Tonight's radio listening:
Turning Point
WhoDat on Netmusique
Every Wednesday 8pm-10pm and beyond...
You can also catch up with her podcasts from this show on her very lovely blog: http://winwhodatblogs.blogspot.com/
And here is her Facebook group: Have U Reached UR Turning Point????
Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Friday, March 20, 2009
Radio
The primary focus of this post will be Bloomington, Indiana, but inspired by Detroit and peppered with references to radio shows and DJ mixes that I've been listening to lately. I regularly listen to things on Red Bull Music Academy radio while at work. One of my favorite things to listen to is Preset, Todd Osborn's 2 hour radio program. It's always great, lots of eclectic music selections, and keeps my mind buzzing and tuned in. So, a few days ago, I went to the RBMA site, the radio player opened up in a new window, and what do you know, Preset Volume 30 is playing on their live radio program. It was already about a half hour into the show, so I just went to the actual page for that particular show and started listening from the beginning. Starts out with all kinds of nice sounds, including the Cure and Dopplereffekt...whoo hoo! Then he gets into some Jamaican dub and reggae for a little while. Then a little foray with the Electrifying Mojo introduction to his Midnight Funk Association radio show, Prince, D-Train, and then the B-52's "Mesopotamia." Okay, and now is where every ounce of energy and focus that was distributed elsewhere (remember, I'm at work and the music is emiting softly from my computer speakers in the office that I share with three other women) begins to slow down and get drawn dramatically into a single sonic experience. Right before this happened, I was hearing some nice old house, "Farley Farley." And then all of a sudden I hear a syththy voice singing a beautiful little melody and nothing else. To be real, my heart altered it's rhythm a bit in this moment, my universe zeroed in on what I was hearing and nothing else was left. I couldn't even muster the power to bring up the Firefox browser to check what the song was on the tracklist for this Preset show. And then shortly after that moment passed, I began to hear some talk boxed vocals singing something about Detroit and I heard the instrumental from Snoop's "Sensual Seduction." Here I am sitting at work grinning from ear to ear trying to conceal it into my computer because I'm not interested in explaining why I'm so ecstatic to anyone right then. Yeah, I'm a bitch, what you gonna say?! Turns out the synthy vocals is Bon Iver "Woods" on Jagjaguwar and the Detroit talk boxing is a track by Todd Osborn called "Detroit Seduction."
And now here's where Bloomington comes in...Jagjaguwar, also linked with Secretly Canadian, is a record label based in Bloomington, IN, where I lived for 7 years before coming to Detroit. Bloomington has such a great music scene and I have paid almost no attention to it over the past year except for a few listens to WIUX, Indiana University's student radio station. I've been emersed in Detroit for good reason! Bloomington is such a great town and it's kind of home to me because it is the start of my married/family life, my kids were born there, and it is the start of my life as an ethnomusicologist. IU forms a large portion of the jobs and the population there, so summers in Bloomington are quite lovely and quiet. It is extremely liberal in the middle of a state that is typically conservative in religion, politics, and life in general - except this past year. Indiana went to President Barack Obama, yes it did. And there are huge homebirth, and homeschooling communities in Bloomington. It is a place where lots of people are very open to alternative ways of living and growing. Bloomington has a good bit of ethnic and cultural diversity because of the university, lots of good restaurants, including Snow Lion owned by the Dalai Lama's nefew, who has lived in Bloomington for decades. There's an excellent coffee shop called Soma, a great CD and record store called TD's CD's and LP's, a lovely burrito place called Laughing Planet with delicious veg and vegan options, and a pretty vintage clothing shop called Cactus Flower - and that's just one old building on one corner of this town!
And I have to mention Land Locked Music. It's such a lovely music store with all kinds of music, particularly music that might be classified as indie rock, or perhaps sad bastard music by my music loving husband!! Whatever you like to call this kind of music, prog rock, emo, indie rock, and etcetera, Bloomington is all about it! So if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend going there. It is so choice.
