Denise, I lived in the city, I talk to my friends in the city every week, and I played a gig there recently. I know exactly what's going on.
First of all, Red Bull, really? They literally pimp out art and artists in order to sell shitty corporate drugs that are terrible for the human body. I'm glad that artists get paid even if it's by Red Bull, but seriously, screw them. Second, it's quite obvious that we are talking about literally TWO DIFFERENT THINGS. You are talking about museums. I'm talking about selling records and making money! I'm talking about this: http://submerge.com/ Do you honestly think that black artists in the US can live off of cultural recognition by the city of Detroit? How many Detroit techno records are selling in the Detroit area? UR has trouble paying the bills. Musicians need to make money. You can't make a living as a Detroit techno artist IN DETROIT. All the artists you mentioned got notoriety overseas before they got hometown recognition. Musicians need to work together to carry on the work that UR started, and part of this work is trying to find a way to sell records in the United States. This is hard work, and it involves all musicians and artists including the Detroit techno community. What people write about the music second hand is not so important as what musicians do to move the music forward in the present. Motown, UR, and Chicago's AACM are all examples of the kind of ethos I advocate. What matters is what we musicians do to help each other and build a better future together. Building a better future is what techno is all about. ~David On Fri, Oct 19, 2018 at 10:21 AM Denise Dalphond <denisedalph...@gmail.com> wrote: > Detroiters of color definitely give a shit about techno. Your statement is > completely wrong and off base. All you have to do is visit the instagram > account of Underground Resistance. > > https://www.instagram.com/undergroundresistance313/?hl=en > > It is filled with Black and Brown faces. In Detroit. Often, DJs hosting > parties all over Detroit are Black and Brown people, and the crowds are > full of people of color. > > People are being duped with old ideas about clan mentality and who the > true fans are. Think what you want, but be careful what you say using Mike > Bank's words to support your opinions. > > Moodymann's Prince museum is directly across the street from Submerge. > Carl Craig's studio is nearby. A mile west is Motown's original > headquarters. You have no idea what kind of support these geniuses can > garner in their own town now. Red Bull has a space in Detroit. It doesn't > only open its doors to white people. Black and Brown people visit too. > Submerge had an exhibit in the RBMA space about Detroit house music. You > don't know what current Detroit techno even looks like. It's a vibrant > scene in the city of Detroit right now. > > You're blind. > > > > > *Denise Dalphond, Ph.D.* > *ethnomusicologist* > *schoolcraftwax.work <http://schoolcraftwax.work>* > > > On Fri, Oct 19, 2018 at 8:47 AM David A. Powers <cybo...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> The irony of this situation is that in the big picture, even if the RA >> piece was produced in an unethical manner, it's still a decent introduction >> to Drexciya for many people, and in the US nobody has ever heard of >> Drexciya. Hell, I doubt many people in Detroit actually know who they are, >> trust me, I lived there. People know the song Good Life for sure, and old >> Cybotron records, but really people only know the first wave well. >> >> Mad Mike has been clear in his interviews, in that what hurts him most is >> that the black community in the US has not embraced techno and that the >> music has not been able to play the positive role in the local Detroit >> community that he hoped over the long term. I understand the fundamental >> vision of UR as one of building local infrastructure so the community could >> prosper. There is a strong self-help and DIY ethos. Reference: >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5T0E6iLWhI >> >> The approach to race that I see in UR is to be proud of it, to confront >> racial issues directly, but combined with a belief in the universal power >> of sound to heal and to build bridges between people. >> >> The real reason you don't have videos coming out of the US and Detroit >> about Drexciya with a narrator who is actually from the community, is that >> nobody in Detroit actual gives a shit about techno in the US, and this is >> nothing new, and so there's literally zero reason to freak out about it in >> the year 2018. I live in Austin Tx now after leaving the midwest a year >> ago. Almost nobody I have spoken with, black or white, has ever heard of >> Detroit techno here. I have to try to explain to people what it is. There >> is slightly more familiarity with Chicago House. >> >> In most of the US, nobody has ever heard of "Detroit Techno" and they no >> longer have any idea what the term might signify as a genre. Furthermore, >> the US is a huge country. Detroit techno is simply one regional style in a >> gigantic country full of little regional musical styles. Although it was >> vastly important to the development of European dance music, the fact is >> that the US does not support musicians, and all musicians in the US >> struggle, even before you consider race. The average income for a full time >> musician in the US is $20,000. >> >> By the way, this is why it is vital for all musicians to work together to >> build our own infrastructure and work together to create sustainable >> solutions. As inspiring as UR is, it has not turned out to be a long term >> sustainable business model. Part of the problem really does seem to be the >> lack of local support of the music, because to run a sustainable local >> business you don't want all your customers to live on the other side of the >> planet. >> >> The real hard work of the future is in getting our hands dirty and >> building sustainable infrastructure from the ground up for the long term, >> that is resilient enough to withstand the next 100 years of slow energy >> descent as fossil fuels run out and we experience further instability due >> to the shifting climate. >> >> I want to offer a strong plea to all musicians and producers on this list >> to work together for the long term to create this kind of sustainable >> infrastructure, and actively work to build the community of musicians, >> especially if you are in the US. And anyone has any great ideas, I'd love >> to hear them. Nobody is going to create our future for us, if we don't >> build it, there won't be a future... A lot of people are losing their minds >> right now engaging in useless debates, but there is real work to be done >> and there is a need for good people who have the will and vision to >> continue the legacy of Detroit techno by not only making great music but >> also building stronger more sustainable communities. The survival of the >> human race in the future might depend on the existence of sustainable >> communities that are resilient enough to survive catastrophes. >> >> 313 email list, is a good example of a NON-sustainable >> community--dependent on a particular form of communication (email list), >> there was long ago some sense of community vibe but social media really >> destroyed that. I wonder, is an authentic community around the idea of >> "Detroit techno" something that is even possible in 2018, outside of living >> in Detroit and participating directly, especially given that the list no >> longer connects to the actually community of Detroit DJ's and producers. >> What IS the best way to connect with people around the music in 2018? >> >> Also, anybody have advice on promoting Detroit techno event in a city >> like Austin TX? How can I spread the word about techno in a place where the >> focus is mostly on country and singer-songwriters, and along with a lot of >> sort of indie pop and punk? >> >> ~David >> >> On Fri, Oct 19, 2018 at 6:25 AM <denisedalph...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> I do not. Maybe you should read my article about Drexciya and UR and >>> Moodymann in Black Lives Matter and Music: Protest, Intervention, >>> Reflection. It just came out. >>> >>> Denise Dalphond >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> > On Oct 19, 2018, at 07:00, Martin Dust <mar...@dustscience.com> wrote: >>> > >>> > Yes it’s real, do you not see the logical fallacy in your argument? >>> > >>> >> On 19 Oct 2018, at 11:56, denisedalph...@gmail.com wrote: >>> >> >>> >> Is this a real question? Dan Sicko was a actual Detroiter. >>> >> >>> >>> On Oct 19, 2018, at 05:43, Martin Dust <mar...@dustscience.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>> >>> >>> Hi Denise, >>> >>> >>> >>> Do you feel the same about Dan Sicko’s book? >>> >>> >>> >>> m >>> > >>> >>
