Stacey Pullen, Rooz @ Base, Vessel, San Francisco 2011-07-28

Joris Voorn - KANA Green (Kana Broadcast 002) 2009-11-05

Joris Voorn - KANA Green (Kana Broadcast 002) 2009-11-05

Kana Green Tracklist:
01. Xhin – Link (Tool) – Stroboscopic Artefacts
02. Lauhaus – Temple Balls – Remote Area
03. Stimming – Kakusei – Audiomatique
04. Roger Gerressen – Hajastan – Wolfskuil Records
05. Radio Slave – Orchestrating Maneuvers in the Dark (M.in & Patrick Lindsey Remix) – OM Records
06. Pete Heller – Initiate (Dub) – Phela Recordings
07. Matthias Vogt – The Emerald Sky – Saw Records
08. Carlo – Mr. Brown
09. Pitto – Feelin (Joris Voorn Can’t Kick This Feelin When It Hits) – Rejected
10. Nic Fanciulli – Dusty House Room 3 – Rejected
11. Gamal Kabar – The Pressure – Poker Flat
12. Anton Pieete – Lower Lower – Yoshitoshi
13. Robert Babicz – Astor – Glimpse Remix – Systematic
14. Agnes – Que Pena – Perspective
15. Zen – Hatikvah – Baalsaal
16. Greg Gow – The Bridge (Late Night Grand River Mix) – Transmat
17. Xhin – Link (Tool) – Stroboscopic Artefacts
18. Acid Pauli – Marvin – Compost

Henrik Schwarz @ Voltt Loves Summer, Amsterdam (Dance Department) 2011-08-27

Henrik Schwarz - Dance Department Does Voltt (538) [2011-08-27]

Joris Voorn @ Mysteryland - Haarlemmermeer - Netherlands 27-08-2011

Joris Voorn @ Mysteryland - Haarlemmermeer - Netherlands 27-08-2011

Kevin Saunderson & Derrick May @ Mysteryland - Haarlemmermeer - Netherlands 27-08-2011

Kevin Saunderson & Derrick May @ Mysteryland - Haarlemmermeer - Netherlands 27-08-2011

Stacey Pullen - Clash Music Podcast 2011-08-25

Stacey Pullen - Clash Music Podcast 2011-08-25

One of Detroit’s ‘second wave’ supplies this week’s DJ mix: Stacey Pullen. After being mentored by the legendary trio of Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson, Pullen went on to find considerable success with his own productions and DJing skills.

Stacey’s DJing chops are currently in fine form judging by his Clash mix, which hits home as a smooth ride through cutting tech-house. Beginning with crisp club sounds, the mix gradually builds into harder, atmospheric techno, accompanied by ever more frantic percussion. As always with Pullen, it’s a polished and highly professional set.

Clash caught up with the man himself to chat about mixes, remixes and the Detroit scene:

Tell us a little about the process of how you go about making your mixes – do you ever have an idea of what atmosphere you want from the mix before you start?

Stacey Pullen: It depends on the mood of the song. If it’s a floor-filler then I will compliment it with a high energy mix, but it all depends on the mood I’m in.

Favourite remix of one of your own tracks by another artist?

Stacey: My favourite was the 4hero mix of my track ‘Vertigo’

What are some of your favourite tracks to play out live at the moment?

Stacey: My remix of Santos ‘Primitive Cannible’, out soon on Monique Musique, ‘Clamb’ by &ME on Saved, Antonio Piacquadio’s ‘Hold Up’ – Radio Slave remix, Unreleased Inmotion.

Are Detroit and the Detroit scene still as big an influence on your music as it was when you began?

Stacey: Detroit will always be with me. I am Detroit but I also look elsewhere for inspiration. Detroit hasn’t changed for a while but I still manage to get inspired.

What do you have planned for the rest of 2011, both for yourself and for your Blackflag label?

Stacey: I’m working with this young kid named Jeff Felch, to release his music. I’m also working on the follow-up from my last track, ‘Get Up’, and re-releasing my ‘Silent Phase’ and ‘Kosmik Messenger’ albums.

