detroit | Musicosity

Jeff Mills

In the course of the eighties Jeff Mills was an influential radio DJ on WJLB under the pseudonym The Wizard. Mills' sets were a highlight of the nightly show from "The Electrifying Mojo," Charles Johnson. Complimenting Mojo's eclectic playlists, Mills would spin obscure detroit techno, hiphop, electro, freestyle, miami bass, chicago house and classic new wave tracks. In going on to create his own music Mills is credited with laying the foundations for legendary detroit techno collective, Underground Resistance, alongside 'Mad' Mike Banks, a former Parliament bass player.

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Artist Type:

Kirk Degiorgio

Kirk Degiorgio was born in Stepney, East London in the late 60's. Raised in a family who loved a wide range of music - and one which could claim a hugely famous pop-star cousin in Marc Bolan of T-Rex - Kirk got early exposure to music from artists such as Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, David Bowie, Sly Stone, Roxy Music, etc. His mother Janet Feld was a young 'mod' who devoutly followed The Kinks, The Who, etc around the venues of London.

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Artist Type:

Moodymann

Moodymann is the moniker under which Kenny Dixon Jr produces and DJs. He is a techno/house musician based in Detroit. He has created a thoroughly hybrid form of techno/house dance music via his innovative use of reworked riffs, samples and grooves taken from that city's historically influential jazz, soul, funk and disco scene. Some call it cut-up Detroit house. He offers a friendly wink backwards at the innovative early 1990s rave scene musicians through his extensive use of old movie sound track samples, mainly culled from the old blaxploitation and b-movie genres.

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Artist Type:

Redshape

Trying to describe Redshape's sound is kind of a hard task, sitting somewhere between everything in dance music and his very own imagination. It's not minimal, not maximal and always historical respecting the vibe of Detroit. Repetition is something Redshape works hard to prevent, so his live shows - which brought him to nearly every known European club - morph and develop everytime to never play the same show a second time.

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Artist Type:

Rick Wade

One of Detroit's best kept secrets, Rick Wade has been producing late night tracks and tapping into the essence of deepness since the '90's. Known for their universal appeal and appearing on over 20 different labels worldwide, soulful, timeless grooves are his signature. Growing up in Buchanan MI, 1 hour outside of Chicago he was influenced by Chicago radio station WBMX and the Salsoul material and local stations that played the likes of Al Green and Isaac Hayes. Rick remembers:

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Phat Kat

Phat Kat (a.k.a. Ronnie Cash), (b. Ronnie Watts) is a rapper from the east side of Detroit. His career began in the mid 90's as part of 1st Down, which consisted of Phat Kat on vocals and Jay Dee on production. The group was short lived however, possibly because of insufficient support/promotion from their label, Payday, but the two continued to collaborate on many occasions afterwards, starting with an appearance on "Fat Cat Song" and it's remix, from Slum Village's Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1). He also appeared on Jay Dee's Welcome 2 Detroit on the song "Featuring Phat Kat".

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Artist Type:

Theo Parrish

Theo Parrish grew up on Chicago house parties. He went to art school in Kansas City, and then moved to Detroit. His eclectic DJ sets in Detroit in the late '90s and early in this millennium are legendary. "Love of the music should be the driving force of any producer, performer or DJ. Everything else stems from that core, that love. With that love, sampling can become a tribute; An expansion on ideas long forgotten, reconstruction, collage.

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Artist Type:

Kevin Saunderson

Kevin Saunderson (born in Brooklyn, New York on May 9, 1964) is an American electronic music producer. At the age of nine he moved to Detroit, Michigan, where he attended Belleville High School and befriended two students, Derrick May and Juan Atkins. Saunderson, with Atkins and May, (often called the "Belleville Three"), is considered to be one of the originators of techno, specifically Detroit techno.

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Artist Type:

Underground Resistance

Underground Resistance is the most militantly political outcropping of modern urban American techno. Combining a grubby, four-track aesthetic, an almost strictly DIY business philosophy, and an oppositional, militaristic ethos similar to Public Enemy without the drama (or the familiarity; the members refuse to be photographed without bandanas obscuring their identities), UR have redirected their portion of the Detroit techno legacy to social activist ends, trading mainstream popularity and financial success for independence and self-determination.

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Carl Craig

Carl Craig is a Detroit-based producer of techno music, and is considered to be one of the most important names in the Detroit second generation of techno producers and DJs. Like many of his peers, Carl Craig has approached techno using inspiration from a wide range of musical genres, including jazz and soul. Carl Craig has released many successful albums under a large number of aliases, such as BFC, Psyche, Paperclip People, 69, Designer Music and Innerzone Orchestra.

Last.fm Tags:

Link:

Artist Type: