Bubble Metropolis

Detroit Special on RBMA Radio

When it comes musical cities, Detroit is a leading light. Whether it's the assembly-line machinery, the gospel traditions, the harsh winters, the DEMF, or just the sheer pedigree of previous musical eras, from Tamla Motown and Ric Tic to Tribe and the Detroit Jazz Center - music is a salvation they take very seriously over in the state of Michigan. We look through some of Detroit's electronic musical luminaries past, present, and future with the Show Finder as our guide.

Three names that are synonymous with Detroit dance music are Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson. The Belleville Three are originators of the Detroit techno sound, and set a blueprint that has crafted modern dance music for over 20 years. Each peeling off in their own unique directions, the impact from their music, and the electric, community-led atmosphere at the Music Institute, is still being felt today. We've got mixes from Derrick May and Juan Atikins, and we have a one-to-one with Kevin Saunderson in his Fireside Chat.

The pioneering trio also paved the way for other generations of Detroit artists to spread their own musical gospels. Planet E helmsman Carl Craig, and original narcissist Kenny Larkin, are two such producers who followed in the first techno wake. Both crafting their own electronic reveries to soundtrack their era, they've been stamping their personnas on life-changing 12"s for nearly two decades. They're still felt today, with Kenny Larkin recently breaking record shop shelves with his massive Chronicles retrospective, while Carl Craig filtered whole orchestras with his Recomposed and Versus projects alongside MVO, as well as revisiting his classic 69 moniker. We've got open-hearth narratives from Kenny Larkin here and Carl Craig here.

Other crucial artists of this second wave of producers have to be the Burden brothers, better known as Octave One and Random Noise Generation. Not just responsible for penning anthems like I Believe and Blackwater, the brothers have also released pivotal 12"s from Gerald Mitchell, Mike Banks, and DJ Rolando on their own 430 West label. Another must-mention name is Mike Huckaby, who worked the world-renowned Dance Room in Detroit's essential music store Record Time down Gratiot Avenue. The prolific producer and DJ's DJ has been soundtracking deep techno clubs with top shelf selections from his unparalleled musical mind since the early s90s. We have a mix that goes deep into Mike's vaults here , and sit down with Octave One for some stories from their long list of musical adventures.

Let's not forget Jeff Mills, techno tactician and walker of the Axis of Resistance. Or original author of the sound signature and Academy studio team member Theo Parrish. Both these artists brought a whole other dimension to the Detroit sound, with Theo's jazz sensibility and Jeff's grasp of cinematic drama. We sit down with Jeff Mills to hear him recount Wizard folklore here, while Theo takes us to a cosmic dance floor with his filtered rhythms. Rollerball enigma and silhouetted man-on-the-mic Moodymann is perhaps one of Detroit dance music's most singular voices, with an gift for sampling and an ear for heritage that no hip could refuse. We get in the mix for a very special two hour set with KDJ here.

But try as we might to chronograph this city's music, the truth is the waves keep coming, generation after generation bringing treasures of the deep crashing on our ears. Just as we're recovering from one, there's another one right behind - and rhythm becomes more important than time. New school house producers like Patrice Scott take their inspiration from techno as much as jazz, disco, and funk, while forward-looking proteges like Kyle Hall and Omar S are revamping the original format in respectful and spectacular FXHE fashion.

Get into a Detroit state of mind with some of these shows, and if you haven't already been conquered by the aquatic invasion: just let the sound wash over you.

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