Ben Sims @ 15 Years Aquasella Festival, Spain 2011-08-06

Ben Sims - Live at Aquasella Festival [2011-08-06]

Joris Voorn - Vintage DJ Mix 2011-08-26

Joris Voorn Vintage 1998 Dj Mix by Joris Voorn

Dj Mix from my early days, recoded in 1998 on a cassette tape. People sometimes ask me why I'm into house music these days, this might be the answer to that question.
Released by: rejected official 
Release date: Aug 26, 2011 

DJ S2 - Resonance Mix 8/19/2011

DJ S2 - Resonance Mix 8/19/2011 by Santiago Salazar

Vince Watson - Clubberia Podcast (CB099) 2011-08-22

Vince Watson - Clubberia Podcast (CB099) 2011-08-22

Slam @ We Love, Space, Ibiza (We Love Ibiza Podcast 12) 2011-08-21

Slam - Live at We Love Sundays - Space - Ibiza [2011-08-21] by D2Techno

Different World - DJ Mix 22-08-2011

20118.22 by DifferentWorld

Claude Young & Takasi Nakajima - stunning!

Motor City Drum Ensemble - Kleine Melodie Podcast - August 2011

Motor City Drum Ensemble - Kleine Melodie Podcast - August 2011

Motor City Drum Ensemble - Kleine Melodie Podcast August 2011

[000] Esteban Adame - I'll Never Give Up
...
[010] Norma Jean Bell - Im The The Baddest Bitch (Moodymann Mix)
[015] Metro Area - Dance Reaction
...
[028] Moodymann - Tribute
[031] Johnick - Play The World
...
[039] Blake Baxter - Forbidden Fruit
...
[049] FCL - Let's Go
[054] Mathew Jonson - Typerope
[058] Omar S - Solely Supported
[062] Terry Brookes & Aaron Soul - City Life (Carl Craig Mix)
[068] Âme – Nia
...
[076] John Bon Godass - The Last Dance (Single 365-367 Mix)
[078] DJ Sprinkles - Grand Central Part 1 (MCDE Bassline Dub)
...
[091] Separate Minds - We Need Somebody
...
[097] Adonis - No Way Back
...

Claude Young: The Dissenter (Resident Advisor Interview)

Claude Young: The Dissenter

Fresh from a blinding performance at this year's Movement Electronic Music Festival in his hometown of Detroit, we catch up with the revered Motor City DJ/producer.

What happens after you reach the top? For Detroit's Claude Young, the answer was boredom. The DJ/producer had the exemplary pedigree, was playing all the right festivals and making enough money to live comfortably. But in the early '00s, he got fed up with the grind, so he basically quit. In the world of dance music—where you're only as good as your last record—this has meant that Young has slowly faded into obscurity, seeing as how his last record under his own name came out in 2005.

It doesn't help that his newest project, Different World—a collaboration with Takasi Nakajima—doesn't put his name in lights. Then again, Young has never really wanted his name in lights. He even downplayed his universally lauded performance at this year's Movement Electronic Music Festival as "a regular set, a little bit sloppy." When pushed, he thinks that "maybe the tune selection resonated? I don't see the reason for the explosion, I'm happy but I don't get it."

Our theory is that it was a number of people remembering just how good of a DJ Claude Young is. Time and again, he's done the types of things that a manager would advise strongly against. (It's no wonder that he does much of his own booking nowadays via his official website.) But that's why he's remained at the top of his game. Dissent: It may be bad for business, but it's great for art.

I don't think a lot of people may know how much history you have.

I think most people don't know. I have this love-hate thing with the business, I really do.

In the few interviews I've read, that's what I've noticed.

I enjoy the music part, I really enjoy playing, but not the travelling and not so much the bullshit that goes with the personalities. There are a few personalities who I really like; they are pretty much who they present themselves to be. But a lot of other people are just full of shit and, to be honest with you, I just can't deal with it. I have a low BS tolerance, so I know I'll say something that'll piss people off and I have done so on several occasions but I just don't care about that. This is my time and I'd rather do it my way. It hasn't helped me at all, but I'm free, I do what I want.

I read that in 2004 you felt you had become kind of known for something and, as a result, you felt trapped. How do you feel now?

Yeah, it was into 2004 and I'd actually quit. I said, "Screw this, I've had it with agents, I've had it with all the BS." I was fed up. It was one of these things where I was with an agency and I was doing really well and I had loads of work, but it got to a point where I wasn't really enjoying the parties anymore and they were saying that they only wanted to hear really hard techno. 

