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.
Not Not Fun
Smooth as silk on RBMA Radio
Martial Law
A Ninja Tune Special on RBMA Radio
Springtime in Fall
Highlights from Primavera Club 2011
15 years of Versatile Records
The quintessential Paris label celebrates its anniversary
Gracias Por Todo, Madrid
Total Recall: Red Bull Music Academy 2011
Merry Go Sound
Madrid 2011 - Term One
Más Matadero
Red Bull Music Academy 2011 - Week One
Amplified Beyond The Beat
Radio highlights from the RBMA World Tour 2011
Deep Fried Dap
Highlights from the Daptone family tree on RBMA Radio
Under The Westway
RBMA x Major Lazer sets from Notting Hill Carnival now on air
No Sleep Till Olganitz
Highlights from Germany's Nachtdigital fest on RBMA Radio
In The City
Festivalwatch: Stadtmusik.FM, Basel
LA Parklife
RBMA Radio goes HARD Summer
Neo Neo
Neopop Festival special on RBMA Radio
Croatia Calling
Hartera special on RBMA Radio
Sète You Free
RBMA Radio goes Worldwide
Another Place, Another Time
Sónar in review on RBMA Radio
Move, D!
Movement Detroit highlights on RBMA Radio
Heatmakers
Boiler Room one-year anniversary and special on RBMA Radio
Nuits Up
Les Nuits Sonores Special on RBMA Radio
Les Yper Sound
Festivalwatch #2: La Villette Sonique, May 27 - June 1
Making Wavves
Young Turks special on RBMA Radio
Far East Movement
Highlights from SónarSound Tokyo on RBMA Radio
The Royal Catalonian
An audio recap of the A Taste of Sonár event in London
Hörvergnügen
A German Sound Exploration
The Devil's Dancers
New Wave + Industrial highlights on Red Bull Music Academy Radio
Crossing The Border
James Holden opens his record box for RBMA Radio
Ginga Beat
Portuguese show on RBMA Radio turns 100
Word On The Street
Chairman Mao navigates through old and new on RBMA Radio
In The Moog For Love
Moog music on RBMA Radio
Elevator Music
Elevate Festival on RBMA Radio
Year-End Closing!
The year 2010 in Academyworld
Boogie Wonderland
Boogie past, present and future on RBMA Radio
Night Skanking
Night Slugs Special with Bok Bok on RBMA Radio
Circle Of Dub
RBMA Radio & Tectonic Recordings launch dubstep into outer space
Dusty Fingers
A special selection for vinyl lovers and dollar bin kingpins
Frequency Modulation
RBMA Radio Pop-Up Studio @ Amsterdam Dance Event
Concrete Jungle
RBMA Radio Pop-Up Studio @ Amsterdam Dance Event
Basement Boys
Red Bull Music Academy x Dommune
Flashback
2010 festival highlights on RBMA Radio
Another Revolution
Kirk Degiorgio's Sound Obsession turns fifty
Heat Wave
Major Lazer x Notting Hill Carnival session on RBMA Radio
Lights Down Low
Four hour set from Theo Parrish on RBMA Radio
The Hundreds In The Hands
PanamériKa turns 100
On The Double
Hyperdub Special on RBMA Radio
Green Professors
RBMA Radio at Oxegen Festival
Cabride Reveries
SonarDome x RBMA Radio
Parclife
Primavera Sound Special on RBMA Radio
Move With It
Movement Festival Detroit on RBMA Radio
future roots experiments
dublab focus on RBMA Radio
D10
Dissonanze special on RBMA Radio
Rappin’ All Over
New hip hop shows on RBMA Radio
Zombie Nation
RBMA residency at Fabric kicks off with Brainfeeder
Tech The High Road
RBMA and RA hit the Royal Festival Hall
Sublime Frequencies
RBMA Culture Clash feat. Trojan, Soul ll Soul, Metalheadz and DMZ
Hitek House
Future Garage Special on RBMA Radio
Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah!
Disco special on RBMA Radio
Bubble Metropolis
Detroit Special on RBMA Radio
Listen Death From Above
DFA label spotlight on Red Bull Music Academy Radio
Chords Got Soul
Soul singers tune up on RBMA Radio
Dub Be Good To Me
The London-Kingston love affair on RBMA Radio
Making Waves
Mavericks of an era on Red Bull Music Academy Radio
Africa Center Of The World
Continental Focus on RBMA Radio
I Hear You Singing In The Wire
Wichita Records Label Special on RBMA Radio
Northern Soul
WARP/ED special on RBMA
Be Reasonable, People
Warp Records Label Special on RBMA Radio
No Ice Cream Sounds
Notting Hill Carnival Special on RBMA Radio
Yes We Cannes
Festival Pantiero special on RBMA Radio
Break A Dawn
Nachtdigital Special on RBMA Radio
Pips and Blanks
Domino Special on RBMA Radio
Punchestown Drunk Love
Oxegen festival special on RBMA Radio
Beats It
Beats Special on RBMA Radio
Catalunya Calling (Back)
Red Bull Music Academy presents SónarDôme 2009
Dem A Call Us Pirates…
RBMA Radio takes over Lisbon's airwaves