And now here's where Bloomington comes in...Jagjaguwar, also linked with Secretly Canadian, is a record label based in Bloomington, IN, where I lived for 7 years before coming to Detroit. Bloomington has such a great music scene and I have paid almost no attention to it over the past year except for a few listens to WIUX, Indiana University's student radio station. I've been emersed in Detroit for good reason! Bloomington is such a great town and it's kind of home to me because it is the start of my married/family life, my kids were born there, and it is the start of my life as an ethnomusicologist. IU forms a large portion of the jobs and the population there, so summers in Bloomington are quite lovely and quiet. It is extremely liberal in the middle of a state that is typically conservative in religion, politics, and life in general - except this past year. Indiana went to President Barack Obama, yes it did. And there are huge homebirth, and homeschooling communities in Bloomington. It is a place where lots of people are very open to alternative ways of living and growing. Bloomington has a good bit of ethnic and cultural diversity because of the university, lots of good restaurants, including Snow Lion owned by the Dalai Lama's nefew, who has lived in Bloomington for decades. There's an excellent coffee shop called Soma, a great CD and record store called TD's CD's and LP's, a lovely burrito place called Laughing Planet with delicious veg and vegan options, and a pretty vintage clothing shop called Cactus Flower - and that's just one old building on one corner of this town!
And I have to mention Land Locked Music. It's such a lovely music store with all kinds of music, particularly music that might be classified as indie rock, or perhaps sad bastard music by my music loving husband!! Whatever you like to call this kind of music, prog rock, emo, indie rock, and etcetera, Bloomington is all about it! So if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend going there. It is so choice.
I'm totally going...are you?
Creative Arts & Antiques Festival
Detroit | March 20-29
Russell Industrial Center / Russell Bazaar
www.RICDetroit.com / www.RussellBazaar.com
Friday March 20
5:00pm FOOD COURT Performance: Detroit Tap Repertory
Denise Caston founded the Detroit Tap Repertory in 2008. Her credits are extensive, having produced the 1st Annual Motor City Tap Fest, www.motorcitytapfest.com, teaching credits include classes at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway, two of the largest dance studios in the country, The Rockette Experience(c) at Radio City Music Hall, and The Oklahoma City Tap Festival. The Detroit Tap Repertory is comprised of a group of the area's best tap dancers.
6:00pm GALLERY Seminar: Tour Management
Tour management is a process that involves a great many things, whether your touring locally, nationally, or internationally, different factors arise. This seminar panel has worked with booking local, national and international tours, and managing the process.
PANELISTS:
Traci of Mahogani Music
Traci manages the international tour bookings for music artists on the Mahogani Music label who tour in up to 30 countries.
Cornelius Harris of Alter Ego Management
Alter Ego Management and Bookings was founded by Cornelius Harris, a long time participant / sometimes artist in multiple Detroit scenes from hip hop to rock, jazz to funk, techno to even video. Alter Ego Management and Booking was formed to serve both the artists represented and the fans of those artists. Founded in Detroit, there was a commitment to seeing the success of clients in a city that, while loaded with talent, lacked the supporting industries to benefit from that talent. As a jack of all trades, he understood that working in such an environment mandated familiarity with many different people with many different skills in many different places in order for his clients to achieve the types of outcomes they were looking for. Today Alter Ego boasts a lineup consisting of not only established talent, but up and coming artists as well. Alter Ego has also played a significant role in managing not only artists, but specific projects, from video production to licensing to contract negotiation. So while the clients benefit from the work being done, their Alter Ego operates in the background, making sure that they're set up for success.
7:00pm GALLERY Beatmakers Showcase
Whether you make the beats with your feet, hands, or digital machine, showcase your skills in front of a panel of industry greats.
8:00pm GALLERY Seminar: Taking Your Music Global
This seminar provides insight into ways independent musicians have managed to take their music and become a success with a global audience reach.
PANELISTS:
Amp Fiddler
www.ampfiddler.com
www.myspace.com/ampfiddler
Joseph "Amp" Fiddler, originally a keyboardist from Detroit, is a funk and soul musician who has worked with Enchantment, the Dramatics, George Clinton, Moodyman, Jamiroquai, The Brand New Heavies, Fishbone and Maxwell. Through the years, he has toured globally, mentored artists such as Slum Village and J-Dilla, and made a name for himself as an independent artist with a global audience.
