We've discussed this all for many years on 313. As BMG says in the RA piece, there is a tendency to think that what happens on one weekend in Detroit is how it is all the time. Another tendency is to pay homage to the Belleville Three (usually without delving into the breadth of what they actually accomplished) and forget all that has happened since. Or to focus entirely on one aspect like minimal, etc.
Like Motown, Detroit techno has had global influence. But as the RA oral history of the festival last year showed, the mayor of Detroit, Dennis Archer, did not even know about it when the festival idea first surfaced a dozen years ago. The surface view of Detroit electronic music ranges from total hype to total invisibility. The reality is different, much deeper and richer, and ties back to the history of a city that has traced to a stronger degree than most the trajectory of the American economy. fh ----------------- >I would like you to expand on the idea of Detroit being 'hyped.' Do >you mean the stories on US media that come up every few months on slow >news days about the 'sorry plight of detroit' with stock footage of >ruins? Or... > >What vexes me is musicians who use Detroit as a touchstone without any >real appreciation for the music, or ever having visited. Exhibit A >Fedde Le Grand's "Put Your Hands Up For Detroit." And I don't know the >guy's music at all but 'Motor City Drum Ensemble' doesn't seem a good >name for a german producer. OTOH he is from Stuttgart... > >On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 2:43 AM, Fred Heutte <ph...@sunlightdata.com> wrote: >> I am more impressed with this Real Scenes piece than I expected to be. >> The real story of Detroit is a lot more interesting than the hype, if >> you ask me. >> >> fh >> >> >> ----------------- >>>What a wicked, wicked post. >>> >>>I totally agree. I've sensed the same thing about Mr. Huckaby for a few >>>years. But of >> course, I've not articulated it as well, even to myself. >>> >>>Ken >>>------Original Message------ >>>From: Kent Williams >>>To: Jeff Davis >>>Cc: 313@Hyperreal. Org >>>Subject: Re: (313) As I'm sure most of you heard: Real Scenes: Detroit RA >>>Sent: 11 Aug 2011 15:43 >>> >>>Mike Huckabee's educational work is amazing. He's a guy that, unlike >>>many of his peers in Detroit, stayed in Detroit and dedicated himself >>>to keeping it a vital center for musical innovation. He did it, I >>>believe, at a personal cost. If all he cared about was making money >>>and becoming famous, he could easily have moved to Berlin, gotten a >>>good booking agent, and hooked up with European labels. I don't mean >>>to criticize the people who have taken that path -- if it works for >>>them it's fine -- but there's no denying that moving away changes >>>their music. >>> >>>Instead he's stayed true to the city, true to his own music, and >>>perfected the art of DJing. And he's taken direct action to help the >>>young people of Detroit, who face serious obstacles to finding a place >>>in the world. >>> >>>I admire a lot of Detroit musicians, and certainly isn't alone in his >>>commitment to Detroit. In particular Underground Resistance and >>>Submerge have demonstrated a deep and sustained commitment to the >>>people of Detroit. There are others but to list them is to risk >>>leaving someone out. >>> >>>What really makes me return again and again to the music that comes >>>out of Detroit isn't a particular style, it's the deep, clear-eyed >>>emotion and soul that infuses the best Detroit music. Music can point >>>to itself, it can reflect listeners' aspirations back on them, it can >>>start a party. Or music can do all that, and point up and out of >>>itself. It can make you think about the world in a different way. >>> >>> >>> >>>On Thu, Aug 11, 2011 at 6:55 AM, Jeff Davis <j...@jeffreyjdavis.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> I left this vid having even more respect for huckabee than I did before >>>> >>> >>>Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device >>> >> >> >