I enjoyed that when I first moved to Europe but I just got to the point where I was like, "I don't want to go on this plane, I don't want to do this party, I don't want to fake through a set." I just woke up one morning and realized I wasn't enjoying it for the first time in 15 years, so I stopped. It was tough. Financially, it was tough. I never really came out of that actually. It's kind of morphed into something else, but it was really tough.

You got your start in radio, right?

Yes. My dad, actually, helped to found a station, WJLB. I was never on JLB, though. I was on WHYT which was more of a pop station, but we had a really cool programme director called Mark Jackson and Mark knew my dad. No one else knew that my dad was my dad because I didn't want to go in and get treated any differently. So I went in and did my internship doing market research and one day he called me into his office and said, "A couple of guys are going to leave the show, do you want to try out?" They had a competition and I was one of the guys that got picked.

Were you already DJing a decent amount before this?

Yeah, I'd been playing a little bit, but I didn't actually own turntables until I moved to London later. I had a little Technics SLB 5 and I had a cassette recorder so I would buy records and tape them and then I'd mix between the tape—through a crappy Radio Shack mixer—to the turntable. That's how I got my skills up. Playing in clubs was the practice time, and then when I got the radio show I had access to the studio reel-to-reel machines. 

One of the first big things that you did was an edit for Kevin Saunderson. How did you meet him? Was it through the radio?

Yeah, basically. I was doing my mix show and I was playing a lot of local stuff but our program director wasn't too crazy about it because the playlist would come up and it would be "no title." My whole two hour slot would be blank. I got a memo one day, "You've got to play some commercial." My boss said that for the first hour I can play whatever I want, then after that it has to be commercial stuff. 

Anyway I called down to Metroplex, and Shake was working there and I said, "Hey, it's Claude Young, can I get on the promo list?" and he said "Young? Oh, I know your dad!" We've been good friends ever since. He introduced me to Kevin. The first thing I did for Kevin was a couple of edits for Warner Brothers. Kevin called me and said, "I hear you're doing a lot of edits, I want to see if you can hook this record up." So I went down to KMS and I did a radio edit and he wrote me a cheque. That was that. There are three or four people who were central to my advancement as a person back then. People who were just respectful and didn't treat me like shit. That was Kevin, Rich[ie Hawtin], Shake and Dan[iel Bell]. Dan, Shake and I were really close. 

A sampling of Young's early 12-inches for 7th City, Djax-Up-Beats and Frictional.



How did you meet Dan originally? 

I think it was radio. And then we worked at [local record store] Record Time together. It was really amazing, the people who worked at the shops. At Buy-Rite on 7 Mile, you had Kenny Dixon, Sherard Ingram and Blake Baxter. I lived close to there. It was also close to the original UR office, which was near Mike Banks' house. I had to walk past Banks' mother's place to get to the record shop. We were all there from the very beginning. 

I met a lot of local people around that time because I was playing a lot of local stuff and few other people were. People started calling me, and they would come to the station, give me promos and it all really built from there. Dan, Shake and I were always like brothers. After I moved to London, I became close with James Ruskin. When I went to Glasgow, I met Jackmaster and Callum Morton, who works at Warp. I wouldn't call them protégés or anything, but they were 15 and 16 and they would hang out at Rub-a-Dub in Glasgow and I had a really nice apartment and so people used to come and hang out. They used to hang out at my place a lot and I used to let them play on the decks and just have a good time. 

What did growing up in Detroit teach you about being a DJ?

I think Detroit, Berlin, New York, Chicago and other cities are places where you have to be really good. You can't be a marketer type DJ and make it. You're not going to market your way past Derrick May or Kevin Saunderson or Jeff Mills. You've got to come with some skill. I always try to keep that part with me. I take that idea of the competition and the push to be different with me everywhere I go. 

What do you think is "Detroit" about how you play?

Something I picked up from the RA Exchange you did with Chris Liebing was that Germans, Berliners especially, have been lucky enough to play extended sets all the time. I think German DJs created a situation where they were in charge of the night, so they had space to really evolve, but in Detroit it was the exact opposite, it was like, "There are 12 DJ's playing and you're all getting 45 minutes, so it's tight." 

45 minutes to make an impression on someone?