Aaron-Carl Producer, Remixer, Singer/Songwriter, DJ
Contact E-mail: aaroncarl@aaroncarl.com
Website: http://aaroncarl.com
MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/
As one of Detroit's most in demand producers & sought after remixers, Aaron-Carl's signature sound crosses genre from soulful, gospel infused House, to the dirtiest ghettotech anthems. His productions have graced various labels throughout the world, including Subject Detroit, Metroplex, Universal France and his own imprint, Wallshaker Music. Owning and overseeing the successful Wallshaker Music label plus heading his own music publishing company, Symphonic Storm Music Publishing, Aaron-Carl proves himself as a definite force to be reckoned with and shows no signs of slowing down. Aaron-Carl is currently the host of weekly Internet Radio Show, THE W.A.R.M.T.H. SESSIONS, Fridays @ 7PM EST, on WARMTH313.COM.
Cornelius of Alter Ego Management
See bio from Tour MGMT
Saturday March 21
Bazaar Opens at 10am
All Day EXHIBITION CENTER Live Art Demonstration
Chazz Miller of PublicArtWorkz
www.PublicArtworkz.org
Chazz began his Art Career while attending Southwestern High School in Detroit, Michigan. Since kicking off his career as an artist Chazz has created over 300 Murals and countless other works of art that can be seen in the United States, Germany, Mexico and Canada. Being a Commercial and Mural Artist, who studied at the Columbus College of Art and Designer, Chazz has used his years of experience to create larger than life colorful murals that positively impact the physic of those who witness them.
The Artist Village of Detroit. PAWZ, is a non-profit organization whose main mission is creating a world class outdoor gallery using Murals as the backdrop for positive change & thinking. They operate out of a community center based in Redford Michigan.
12:30pm GALLERY Seminar: Internet Marketing & Social Media
Internet Marketing & Social Media is rapidly becoming a necessity in reaching today's audience. This panel will not only explain what social media is, reasons why you should use it, and ways to use it, but also show recent advances in maintaining all of your social sites.
PANELISTS:
LoudFeed.com
Dr. Ron Suarez has recently developed LoudFeed.com to assist independent artists in managing their social media sites.
1:30pm GALLERY Seminar: Booking Agents & Mgmt Companies
Booking Agents and Management Companies, what do they do, how do choose a good one, and what should you expect from one.
PANELISTS:
Rhythms, Rhymes, & Riffs
Montaj Enterprises
Cornelius of Alter Ego Management
2:00-8:00 GUIDED TOURS OF THE RUSSELL INDUSTRIAL CENTER
The public can sign up for tours of the RIC to get an insiders view into the history, current and future plans of the RIC, and the 80+ artist studios located on campus. Tours are in the themes of:
Glass Blowing;
Canvas Art;
Photography;
Fashion;
Digital Arts & Music;
Sculpture; and
Architectural & Construction Arts.
2:30pm GALLERY Performance: Billyberda (Funky Fresh Fusion)
www.myspace.com/billyberda
The newest funky fresh jazz group to come out of Motown since day before yesterday
4:15pm GALLERY Performance: Id.i.om (Jazz)
6:00pm EXHIBITION CENTER Performance: The Mean Reds Pop, rock, & folk www.themeanredsmusic.com
The Mean Reds is a group of four musicians from the Detroit area with a sound that mixes pop, rock, and folk. With distinctly different musical backgrounds and strengths they create "A sound that's absolutely modern fresh, and really good," according to Michigan radio DJ John Bommarito.
7:00pm GALLERY Seminar: Working with a Publicist
Bring in your marketing kits for industry feedback
PANELIST:
Matt Lei
Matt Lei's is undeniably one of the strongest Publicists for the Creative Industries in the city of Detroit. With credits to his name including Campus Martius Park, Detroit International Jazz Festival, Kid Rock, Billy D. Williams, plus a slew of other amazing artists.
8:00 EXHIBITION CENTER Performance: The Sugar People
Rock, Funk, Soul, Pop, & Country
www.thesugarpeople.com
The Sugar People embarks on a cerebral departure from traditional guitar, bass and drums, delivering a message enhancing all five senses, combining honest rock hooks with break-beat R&B. Forming an ambient sound all their own through atmospheric tones influenced by the tough economy, life's everyday grind, and true life stories, The Sugar People creates music best described as rural hip-pop, neo-soul or chilax. Sugar--the human body's most basic component--represents the group's finished creation: music for everybody, formed by fusing rock, funk, soul, pop and country.
