Detroit Re-lives ‘Old’ Days (PKU Reunion)

Dec 072011
 

I made it out in the depths of the night this weekend to enjoy Detroit’s electronic hey day re-visited. I am speaking of the PKU reunion party (Dec. 3, 2011).  Let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. With the spirit of where it started, PKU stood tall and showed its beautiful silhouette, if only for a night… It was fun to see people pack out the often-maligned “Works” for a better cause than it has seen in a while.

The place packed out quite early, I can’t remember the last time I saw a line at 10:45 on a Saturday night. Slammin’ music, mostly from Detroit, played with an old-school passion that needs to be infused in this new school era. Wow, I almost forgot Jungle existed! The positive and unique attitude of the night was so obvious it was shocking. It was amazing to see so many old school heads back together again. Smiles replaced blank stares, dancing replaced staring at the floor, and soul replaced machine on this special night. Not that there wasn’t a fair share of stumbling aimlessly going on, but most of it was followed with a polite “sorry” if you were bumped into. It was awesome.

I caught the end of Lori Hi Fi, and all I can say is… bangin’! She set the stage off with some hard techno, and even threw in some old school epic breakdowns to make the crowd go crazy. After Lori came Woodward vs CDX. It was a sight to behold, and Woodward dropped some old tracks that took me back.  Lastly I saw a man named Harley from Detroit spin one of the more proper sets of the night. He wove real Detroit Techno in and out on the Technics, and he did it with precision and passion. I also found out that he does an electronic music radio show on Sundays called “Burst Radio”, and apparently they stream electronic music 24/7. I actually visited the studio and it is a legit set-up with some real professional work going on there…Check them out at BurstRadio.net.

All in all it was an impressive night. I saw Detroit come together in a way that I haven’t seen in quite some time, and it made me proud to see that there was still some good left in the electronic music community. My hat is off to the PKU kids, and all the people involved with this show. Well done, I hope to see more events with this old-school vibe in the future. In fact, I hope that some of the values that once infused the Detroit scene can once again be brought back to the forefront of this artistic endeavor.

Here’s a mix just for the PKU party by Detroit’s own Whistleboi, hope you enjoy:
  Whistle-Boi PKU Reunion by whistle-boi
 

 

 

 December 7, 2011  Posted by WGlasshouse Event Reviews No Responses »

Real Scenes: Detroit

Oct 112011
 

I came across this great video while browsing through the Detroit Luv forum.  This is part of a series of mini documentaries created by Resident Advisor.  See Detroit artists like Kyle Hall and the Beretta Music crew talking about Detroit Techno. Also nice footage of classic Detroit spots like Motor, the Packard Plant, and Detroit Threads to name a few.

 

 October 11, 2011  Posted by Chris Macom Detroit What?, DJ Footage, Education No Responses »

An awesome new Robert Hood mix!

Oct 072011
 

I always try to avoid hyping mixes from other blogs/sites, unless requested to do so, but sometimes I gotta bend the rules a bit. I heard this podcast for XLR8R, and just had to share it. Hard techno done proper is all I can say. Enjoy.

http://www.xlr8r.com/podcast/2011/10/robert-hood

 

 

 October 7, 2011  Posted by Alex Calhoun DJ Mixes No Responses »

Event Review: The Peoples Art Fair and Christian Martin @ The Works

Aug 312011
 

Saturday was an awesome day to be down in the city. Between the art fair, music popping off all over town, and the perfect nighttime weather, I was aching to get out and see what was going down. We started our night off at the Russell Industrial Center for the 4th annual Peoples Art Fair. This event has grown into one of my new favorite summer rituals in Detroit. So many amazing artists that bring that total DIY/outsider vibe, plus a chance to explore the cavernous insides of the Russell always make for a good time. Saw some cool stuff, and got to talk to some awesome people, but soon the draw and promise of electronic music became too strong, so we moved on with our night. House music seemed to be the call of the wild on Saturday, and after some careful decision making, we shot over to The Works to check out Christian Martin. Just as a side note, when we were going through the round-about at Campus Martius, I swear I heard an old school Plastikman track bumping from within the park, oh well. Anyway, the Works filled up quickly after midnight, and there were a lot of people who brought their dancing shoes. For the first part of the evening, I was really digging Matt Vaught in the front room spinning some House gems that tended to stray toward the funky side. It was refreshing to see a local DJ under 30 who doesn’t play dubstep/electrohouse or any of the really tacky forms of electronica that have had such a resurgence over the last several years. Christian Martin went on around 1:30 and had the crowd feeling it off the bat. He brought that laid back, West coast style house music, complete with lots of micro samples and dark synth stabs. Those who are familiar with the Dirtybird label should know what I’m talking about. The back of room took on a very sweatbox vibe for most of his set, lots of shameless dancing in the dark to sultry house music. I really enjoyed myself, and I haven’t danced like that at the Works in some time. Summer’s winding down, but if you’re from Detroit, you know all the hotness that tends to go down in the Fall season, so stay tuned. Peace.

 August 31, 2011  Posted by Alex Calhoun Event Reviews No Responses »
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