Jeff Mills' Wizard thing is the bar that people still try to live up to. In the beginning I was really trying to do that, but now it's a meld of the Detroit style and the German style. I still do it off feeling. It's kind of like jazz, it's real spontaneous, I may have a few songs but for the most part I just roll in. I try to keep it like that because that way I'm interested. If it's a set set, I can do it, and people will probably like it, but I'll be extremely bored and it'll be obvious.

Tell me about the Different World project.

Different World is my project with Takasi Nakajima. With me and him it's almost symbiotic. He's a former DMC contestant, and we both came from the same kind of musical background; funk, soul, hip-hop, abstract and techno. The first time I went to his office—he's a web designer by day—I realized that we had a lot of the same records. He had all of mine too. I don't even have all of mine. One day we decided to do a mix and so we set up the computers and we had CD players, vinyl and a computer. We decided not to plan anything and just press record and run through it. We really enjoyed it. It wasn't as great as we thought it was at first [laughs], but we knew there was something there. 

How is it different to what you've done before? What things are you indulging in that you haven't before?

A lot of sound design, strings. Among all my friends, when they come to me it's for tech support or sound design or if they're looking to get a particular sound. I get to spend a lot more time doing sound design and Takashi usually does drums. He's a hell of a programmer and he always comes up with some really cool shit so that forces me to go back and do more stuff. We interchange parts, but for me it's atmospheres and strings and bits and pieces.

Do you play out much? 

Not a lot. We really want to push it, though. We'd like to do more things outside of Japan. Ironically, I don't do a lot inside of Japan. It's a really bizarre place. Maybe 15 years ago it was really brilliant, because it was so unique and now it's basically Europe East. People you can see in Europe you can pretty much see here on a regular basis.

You said in another interview that there wasn't an infrastructure in place to build up local producers. Is it still the same situation now in your opinion?

Definitely. It's a troubling trend. It's really interesting, because Japan had the run of being the top spot in Asia for a very long time and now the scene in China is really emerging. China is still on shaky ground, sometimes there are problems with events. But when they get that all sorted out, China is going to be the hotspot and there will be another dip in Japan because there is nothing really unique there. I don't want to be insulting, but from my perspective, there isn't anything unique. If I was in Europe or America or somewhere else and I wanted to go to Japan for something uniquely Japanese, it's very difficult to find. You're not going to find it at any of the major places, because they're pretty much tied up with tours. They have to fill the clubs. 



"The whole attitude thing is a turnoff for 
me. It's like, 'Dude, you're not making 
a million so get over yourself.'"



I think you have a different perspective on it, living there as opposed to someone who just comes in, has an amazing time for however many days and then leaves.

Yeah, it's hospitality central so when you leave you're going to say, "Yeah, I had a great time." I had lunch with James [Ruskin] last year, and it was the same thing, he said it was really good but he just wishes he could get over more frequently. I get that all the time, "Why aren't you playing here?" And, you know, it has to be up to the promoters to talk to the right people. I'm the easiest guy to do shows with, but they don't get in touch. So when the people who actually find me [get in contact], I'm going to go out there and bust my ass for them as they've done their homework. As for the rest of them? Fuck it. I'm not interested. 

[Throughout] my career—if you want to call it that—I've kind of wanted people to discover me. When this is all said and done, hopefully I'll be one of those people where you have to know about it to know about it. That's pretty much gone these days. I grew up around a lot of famous people because of my dad. I went to see Prince when I was 13 and we were backstage. My dad used to put up pictures of all the famous people, so it would be my dad and Quincy Jones, my dad and Isaac Hayes, my dad and Barry White. I grew up around those type of people. So in this business, when people do something seriously, I take them seriously. But if it's just hype stuff, I overlook it, because you can't really get any hotter than those people. The whole attitude thing is a turnoff for me. It's like, "Dude, you're not making a million so get over yourself." 

It's like you talked about before. You get into this situation of doing festivals, and you lose some perspective. 

I don't think I'll ever go back to the point where I want to do festivals. Financially it would be fantastic, but that would put me in a situation where I'd have to play records I don't want to. I'd much rather play the back rooms and be free. You know, you meet a lot of DJs—the really big ones—and they're kind of characters. I'm the farthest away from a character you can get. When you see Derrick May there is something iconic about the way he carries himself. He's an artist. I'm not really like that. I'm just a tech geek who does music. That's my thing.