Bazaar closes at 9:00pm
Sunday March 22
Bazaar Opens at 11:00am
2:00 GALLERY Performance: Character Rocks! -- For Kids
www.characterrocks.com, or www.cdbaby.com/danduncan.
Dan Duncan's work in character education is widely recognized thanks to his wonderful children's CD: Character Rocks!--For Kids.
3:00 GALLERY Seminar: Making money through diversifying,
PANELIST:
Dan Duncan
Dan Duncan has learned over the years the necessity to diversify his product line in order to find ways to make money. Currently he is working with international labels, you can supply your own charts, or they will write charts upon request. Simply send mp3 reference tracks with a separate click, and they will add the horn parts. Most projects can be done in a week to 10 days. Dan is also a seasoned music educator.
5:00 GALLERY Performance: Dan Duncan & the Brass A Fire
www.myspace.com/
Dan is an extremely gifted player who can sound like almost anyone. The one thing about his playing is that it is entirely "authentic." He can play a ripping Latin solo and turn around with an ultra realistic Louis Armstrong rendition. His trumpet improv has often been compared to Art Farmer and Clifford Brown, though he easily covers the Maynard Ferguson side of things. One moment he's playing with the sweetest loving tones you've ever heard, and the next he's playing exotic scales in a Be-Bop context. He can play virtually anything you throw at him.
Bazaar Closes at 6:00pm
Friday March 27
Events Starts at 5:00pm
6:00pm GALLERY Seminar: Forming a Non-Profit
This Seminar brings together expects and novices who have recently undergone the process to discuss their experiences when forming a non-profit.
PANELISTS:
Kibwe for Kids,
Elements Gallery,
The Electronic Music Foundation of Detroit
7:00pm GALLERY Performance: DJ set by DJ Sicari
7:45-8:15 GALLERY Performance: The Regiment "Positive Hip-Hop"
8:15-9:15 GALLERY Seminar: Operating a Gallery Events Space
PANELIST
Charles Johanson Gallery
Bazaar Closes at 9:00pm
Saturday March 28
Bazaar Opens at 10:00am
1:00 FOOD COURT Performance: Howard Glazer
www.howardglazer.com, www.myspace.com/howardglazer,
www.myspace.com/
Howard Glazer continues to draw from his varied musical background to create a powerful blend of serious blues, rock and acoustic compositions, yielding an uncompromising sound fans have grown to expect, new listeners will be sure to enjoy and the Motor City is proud to call its own. Howard Glazer has performed extensively both nationally and internationally including festivals/tours in the USA, Japan, Australia, Italy, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Holland, Greece, England, Germany, Poland, Canada and The Czech Republic, among others. Howard has shared the bill with many greats including: Johnny Winter, B.B. King, Savoy Brown and David "Honeyboy" Edwards to name a few.
2:00pm GALLERY Performance: Javonntte Jazz Fusion Jam
www.tradebit.com/filedetail.
www.myspace.com/
His recent album "Finger Work" has topped the global Jazz Fusion charts, taking 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place out of over 1600 entrants. It is no wonder this underground gem has such skills, with previous experience performing as a band member with the legendary Miles Davis and also the Teddy Harris Jazz Quartet. His Jazz Fusion show incorporates influences from Rock, Soul, Reggae, Funk, Techno, Electro, Hip-Hop and Blues.
3:00pm GALLERY Seminar: Creating Your Image
Arzel "Z" of The Metro Shop www.themetroshops.com
4:00 EXHIBITION CENTER Performance: WooDabi Blues
5:00 GALLERY Seminar: Job Opportunities in the Film Industry
Heads of the Detroit Film Industry talk about the job opportunities that are coming to the city.
6:00 GALLERY Seminar: Film Makers Forum
Film Makers from Detroit come together to discuss their craft and find ways to move forward.
7:00 EXHIBITION CENTER: Performance Art by Ziam
Mixed Media Performance artist, Ziam incorporates music fashion, and dance to create his legendary Detroit Performance Art Fashion Shows.
Bazaar Closes at 9:00pm
Sunday March 29
2:00pm FOOD COURT Performance: Character Rocks! -- For Kids
3:00 GALLERY Seminar: Children: Developing the Next Generation
PANELISTS:
Serendipity Collage & Potpourri
SCP produces ongoing events that raise Backpacks and School Supplies for children. Artists such as Thornetta Davis, Derrick May, Anthony Shake Shakir, plus many more have contributed time to aid in the success of these events. Their motto is "No child should without the basics to succeed."
