, He was introduced Mad Mike by a WJOD stuff. They organised Underground Resistance and Jeff played turntables on gigs. Jeff resigned UR in 1992. His last work of UR is ‘World to World’.

Next Jeff released ‘Waveform Transmission Vol.1’ from Tresor. The EP and its vol. 3 are a landmark and masterpiece of Minimal Techno.

Robert Hood (Underground Resistance, Monobox, The Vision, Floorplan)

Rob Hood take part in Underground Resistance in 1991.

Richie Hawtin (Plastikman)

To say precisely Richie Hawtin is not Detroit Techno musician, he is a Canadian. He is from Windsor, Ontario just across the river from Detroit. He visited the Detroit Music Institute frequently where he had a valuable experience of Derrick May’s DJ play and got to know Kenny Larkin and Daniel Bell.

Richie Hawtin and Daniel Bell form the unit ‘Cybersonic’. Their track was spread as ‘Detroit Techno’ by white to Europe.

John Acquaviva

Claude Young

■Underground Resistance

‘Mad’ Mike Banks (Underground Resistance, Martian) 1961 –

In young age, Mike Banks was a hustler of drag race and a bass player playing Funk, Soul, Gospel, Blues and Fusion. He had relation to Funkadelic members.

When he visited Chicago he met with Acid House, he interested in club cultures. After go back to Detroit, He was called out by Juan Atkins at a music shop and they became friends and Atkins taught how to instruments, music production methods and ‘Detroit Music Institute’.

In 1990, Banks set up Underground Resistance with Jeff Mills. Later on Robert Hood took part in as MC. First release EP ‘Your Time is Up’ is a House track featured a female vocal based traditional Soul and Disco recalls Bank’s musical roots. Following EPs ‘Sonic’ ‘Elimination’ ‘Riot’ ‘Punisher’ ‘Riot’ and ‘Final Frontier’ were Detroit Hard Techno expresses political messages. 1991, UR released the album (and the project name) ‘X-101 – Sonic Destroyer’ from Tresor combined Hardcore Techno sound with Detroit Techno seriousness.

After Jeff Mills resigned UR, Mike intended to the idea of universe and soul, he also started ‘Red Planet’ project by the alias of ‘Martian’.

Banks made mid-90’s the 2 biggest Techno anthems ‘Hi-tech Jazz’ by the alias Underground Resistance and ‘Star Dancer’ by the alias Red Planet project. ‘Hi-tech Jazz’ put Detroit Techno sound with a impressive alto sax solo together. “Star Dancer” is a cosmic experimental dance track has characteristic pad and bass-line.

After released ‘Galaxy 2 Galaxy’ (including ‘Hi-tech Jazz’ and ‘Journey of the Dragon’), UR as a record label released artists except Mike’s own project for example Suburban Knight, Scan 7, Andre Holland, DJ Roland.

DJ Roland (Aztec Mystic) 1970 –

DJ Roland is a Mexican origin Detroit Techno DJ and Producer, brought up in the Hispanic community in Detroit.

He became the 3rd DJ of Underground Resistance and soon began music productions. In 2000, he released his masterpiece ’The Night of Jaguar’. The song is mysterious Latin rhythm track with suggestive emotional synth strings solo, which is the great anthem track of early 00’s Techno and House scenes.

DJ 3000

Los Hermanos

■Electro (Techno Base)

Drexciya

1993, Drexciya debuted by ’Deep Sea Dweller EP’. Later on he released ‘Drexciya 2 Bubble Metropolis’ and ‘Drexciya 3 Molecular Enhancement’ from Underground Resistance and his crazy electro sound generated a reaction in Europe, affected Aphex Twin, Mike Paradinas aka Musiq and Andy Whetherall. He also became a member of UR.

Aux 88

He run ‘Direct Beat’ label under Octave One’s ‘430 West’.

DJ Assult

Mark Taylor

■The Third Generation

As One

Ian O’brien

■European Detroit Followers

808 State

R&S Records

R&S Records is founded by Renaat and Sabine Van Del Pepeliere in late-80’s.
In 1988, Renaat encountered Detroit Techno, then the label aim at ‘Beautiful Techno’ and released a cosmic trans track Digital Vamp ‘You Can Take My Body’. The early years of R&S introduced Joy Beltram, David Morley Spectrum, CJ Bolland and Dave Angel. In 92, R&S released Aphex Twin’s experimental anthem track ‘Didgeridoo’, and works of Black Dog and Kirk Degiorgio.

‘Detroit Techno Revival’

Tresor

‘Berlin Detroit a Techno Alliance’ (1993) included tracks of UR, Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes and Basic Channel.

Laurent Garnier

B-12

Funk D’Void

Orland Voorn (Fix)

Fabrice Lig

■New Generation Detroit Followers

Vince Watson

Aril Brikha

Aril Brikha is Assyrian Origin Techno musician emigrated to Sweden. His genius was funded by Derrick May. His song ’Groove La Code’ released by Transmat and was contained in Tresor’s compilation ‘Tresor 2000’ become a great anthem track of Techno and House scenes.

Dennis DeSantis

Joris Voorn

Joris Voorn is from Rotterdam, Netherland. In the beginning, he started as a Detroit Follower. His early time hit is ‘Many Reasons’ (2002).

In 2004, Joris released his first full album ‘Future History’, by SINO the sub label of Technasia, including ’Incident’. The album is the most prominent work of Detroit Followers and ‘Incident’ features sensational piano backing, is the greatest anthem song of 00’s Techno. Joris jumped to stardom.

Meanwhile Joris released a mix album ‘Fuse’. This mix album mixed 40 tracks of Detroit Techno, Techno, Minimal Techno and House by Ablton Live. In 2009 he released ‘Balance 014’ one of the series of Progressive House DJ mix CD by EQ Recordings. This album he took apart and reconstructed 102 classic Detroit Techno, Tech House, Deep Progressive, Minimal Techno, House, Electro House, Future Jazz and Rock tracks into Tech House and Deep Progressive atmosphere totally by Ableton Live. He presented new style of DJ mix.

On the other hand he founded the his own label ‘Rejected’ with dutch a DJ/producer and his friend Edwin Oosterwal. Rejected presents new style of dance music Tech House. The label launched a club hit ‘Let’s Go Juno’ by Edwin Oosterwal.

Later on he accessed Indie Dance and Post Dub Step scenes. ‘Ringo’ (2013) is a Tech House track adopting Post Dub Step sounds.

■Side Story: Detroit House

Terrence Parker

Chez Damier

JD

Delano Smith

Alton Miller

Theo Parrish

Mike Grant

Rick Wade

Norma Jean Bell

Moodyman

Scott Grooves

Omar S

References

Kaku Mita & Tsutomu Noda, Cultural Histories of Club Music: Birth of House to Rave Culture (JICC, 1993)

Laurent Garnier, Electrochoc (Flammarion, 2003)

Satoshi Masuda, Who is the “author” of the music: Remix, Industry, Copyright (Misuzu Books, 2005)

Toru Takahashi, DJ Idiot: A Life (Rittor Music, 2007)

Tsutomu Noda & Takkyu Ishino, Technobon, (Takarajima, 1994)

Tsutomu Noda, Black Machine Music & Galactic Soul: Disco, House to Detroit Techno (New Kawade Publishing, 2001)

Tsutomu Noda, Junk, Funk, Punk (New Kawade Publishing, 2003)

Related Posts and Pages

Semiological Analysis for DJ play

Consideration Techno Tracks as “Work”

Subgenres of House Music

Genres of Club Music

Genres and Styles of Black Music

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