Thanks to Resident Advisor.

Derrick May BPM Video Interview

Stacey Pullen - Essential Mix - 19-08-2011

Stacey Pullen - Essential Mix - 19-08-2011

Stacey Pullen - Essential Mix - 19-08-2011 (Download)

Tracklist

1. Unknown - Techno Logic
2. Ds and Cs - Trouble (Feat Meeshel) [Black Nation]
3. Mirko Loko - Eclair De Lune [Unreleased]
4. Martin Buttrich - Magic Market [Desolat]
5. Mirko Loko vs Stacey Pullen - Formulaic Mode [Cadenza]
6. Mohrr - 2nd Track [Arjaus]
7. Ovi M & Iron Mike - Speaking In Tongues (Nathan Barato More Of A Tool Remix) [Roots & Wings]
8. Stacey Pullen - Get Up (Dub Mix) [Blackflag]
9. Gek - Sad And Beautiful World [Sleep Is Commercial]
10. Antonio Piacquadio - Hold Up (Radio Slave Remix) [Inmotion Unreleased]
11. Santos - Primitive Cannible (Stacey Pullen Remix)
12. Monique Musique Unreleased
13. &Me - Clamb [Saved]
14. Christiano Casiraghi - Tanz Musik Fest (Sotisfaction Remix) [Tretmuehle]
15. Groove Soundsystem - Primarie Underground Baby [Tzinah]
16. Luca Donzelli - Noche Recreativa [Stolen Moments]
17. Curves - Masomenos [Gravite]
18. Ramiro Lopez - Filgud [Suara]
19. The Sushi Club - Flunauticus (Johnny D Remix) [4MPO]
20. Fred Hush - Mystery Land (Dimitri Andreas Remix) [Plastic City]

Not quite as legendary as the 1994 mix but still......it's Stacey Pullen!

Joris Voorn & Nic Fanciulli @ Sensation - O2 Arena - London - England 13-08-2011

Joris Voorn & Nic Fanciulli @ Sensation - O2 Arena - London - England 13-08-2011

01. Alex Kenji - Something About You (Mix 2) w/ ID
02. Junior Jack - Thrill Me
03. ID
04. ID
05. Double 99 - Ripgroove
06. ID
07. ID
08. Stardust - Music Sounds Better With You
09. ID
10. BNZO - Sex Drug Dance
11. ID
12. Daft Punk – Da Funk
13. Leon (Italy) - Body Monster
14. Ronan Portela Vs. Hardrive - Beat Up The Deep Inside (Joris Voorn Edit)
15. Mark Fanciulli - The Tide (Joris Voorn Edit)
16. TacoMan & Jose M. - Tom Collins w/ Eddie Amador - House Music (Acappella)
17. ID
18. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Deetron Edit)
19. Supernova - Beat Me Back
20. Deetron - Starblazer
21. Joris Voorn - We're All Clean
22. ID w/ Groove Armada - I See You Baby (Acappella)
23. ID
24. Lusine - Two Dots (Nic Fanciulli Remix)‏
26. Plastikman - Spastik
27. Tom Wilson - Techno Cat‏ w/ Kings Of Tomorrow - K.O.T Anthem (Acappella)

Stacey Pullen @ Sonar Festival - Barcelona - Spain 18-06-2011

Stacey Pullen @ Sonar Festival - Barcelona - Spain 18-06-2011

Carl Craig @ Loveland Festival Amsterdam 13-08-2011

Carl Craig @ Loveland Festival Amsterdam 13-08-2011

Rolando @ Back In The D Candlelight 019 06-08-2011

Rolando @ Back In The D Candlelight 019 06-08-2011

intro
bytes – auxx 88 – direct beat
beyond the dance (cult mix) – rhythm is rhythm – transmat
mindsearch – instinct – decisive
the human bond – e dancer – kms
body work – blake baxter – kms
jupiter jazz – ur – ur
lockgroove – jeff mills – axis
my machines pt.1 – 69 – planet e
mindmelt – jay denham – 430 west
happy to be here – shake – frictional
bata pumps – drexciya – submerge
aquatic bata particles – drexciya – submerge
nature of the beast – mike grant – metroplex
black lives – dj bone – subject
placement – jay denham – black nation
infra red spectrum – suburban knight – ur
gamma player – jeff mills – axis
project x (bigger trouble mix) – sean deason & mr bill – matrix
explain the style – rob hood – metroplex
vertical – jeff mills – axis
search your feelings – the martian – red planet