4:00 FOOD COURT Performance: Open Mic
The Bazaar Open Mics are becoming legendary, as each of the vendors, staff, guests and children have a range of amazing talents that they love to show off.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Divisions, differences, and diversity
First stop along the way with this post, I hope you’ll check out this blog: Sweet Juniper. And pay attention to these posts with the abandoned places label.
Then, read this passage from Amy Maria Kenyon’s Dreaming Suburbia: Detroit and the Production of Postwar Space and Culture (Wayne State University Press, 2004):
“My central argument is that the changing fortunes and relations of city and suburb must be understood as belonging to local and larger processes of socioeconomic and cultural disinvestment. Disinvestment is viewed here as the redistribution of resources, rights, and cultural-political authority away from the city and along racist and spatially exclusive lines. I further argue that the success of postwar suburbanization depended on a kind of cultural dreaming, on a mystification of processes of disinvestment in and through culture. We might have dreamed ourselves to be American; now we dreamed ourselves to be suburban. Any social divisions and exclusions underpinning the produced space of postwar suburbia were effectively hidden” (Kenynon 2004: 2).
I just started reading this book today and I really like it. This quote from her introduction speaks to a lot of what I write about on this blog. Okay now, so you’ve explored the Sweet Juniper blog, especially the posts about abandoned schools, libraries, and other buildings in Detroit, and now you’ve read this passage from Kenyon’s book, and the original building that housed Submerge is gone – I drove past the site two Fridays ago on my way to Taste to meet with the fabulous DJ Seoul, who plays there regularly, and saw the demolished building. At the time, I didn’t realize that it originally housed Submerge. The whole area was smoky and cloudy – I thought there had been a fire at first, but then saw some construction vehicles at the site. Hopefully the Submerge folks get lots in the way of old photos and memories about the space. I’m looking forward to see what they do with it.
So, even though Detroit is a great and thriving city in a lot of ways, and I really strive to keep things positive here, I’m trying to hash out some of the struggles that take place in this city. We’ve got all these abandonment issues in the city of Detroit, severe neglect of people and spaces. And it’s a vicious cycle: there’s so much governmental bureaucratic corruption and waste, that there is no money for schools, there is no money for other basic social services, unemployment is obscenely high, parents have very few resources and very few positive experiences to help round out their otherwise stressful daily lives. And the end result which in turn perpetuates more and more of the same is that children are neglected and even worse, mistreated, by adults, like parents, teachers, police, etc. who are supposed to protect, nourish, guide, and care for them. More of the same, more of the same, more of the same.
This leads me to yet another reference to Sweet Juniper. At the bottom of every page is the message “Parent Differently.” I’m going to go with that for a bit and diverge from my normal topics of discussion. Imagine that, like the grape hyacinth and woodpecker references didn’t tip you off!
I parent differently, and it’s something that has been extremely important to me for a lot of years. Now, if you’re a parent, I’m not writing this because I want you to parent just like me. Every family has their own experiences, challenges, and decisions to negotiate. But, what I do want to represent here is that as parents, it is our responsibility to love and honor our children unconditionally and indefinitely, without limits. Some of what that means in my family is that the babies were born naturally at home; we co-sleep and breastfeed for a long ass time! We homeschool in such a way that much of it is child led and individually focused. Don’t parent like me, or parent like me, whatever! Just think about the phrase “Parent Differently.”
Then, read this passage from Amy Maria Kenyon’s Dreaming Suburbia: Detroit and the Production of Postwar Space and Culture (Wayne State University Press, 2004):
“My central argument is that the changing fortunes and relations of city and suburb must be understood as belonging to local and larger processes of socioeconomic and cultural disinvestment. Disinvestment is viewed here as the redistribution of resources, rights, and cultural-political authority away from the city and along racist and spatially exclusive lines. I further argue that the success of postwar suburbanization depended on a kind of cultural dreaming, on a mystification of processes of disinvestment in and through culture. We might have dreamed ourselves to be American; now we dreamed ourselves to be suburban. Any social divisions and exclusions underpinning the produced space of postwar suburbia were effectively hidden” (Kenynon 2004: 2).
