003 - Detroit: Birthplace of Techno

Image: Detroit: City of Techno from here

Image: Detroit: City of Techno from here

This past week, Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director, Virgil Abloh displayed LV’s Fall/ Winter collection in a show he called ‘Heaven’ during Paris Fashion Week.  For his sonic backdrop in the show he handed the responsibilty to the legendary Detroit producer, DJ and artist, Juan Atkins with his Cybotron moniker.  Virgil’s influence on pop culture is unquestionable, but as a DJ himself, it is important to notice that he chose to have the music direction handled by Detroit.  Even for the after-party, Kenny Dixon Jr. aka Moodyman from the 313 area code of the US was handed the DJ reins.  If a major fashion house as Louis Vuitton can take a pilgrimage to Detroit for its sound, it is time we take a moment to give props to a style of electronic music that is long overdue for its time in the sun, specifically, Detroit Techno.

What is Detroit Techno?
Detroit techno is a type of techno music that generally includes the first techno productions by Detroit-based artists during the 1980s and early 1990s. Prominent Detroit techno artists include Juan Atkins, Eddie Flashin’ Fowlkes, Derrick May, Jeff ‘The Wizard’ Mills, Kevin Saunderson, Blake Baxter, Drexciya aka James Stinson (RIP) and Mad Mike Banks. [1]  Since it is almost universally accepted that electronic music styles such as house music have its roots traced to key artists and DJs from Chicago, its close relative, namely techno music, has its roots with Detroit and the names mentioned above.  Techno music is defined specifically as ‘electronic dance music that features a fast beat and synthesized sounds usually without vocals or a conventional popular song structure’. [2]  Many music publications and media sources credit its creation heavily to the ‘Belleville Three’ [3] of Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, all great DJs and performers in their own right, as well as gifted producers that have laid their mark on a sound appreciated worldwide.  Ultimately ‘Detroit techno’ is a derivative of ‘techno music’ and it further draws from electro, synth-pop and house, yet somehow keeps its unique identity in the larger world of ‘techno’.  This sound was from the future and cold like the floors of the closed motor plants or factories that served the car industry, however, drenched in soul that only a city that created Motown could imprint on the music.  That decay or sense of abandon in the environment at this time created beautiful music appreciated the world over.

Although techno has become a worldwide phenomenon and there were acts in Germany like Kraftwerk that also laid the foundations for techno as a movement, there is something very special about the techno that comes from Detroit, and for this reason, it is suggested for anyone that loves this style of music to make a pilgrimage there.  In fact, The City of Detroit has officially recognized May 23-30 each year (which coincides with the city's big Movement festival) as being Detroit Techno Week. [4]  To start, one would have to go to 3000 E. Grand in Detroit, Michigan to visit Submerge, home to a record store, a museum and of course, Underground Resistance, a label and movement started by Mad Mike Banks and Jeff Mills.  

Image: Underground Resistance graffiti from the UR Website

Image: Underground Resistance graffiti from the UR Website

The website for UR states the mission as such: ‘to combat the mediocre audio and visual programming that is being fed to the inhabitants of earth’.  The museum here at Submerge gives every visitor much insight into the history of techno and how Detroit has created and shaped this sound for the future, as well as, gives them an opportunity to shop (by appointment).  Mad Mike Banks still maintains his role in UR today and at Submerge, while Jeff Mills later separated from UR eventually to tour the planet and take the music forward with his Axis record label and other imprints.  He has taken the craft of DJing in the Detroit style farther than perhaps even Mad Mike and he imagined when they started UR.  He has played with world-famous orchestras behind him and his Roland 909 and even has a radio show with NASA on Intergalactic Theory and Music. [5]   Whether we are talking about the early pioneers or current Detroit artists making waves globally, it is no surprise that they all identify with the city’s rich history, whether they are speaking of their struggles or victories in their music.

Image: Submerge’s record shop in the basement. Photo by Ryan M. Place [6]

Image: Submerge’s record shop in the basement. Photo by Ryan M. Place [6]

Another artist to come out of the UR camp that has gone on to put music on Tresor Records from Berlin and also start his own imprint, Cratesavers Muzik is the legendary live act named Scan 7.  Trackmasta Lou of Scan 7 has also been there from the very early formative years of the music scene in Detroit and has also traveled the world with his sound.  The Scan 7 track, ‘The Resistance’ starts with “If you can hear this, then you are part of the Resistance” as the vocal before it jams into “We are the Resistance”!  Whether resistance to mediocre music as UR suggests or more, the song is a message to all those that are a part of the resistance.  I hear this music and it inspires me to spend more time when composing my music, making my DJ mixes or even setting my audio effect chain.  Songs like this remind us “we are not alone” and movements like the one found with Detroit techno also teach us to unite, just as the Scan 7 song states.  This is also the first of the twelve songs in the accompanying Spotify playlist accompanied here.

Image: I am pictured here with Moodyman in 2019 when he performed in Millennium Park, Chicago. He is also known as Kenny Dixon Jr. or KDJ and big props to him for DJing the After-Party in Paris for Virgil Abloh this year!

Image: I am pictured here with Moodyman in 2019 when he performed in Millennium Park, Chicago. He is also known as Kenny Dixon Jr. or KDJ and big props to him for DJing the After-Party in Paris for Virgil Abloh this year!

Background:
I have personally made the ‘Pilgrimage to Detroit’ and specifically Submerge more than 3 times.  I have met with Mad Mike numerous times, visited the museum, shopped in the record store, spoke with Christa Robinson from UR (co-founder of Submerge) about the power of Spirit, and once even helped Mike’s brother and his No Limit Roofing take roofing materials to the roof of the building (all by choice as I asked to help).  I have learned so much about Detroit and its rich music history in techno via these many trips or pilgrimages and I recommend this to everyone.  You may even find where I was asked to sign the walls at Submerge.  I also wrote this piece for the Music Industry Essentials program at NYU Tisch done in conjunction with the Clive Davis Institute and Billboard.  Needless to say, I love Detroit Techno!  Lastly, I have been a professional techno DJ since 1993, a producer since 2003 and have thrown over 50+ large-scale techno events and parties in Chicago all funded by personal funds and with colleagues in techno music who did this all for the love of the music.  I have been blessed to know or have met most, if not all, the names I have mentioned in this article. *

* This was done for Music Industry Essentials at NYU Tisch in conjunction with The Clive Davis Institute, Billboard and Yellowbrick Music. This was also made possible thanks to the Music Origins Project

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Manish Miglani

aka DJ Mani Midi
aka MM Dot
www.manimidi.com

Techno MusicDJ Mani MiglaniDetroit Techno, NYU Tisch, Music Industry Essentials