Resident Advisor (RA.272) Kassem Mosse

Resident Advisor (RA.272) Kassem Mosse

1. Theo Parrish - 360@1:29on696 (Full Version)
2. Big Strick - A Walk In Linwood
3. DJ Qu - Circuit
4. F.S.K. - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
5. War - Galaxy
6. Omar S - Oasis #2
7. Reggie Dokes - Perceptions
8. RRR - Rendezvous
9. Conforce - Spoiled (XDB Mix 2)
10. Mix Mup - Spunky Bonus
11. Panda Bear - Surfer's Hymn (Actress Remix)
12. Phoenecia - Thang
13. Lady Blacktronica - The Shadows
14. nike.bordom - Vulmio

Lovely little mix from Germany's Kassem Mosse.
One for the Deep House headz!

dESUS - dEADMAN @ Phactory, Glasgow 2009

DESUS - dEADMAN @ Phactory, Glasgow 2009 by dESUS


From sometime mid summer(?) 2009! The summer of the groove!
Late night, Live Traktor(?) mix on tinternet!
My first foray into digital/live mixing, if I remember.
Not always successful!

Benny Rodrigues @ Solar Festival, Roermond 'Len Faki's Figure & Friends Area' (6-8-2011)

Benny Rodrigues @ Solar Festival, Roermond 'Len Faki's Figure & Friends Area' (6-8-2011) by bennyrodrigues

1st half of my set @ Solar Festival, Roermond, where i played in between Francois Kevorkian & A.Mochi (Len Faki's Figure & Friends Area).

my original idea was to create a nice bridge between the lighter sounds of Francois Kevorkian (who played befored me) & the dark big-room techno of A. Mochi after me, which worked out quite nicely in the 1st half of my set.

i'm not posting the 2nd part though, as i think this 1st part represents my 'story' much better than the 'just banging it out' part in the 2nd half.

don't get me wrong though, i LOVE 'to bang it out', but in this particular set, i find it the least interesting part of my set... something to do with not exactly knowing how the Pioneer CDJ 2000 (USB Trackinfo) works YET! and therefore not finding the right tracks at the right moment....still learning ;)

well, njoy! :)

Santiago Salazar - Minority Mix Vol.

Santiago Salazar - Minority Mix Vol. 4 by Santiago Salazar

tracklist:
01. Kai Alce - M-7 - Mahogani Music
02. Steffi - Fallin' - Underground Quality
03. Patrice Scott - Raw Fusion - Sistrum Recordings
04. Pal Joey - C'Mon - Pal Joey Music
05. Brothers' Vibe - My Brothers' Keeper - Mixx Records
06. Kerri Chandler - My Moody Life - Madhouse Records
07. Eric Kupper - Bloom(Main Mix) - Wave Music
08. Kyle Hall - Tomorrow Is The Day - Moods & Grooves
09. Smith n Hall - Lunar Soul - Mixmode Recordings
10. Lady Blacktronika - Black Girl(Deep House Mix) - Sound Black Recordings
11. King Pleasure Beat - Big Phreek - Dream Land Records
12. Jus-Ed - Some New Shit 2 Dub - Kinda Soul Recordings
13. Pal Joey - Happy(feat Dana Byrd) - Loop D' Loop
14. Rick Wade - Harsh Thoughts - Harmonie Park
15. Moon Man - Lucky Star Ship - Daisy
16. Nebraska - Patina - Rush Hour Recordings
17. Archetyp - untitled demo track - cd

Derrick May - Future Past Liveset Collection 1989-2000

Derrick May by Future-Past: The Archives

If one name crops up again and again in discussions of techno, it is that of Derrick “Mayday” May. Alongside Atkins, Juan, Craig, Carl and Saunderson, Kevin, May is regarded as one of the kings of the Detroit sound. Inspired by Yello and Kraftwerk, he began to make electronic music with Atkins and Saunderson while studying with them at Belleville High, Detroit. Recording either as Mayday or Rhythim Is Rhythim (occasionally in conjunction with Carl Craig) and generally on his own Transmat Records label, he went on to carve out a new vein in dance music that synthesized the advances of the electro movement with the more challenging end of the House movement – a music that defined “techno”. Early cuts such as “Nude Photo” (co-written with Thomas Barnett) and “The Dance”, both on Transmat, were inspirational to many. However, it was the release of “Strings Of Life” in 1987 (co-written with Michael James) with its wide appeal to the house music fans of the 80s & 90s, simultaneously brought May his deserved acclaim and Detroit techno to European club-goers.

