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.

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

The Wolf Gang
Stones Throw Records Label Special

Lane Stage
St Jerome's Laneway Festival Special