Underground Resistance are the subject of upcoming Roland mini-documentary
Roland’s ongoing documentary series has previously covered Stones Throw Records, Sister Bliss and Carl Craig
Hardware manufacturer Roland has shared the latest episode of its mini-documentary series, which tells the story of Detroit’s Underground Resistance, titled “Somewhere in Detroit”: Underground Resistance, Submerge, Techno and the Detroit Way.
The episode, which is set to premiere on March 1, is said to cover the story of the Detroit collective as well as the creative culture in the city, techno’s “African American roots", record label Submerge, and more.
According to Electronic Groove, Somewhere in Detroit includes intimate conversations with Underground Resistance co-founder Mike Banks, Detroit producer Waajeed and other prominent figures from the city's music scene.
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In a trailer released to Roland’s YouTube channel, Mike Banks, also known as "Mad" Mike, said: “A lot of what you’re listening to now is fake, overproduced, no kind of real grit in it. For us, the underground was not fake, it was real, you know?”
In the late '80s, the collective turned label was originally founded by Mike Banks, Robert Hood and Jeff Mills.
While Mills and Hood left UR in 1992 for opportunities elsewhere, Banks continued to work with the label. UR released three new EPs in 2022 featuring music from Wavejumpers, Mano De Fuego and spoken-word artist Mike Ellison.
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Though the group have always been politically driven, in recent years the collective has reportedly “redirected their portion of the Detroit techno legacy to social activist ends, trading mainstream popularity and financial success for independence and self-determination."
Japanese multinational manufacturer of electronic musical instruments, Roland hosts a collection of demo and informational content on YouTube.
Previous videos include Roland Keyboard Rigs with Sister Bliss and Roland x Ashton Miranda: Musical Mathematics with Ed Sheeran.
The trailer is available for streaming via YouTube now.
Belle Richardson is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter
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