May went on to cut three tracks on System 7′s debut album, before Network released Innovator: Soundtrack For The Tenth Planet in 1991, a six-track EP that comprised some of May’s definitive moments to date. In the same year, May was responsible for what Carl Craig has called the finest remix ever, Sueo Latino’s “Sueo Latino”, itself a reworking of Manuel Goettsching’s epic “E2-E4″. It was followed in 1992 by Relics, a double album of Transmat’s finest moments, heavily featuring Rhythim Is Rhythim, which coincided with a re-release of “Strings Of Life” on the Belgium label Buzz, this time in a drumless version reminiscent of May’s “Sueo Latino” remix. More recently, Transmat has been revived following its signing to Sony. This has resulted in the long-awaited release of Rhythim Is Rhythim’s 1991 recordings, “Kao-tic Harmony” and “Icon”, and the Japanese (and subsequent American) release of a comprehensive Derrick May retrospective, Innovator, which contains all May’s work for the Transmat label including remixes and tracks released for the first time.

Detroit Techno landlord and head of the internationally respected Transmat Records, Derrick May continues to move dancefloors with his no-nonsense Techno grooves. One third of the Belleville Three, this electronic legend arranges classic Detroit tracks in a timeless fashion: frantically beat-heavy yet soulfully warm. Nervous beats and breaks pound away at curvy synths and digital melodies that stand in the background of these vibesome grooves like an electric scalloped fence surrounding a celebrity’s home. Confident rhythms charge at your chest through an invisible spiderweb of string samples holding your consciousness captive on the dancefloor.

Derrick May is one of the founding fathers of Detroit techno, a precursor of its many variants and particularly of acid house. His eastethic, skeletal, melancholy style gained him the nickname of “the Miles Davis of techno”. He introduced both a psychological element and a futuristic vision in dance music. Along with his high school mates Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson, May began early in life to explore electronic music May sponsored the single Let’s Go by X-Ray, that introduced the hypnotic, repetitive electronic figures of techno, and then recorded Nude Photo (co-written by Thomas Barnett) (Transmat, 1987), credited to Rhythim Is Rhythim, one of the records that started the techno revolution world-wide.

Inspired by the legendary Detroit disco DJ, Ken Collier, May, along with High School friend Juan Atkins, formed Deep Space, a DJ and party outfit in the early eighties. Playing what they termed as ‘conceptual disco’ to the high school party scene that was very much alive in Detroit at the time, the duo set themselves apart from the other DJ and party collectives at the time. Atkins had already been very influential in shaping the emerging techno sound with his recordings as Cybotron, but May’s time was soon to come.

Whilst DJing with Atkins, May spent time visiting his mother in Chicago, where he was exposed to the emerging house music scene that was being championed by the likes of Frankie Knuckles and Farley Jackmaster Funk. His experiences in Chicago opened his eyes wider to the growing possibilities of electronic music and the euphoria and spiritualty it was capable of creating.

In 1986 May set up his now legendary Transmat label, taking the name from the early Atkins track ‘Time Space Transmat’ on his Metroplex label. May cut his production teeth with the label’s first release ‘Let’s Go’, developin his craft from the guiding hand of Atkins. His next release, under the guise of Rhytim is Rhythim entitled ‘Nude Photo’ (co-written by Thomas Barnett), with it’s bending synths, melodic staccato bass and deep bass drums would come to define the emerging techno sound.May then continued to develop his sound for Transmat. Utilising the familiar bass sounds with ever more complex beats, flange effects, twisting chords and deep strings, May produced a catalogue of music that pushed the boundaries of what could be accomplished with electronic sound ever further apart. To many, the techno of Detroit is very much ingrained within the character and history of the City itself. A City that was isolated from the rest of America, with a downtown area in financial and architectural ruin, a deteriating motor industry and the reputation of it being the ‘murder capital’ of America, Detroit, on the outset, seemed a desolate and empty place. In reality there was a spirit and soul there that lived on in the City’s urban communities from its glory days and its great musical heritage. This mixture of coldness and warmth, desolation and soul, was perfectly represented by May’s Techno experiments. The classic tracks that include ‘Beyond the Dance’, ‘The Beginning’, ‘Icon’ and his most famous release ‘Strings of Life’ all emphasise Techno’s most crucial componant, that this is the music of machines, cold and soulless machines, but May injected and extracted so much hope, spirituality and soul from them that the result was truly inspirational.