I just started reading this book today and I really like it. This quote from her introduction speaks to a lot of what I write about on this blog. Okay now, so you’ve explored the Sweet Juniper blog, especially the posts about abandoned schools, libraries, and other buildings in Detroit, and now you’ve read this passage from Kenyon’s book, and the original building that housed Submerge is gone – I drove past the site two Fridays ago on my way to Taste to meet with the fabulous DJ Seoul, who plays there regularly, and saw the demolished building. At the time, I didn’t realize that it originally housed Submerge. The whole area was smoky and cloudy – I thought there had been a fire at first, but then saw some construction vehicles at the site. Hopefully the Submerge folks get lots in the way of old photos and memories about the space. I’m looking forward to see what they do with it.
So, even though Detroit is a great and thriving city in a lot of ways, and I really strive to keep things positive here, I’m trying to hash out some of the struggles that take place in this city. We’ve got all these abandonment issues in the city of Detroit, severe neglect of people and spaces. And it’s a vicious cycle: there’s so much governmental bureaucratic corruption and waste, that there is no money for schools, there is no money for other basic social services, unemployment is obscenely high, parents have very few resources and very few positive experiences to help round out their otherwise stressful daily lives. And the end result which in turn perpetuates more and more of the same is that children are neglected and even worse, mistreated, by adults, like parents, teachers, police, etc. who are supposed to protect, nourish, guide, and care for them. More of the same, more of the same, more of the same.
This leads me to yet another reference to Sweet Juniper. At the bottom of every page is the message “Parent Differently.” I’m going to go with that for a bit and diverge from my normal topics of discussion. Imagine that, like the grape hyacinth and woodpecker references didn’t tip you off!
I parent differently, and it’s something that has been extremely important to me for a lot of years. Now, if you’re a parent, I’m not writing this because I want you to parent just like me. Every family has their own experiences, challenges, and decisions to negotiate. But, what I do want to represent here is that as parents, it is our responsibility to love and honor our children unconditionally and indefinitely, without limits. Some of what that means in my family is that the babies were born naturally at home; we co-sleep and breastfeed for a long ass time! We homeschool in such a way that much of it is child led and individually focused. Don’t parent like me, or parent like me, whatever! Just think about the phrase “Parent Differently.”
Spring surprises.
Something wonderful happened when I hopped in the car this morning, but I have to set this all up with events of the preceding 24 hours just so you truly understand. Even though it is only March 11th, spring is creeping in. My neighbor’s bulbs are popping up, and if I remember from last spring, they are grape hyacinth. I have been smelling spring in the air for a few days now. I got to work yesterday with lots of cold rain falling and found two Canadian geese in a pond that forms from rain overflow. They ended up spending the entire day there, in the cold rain, honking, floating, swimming, and standing on one leg. Out my large picture window at work (yes, I appreciate that daily), I saw a chesty robin standing on the grass in the rain. It looked around, gave a little shake to get the water droplets off, flew up into the small tree outside my window, and then flew away. Later in the day, I saw a tiny woodpecker, it was either a downey woodpecker or a hairy woodpecker – do you care what kind of woodpecker it was? Here’s the point where I just chuckle at myself a bit – I think it’s fun and satisfying to learn how to identify different plants and animals. But that’s just one of the fascinating things about me. I’m deep. I am deep. OK really now…as I headed home, I heard the geese honking again in the pond. And near the end of the night, I read a Frog and Toad book to my boys about the changes in seasons and how Frog was looking around the corner for spring, literally…and then we actually talked about spring arriving and how we all have noticed it. So now onto my Wednesday morning. After my mad rush to get out of the house, because my toddler is my alarm clock and we all are still gradually adjusting to the spring ahead, I jumped in the car thinking about what I would listen to super loud on the way to work. Aside from being home with my men, these musical moments in the car to and from work are highlights of my week. And what should I find peaking out from under the driver's seat as I am putting the Netflix envelopes on the other seat and my lunch on the floor? The stack of about 9 CDs that WhoDat gave me last August!!!! Oh wow!! I exclaimed aloud to myself outside, by myself. Or some such nonsense. I had been looking for those CDs for about two months now and couldn’t find them. They were all mixes that WhoDat had done early on when she started DJing. Some of them she had done with her mentor, some on her own. All the music is great – exemplary of Detroit eclecticism! Some of the mixes are seamless, and some of them are not perfect; there are some mismatched moments in there. And she gave them all to me knowing all that. She gave me the mistakes so that I could learn from them – homework. And she was right, I did learn from them. There is this one eighties mix – and not a typical eighties mix, but like a Detroit 80s mix. It’s funky, goes across many genre boundaries, and has a Wham! song on it, which is how I realized I was missing the stack of CDs. I wanted to hear WhoDat’s tweaking of the song, which is “Everything She Wants.” Hot song, but even better in her mix. And I’ve never heard this song sound so good…and I’m listening to it on my used navy blue minivan regular old sound system that I drive alone to work guzzling gas like a loser, but it’s only because them’s the only wheels we got, and it's me and four dudes to tote around! And,… And…the sun is shining, the sky is blue with clouds blown across it, the temperature was 36 F as I was driving, and spring is here. I love winter, love the white fluffy snow that when it first falls, makes everything seem so quiet and still. But after this long Detroit winter, I am so ready for no coats, no mits, no more heat woes, and just being outside with my dudes. It’s going to be another great spring!
