10 tracks to get you ready for Movement Detroit

Movement Detroit is now less than a week away from celebrating 10 years as the festival that exists today. Mixmag has already tested how well you know the history of the Detroit-based electronic music festival, as well as provided ten tracks that defined Movement 2015. Now, it’s time to reach into some material from the Detroit community that you might not have heard. Including names both homegrown and far-flung, this list of Detroit cuts is made up of some of the most innovative to come out of the scene.

Listen to these 10 banging selects and get ready for Movement, happening on May 28 - 30 at Hart Plaza in Detroit.

The former UR members Mad Mike and Mexican-American producer DJ Rolando - the producer responsible for one of Mixmag’s greatest dance tunes ever - teamed up in ‘98 for a split release with Octave One. The resulting collaboration from the two key second generation Detroit producers holds a steady pulse with a seemingly hand played drum pattern that builds into a metallic rush of a classic techno cut.

Currently based in Berlin, Laurel Halo is not necessarily a part of the Detroit movement, but her signature style of innovative and breathtaking dance music is certainly made in its image. ‘Chance of Rain’ sees her take the Moritz von Oswald and Juan Atkins’ style of melodic dub techno and toss the formula to the wind. A particular breakdown halfway through pairs a lone Herbie Hancock-style piano lick and frigid claps, displaying a wild outsider’s eye for the form and function of the genre and heritage.

The “third generation” Detroit producers are a curious bunch as they are radical even by the standards of innovators like Jeff Mills and Robert Hood. Kyle Hall’s made waves for his novel blend of jazz and deep house while Kero hails from outside of the scene with a wealth of techniques to introduce to the formative sound. ‘Zug Island’ is so radical in its take on acid house that it veers into IDM levels of removal from its source, and is a keen marker of techno’s possible future.

This young Detroit upstart is completely homegrown in the scene as his mother singer Naomi Daniel helmed the vocals for early 90s Planet-E classics like ‘Stars’ and ‘Feel the Fire’. Daniel’s own approach is vintage but studied. ‘Royal Dilemma’ for example is a slow building jam out track most reminiscent of the psychedelia of Model 500’s Deep Space and dusty, warehouse returnal quality of Theo Parrish’s productions. Though he’s early in his career, his releases on Sound Signature and Wild Oats should certainly make perk some ears.

With the release date of his debut LP, 'Fallen' - produced under his born name Steven Julien - on the way, now is a good of time as any to check in on his strong discography up until this point. Actually from London, Funkineven is a Detroit correspondent channeling the third generations distancing from the origins of techno for a sound that’s much more live and raw. ‘The Joker’ is something of a modern classic as it spins syrupy pad arpeggios into a staunch kick and clap combination. The cross between “liveness” and mechanical patterning posits ‘the Joker’ as something of an update or appraisal of the last thirty years of Detroit’s musical language.

This odd and often missed classic tune is the product of the meeting of the established new wave band F.S.K. and Detroit hero Anthony “Shake” Shakir. It's another example of Detroit outsourcing and contorting itself, rough mixes of an FSK record were sent to Shakir as the band hoped to explore more electronic sounds. Shakir later joined the band and was flown out to Munich with his sampler.

Originally a duo, Detroit in Effect operates as a singular forger of raw and unhinged techno. D.I.E., as they are also known as, are relatively minor in hype compared to others in the Detroit scene, but their take on techno in terms of pacing and sheer invention definitely makes them producers to dig into.

The Underground Resistance co-founder is one of the only formally trained musicians in the group. Having played bass and guitar for Parliament and Funkadelic, Mike Banks has a real grasp on the nature of songwriting. ‘Hi-Tech Dreams’ plays similar to an early AFX cut, but injected with the type of soul and emotion that Richard D. James often subverts in his music.

Galaxian and Stingray (a member of Drexciya) are two of the most talented producers to come out of Detroit making names of their adventurously developed electro sound. The oft-masked Stingray’s usual corkscrewed version of ghetto house/techno is ever present on ‘CaCuSi4010’ albeit filtered through Galaxian’s penchant for high velocity electronics.

The Martian’s identity is unknown, but is presumed to be Mike Banks of Underground Resistance. The Martian’s dazzling melodies add a gospel touch to the techno format and ‘Red Atmospheres’ is no exception. Who The Martian is doesn’t really matter at this point, but the light saxophone sample pieced together with the chrome pads and funk-inundated rolling groove of a bass line is all one should need to hear that the Martian is as good as classic Detroit techno gets.

Grab tickets to Movement Detroit 2016 here.

[Photo: Kyle Goldberg]