Inspiration is certainly one thing that all techno artists that came out in the wake of May’s recordings owe to him. An ambassador for Detroit and techno, May spent much time in the UK and Europe promoting the music at a time when America was not ready to wake up. At a time where the ‘Summer of Love’ was at its peak, May’s recordings, especially the seminal ‘Strings of life’ helped heighten and give further fuel to the movement. As well as his original production work, May’s ‘Mayday’ remix projects are also legendary. His re-workings turn average tracks into unique masterpieces, nowhere more evident than on his classic remix of pop band Dee-Lite’s ‘Wild Times’. This tune would also become a favorite of UK DJs at huge raves across the country, with its mixture of pounding hard basslines and tear rendering piano melodies, all combined with May’s trademark intricate and effect laden techno beats.

May spends most of his time touring the world as a DJ, continuing in the tradition of the likes of Ken Collier and Larry Levan, a tradition he started with his Deep Space parties all those years ago. He also still runs his Transmat label from Detroit, which has been given a new lease of life in recent years with the introduction of many artists that have helped kick start Detroit’s ‘third wave’ of dominence over techno. Artists like Aril Brikha, Microworld and Indio have taken the label in a new direction, maybe less raw and brutal as May’s early work, but still full of the same emotionally unrestrained sexy electronic funk that Derrick May helped give birth to.

Stacey Pullen - Ibiza-Voice Podcast 04-08-2011

Stacey Pullen - Ibiza-Voice Podcast 04-08-2011

We Love......Innervisions (Video Interview)

We Love... Innervisions from We Love on Vimeo.

Motor City Drum Ensemble @ Goa Electronic Sundays, Fabrik, Madrid 2009-03-15

Motor City Drum Ensemble @ Goa Electronic Sundays, Fabrik, Madrid 2009-03-15

Proper Version

1. [00:00]
2. [02:20]
3. [07:15]
4. [11:25]
5. [15:50]
6. [22:40] Bohannon - Start The Dance
7. [27:35] Inner City - Big Fun
8. [30:10] Rhythm Controll - My House (Acapella) ["In The Beginning There Was Jack" By Chuck Roberts]
9. [31:15] Housemaster Boyz & The Rude Boy Of House - House Nation
10. [35:50]
11. [40:20] Chez Damier?
12. [44:45]
13. [51:30]
14. [56:30]
15. [59:50] Bill Withers - Who Is He (Henrik Schwarz Remix)

Motor City Drum Ensemble @ RTS.FM Studio, St. Petersburg 2009-10-24

Motor City Drum Ensemble - RTS.FM SPB Studio - 24-10-2009

Motor City Drum Ensemble @ Sorry Grandma!, Melbourne 2009-12-04

Motor City Drum Ensemble Live @ Sorry Grandma! Melbourne - 04-12-2009

Motor City Drum Ensemble - Resident Advisor (RA.132) 2008-12-08

RESIDENT ADVISOR PODCAST 132: MCDE

1. Jayson Brothers - All My Life [MCDE]
2. C2C4 - Specimen 4 [Moxie]
3. Endangered Species - Endangered Species [Strictly Rhythm]
4. Rick Wilhite - Get On Up!!! (Theo's Late Dub) [Apricot Records]
5. D'ran D'ran D'ran - D'ran [Rockwell]
6. Rick The Godson - City Bar Groove [Music Is]
7. Mystic Slot - No Way Back [Black Cock]
8. Boogymann - Memory [Superhuit]
9. Motorbass - Flying Fingers [Different Recordings]
10. Motor City Drum Ensemble - Untitled Demo [MCDE]
11. James Duncan - Untitled [Le Systeme]
12. Octave One - Modernism [430 West]
13. Aybee - You In Love [Prescription]