Oh yeah, and now Pandora, which sometimes pisses me off, keeps playing M.I.A. So I'm straight!
Oh yeah, and now Pandora, which sometimes pisses me off, keeps playing M.I.A. So I'm straight!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
From Submerge............................................................
Hello Everyone!
Once again, Detroit is at it. Another segment of important history has been destroyed without a hint of consideration. (Yes our city does love us - but its tough love). 2030 Grand River has been cleared for the newcoming Red Wings Hockey Stadium. We wanted to send out a request to you all - because we need you to help us memorialize the history. If any of you came to 2030 Grand River between 1992 and 2000, we would greatly appreciate digital images (JPEG files are preferred) of the visit. PLEASE include your name ( & who came with you), date of visit, where you hailed from and any memory you wish to share. If you did not know, 2030 Grand River is no more. It has been demolished. We would like to post some of YOUR memories, along with ours, on the site. This will allow people "who did NOT know", to know. Again, we sincerely appreciate the visits and the memories.
Please send them to: support@submerge.com. Put in the subject: 2030 Memories.
****We are especially interested in anyone who has pics of the ceiling and the wall signings****
Sincerely,
Bridgette
Hello Everyone!
Once again, Detroit is at it. Another segment of important history has been destroyed without a hint of consideration. (Yes our city does love us - but its tough love). 2030 Grand River has been cleared for the newcoming Red Wings Hockey Stadium. We wanted to send out a request to you all - because we need you to help us memorialize the history. If any of you came to 2030 Grand River between 1992 and 2000, we would greatly appreciate digital images (JPEG files are preferred) of the visit. PLEASE include your name ( & who came with you), date of visit, where you hailed from and any memory you wish to share. If you did not know, 2030 Grand River is no more. It has been demolished. We would like to post some of YOUR memories, along with ours, on the site. This will allow people "who did NOT know", to know. Again, we sincerely appreciate the visits and the memories.
Please send them to: support@submerge.com. Put in the subject: 2030 Memories.
****We are especially interested in anyone who has pics of the ceiling and the wall signings****
Sincerely,
Bridgette
Boundaries
I was thinking last week about how my blog is reaching people outside of Detroit way more than in this area. I have some international readers and some readers who are bloggers and music writers as well. This new awareness has encouraged me to consider a potentially wider audience for my writing (blog, eventual articles, and [dissertation] book) than I had originally considered. I came here and began this research with a great lack of confidence in the relevancy of it beyond my dissertation committee and a few scholars down the road. Now that’s not to say that everyone who likes house and techno, or Detroit or whatever will eventually buy my book, or will be scrambling for my dissertation on ProQuest, but my current and future audience is much bigger than I originally anticipated. This new awareness has me thinking about new issues. One of which is the debates over who deserves to have their music categorized as Detroit techno, or who is considered to represent Detroit and who doesn’t. This debate is sort of interesting, has a great long history, and is sort of not interesting. For example, the All Music Guide lists Aril Brikha within the genre category of Detroit Techno. First of all, the All Music Guide is not the reigning authority on any kind of music, but there is some useful information there, and some folks worked hard to compile it all in some kind of accessible, educational form. In a general, global debate about Detroit techno’s boundaries, sure, put Aril Brikha in there. He makes good music, he has been inspired by Detroit techno music for a long time, that connection makes sense. However, I came to Detroit because I am profoundly interested in the people who are HERE making music HERE performing HERE, and generally representing Detroit on a global, AND local scale – representing Detroit to itself. I am typically not going to be spending a great deal of time researching, interviewing, or writing about people who are not from here, have never lived here, or no longer live here. There are certainly some musicians, like Alan Oldham and Blake Baxter, who have participated (or have agreed to participate) in email interviews, who do not live in Detroit. But overall, I am primarily focused on this city and it’s thriving musical cultures.
So if you are set on including Aril Brikha, Morgan Geist, or Ken Iishi as members of the Detroit techno cannon (if you accept that there actually is such a cannon), then that’s lovely. I’m not debating those links to Detroit. However, in a project with a strong focus on the history and culture of Detroit as a particular site, or locale, those musicians will not be a part of the research or writing in a major way. Yes, they drew and draw influences from Detroit music, and have certainly influenced Detroit electronic musicians, and that’s as far as their inclusion should be in my study of Detroit techno and house music.
Ultimately, not being a Detroit native, or not living in Detroit, does not entirely exclude a musician from being strongly connected sonically to Detroit techno. If I took a kind of exclusionary stance, then I would have to debate whether or not Todd Osborn, or Ritchie Hawtin, or Terrence Parker were really “Detroit” enough to associate themselves with Detroit music. Just growing up in the suburbs or across the river in Windsor (both of which are pretty large cultural and social dividers) does not equate with lack of understanding or experience with Detroit culture of the 1970s to the present. Radio and TV, here, here, here, here, …and here, reached lots of people north of 8 Mile Road, west of Telegraph Road, and across the Detroit river, in the 1980s and 1990s throughout the formational years of nearly all of the producers/musicians/DJs that I have interviewed. So yeah, I don’t worry too much about who is or who is not “Detroit,” I just formulate my focus in such a way that many underrepresented people and parts of history can be presented on a much more extensive and public scale than they have been previously.
And let me just say, it is so much fun to interview people who have never done an interview before, because, typically, they don’t have as many expectations or preconceived notions and spend so much more time just talking, conversing with me, rather than answering and then waiting, or even cueing me, for the next question. Both are totally acceptable, of course. I love all of the interviews I have done and appreciate any opportunity to meet and talk with someone important to Detroit electronic music. But the free flowing, lengthy conversations are the best!
So if you are set on including Aril Brikha, Morgan Geist, or Ken Iishi as members of the Detroit techno cannon (if you accept that there actually is such a cannon), then that’s lovely. I’m not debating those links to Detroit. However, in a project with a strong focus on the history and culture of Detroit as a particular site, or locale, those musicians will not be a part of the research or writing in a major way. Yes, they drew and draw influences from Detroit music, and have certainly influenced Detroit electronic musicians, and that’s as far as their inclusion should be in my study of Detroit techno and house music.
Ultimately, not being a Detroit native, or not living in Detroit, does not entirely exclude a musician from being strongly connected sonically to Detroit techno. If I took a kind of exclusionary stance, then I would have to debate whether or not Todd Osborn, or Ritchie Hawtin, or Terrence Parker were really “Detroit” enough to associate themselves with Detroit music. Just growing up in the suburbs or across the river in Windsor (both of which are pretty large cultural and social dividers) does not equate with lack of understanding or experience with Detroit culture of the 1970s to the present. Radio and TV, here, here, here, here, …and here, reached lots of people north of 8 Mile Road, west of Telegraph Road, and across the Detroit river, in the 1980s and 1990s throughout the formational years of nearly all of the producers/musicians/DJs that I have interviewed. So yeah, I don’t worry too much about who is or who is not “Detroit,” I just formulate my focus in such a way that many underrepresented people and parts of history can be presented on a much more extensive and public scale than they have been previously.
And let me just say, it is so much fun to interview people who have never done an interview before, because, typically, they don’t have as many expectations or preconceived notions and spend so much more time just talking, conversing with me, rather than answering and then waiting, or even cueing me, for the next question. Both are totally acceptable, of course. I love all of the interviews I have done and appreciate any opportunity to meet and talk with someone important to Detroit electronic music. But the free flowing, lengthy conversations are the best!
Thursday, March 5, 2009
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