> Memo from Alex Bond: > > Going back to those questions; > > 'Why do UR call themselves soldiers?' > > Don't know, Is it part of a marketing ploy? > I always thought they trod a fine-line between truths and > stories which > help their image. > > What do other people think??
I dunno what other people think, but a few years ago Mad Mike posted this message on 313 answering your question: ------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 03 Aug 1995 03:29:13 -0400 (EDT) From: Somewhere In Detroit Subject: Re: (313) DJs That History Forgot 1 On Thu, 3 Aug 1995, Somewhere In Detroit wrote: > On Wed, 2 Aug 1995, rbcIII the lovebot wrote: > > On Wed, 2 Aug 1995, Robert Smith wrote: > > > > > From what I know of Mad Mike, they don't want to be. More friendships > > > are made and more battles are won in the underground rather than on the > > > surface. More substance, less flash. > > > > Well, I take the militant underground stance of the UR crew with a grain > > of salt. They often dis +8 an others for licensing to big labels but... > > > > 1) Tresor and Tresor II (NovaMute) have UR tracks on them. This is the > > same label which licenses Probe and Plastikman and FUSE... > > > > 2) Drexciya on WARP > > > > 3) Drexciya on Rephlex > > > > 4) UR on New Electronica compilations. > > > > Many more examples can be found I'm sure. I don't think WARP, Mute > > records and New Electronica are any better than R&S. They pimp just like > > Renaat! > > > > So this "anti white techno" stance is not very solid IMO. I don't mind > > though. I happen to think the Tresor and Tresor II comps the best > > NovaMute put out. I think Drexciya deserves the exposure they get on > > labels like Warp and Rephlex. I love all of the releases that New > > Electronica has put out (esp. the new Reflections On Reflections) and > > think UR are a great compliment to the other srtists featured. > > > > I take the UR, Mad Mike, and Drexciya public statements as part of their > > "act". Much like the facade of some Metal bands who act like devil > > worshippers. It's all entertainment and good at that. I just happen to > > think the whole "at war with the commercial forces" theme a pretty cool > > one. > > > > -robert > > > > --> __ _ _ _____ _____ _____ > > / _\ | || || _ \|_ _|/ _ \ > > / /_\\ | -- || |_) | _| |_ | (_) | ______________ > > /______\\____/|_____/|_____|\_____/ ( *electronic* ) > > > Attn;Lovebot > I dont get out in cyberspace very often so please forgive my > net etiquette or any words I may mispell,I do very much app- > reciate Robert Smith"s passionate defense of UR,but I am a > fighter and in this instance I will come out of the shadows > in defense of my Label and what it stands for!First regarding > Drexciya - It hurts me just as much as anyone else who loves > true Underground music from the source to see a group that > UR as a Label helped lift from the streets into international > underground acclaim.Dont forget these projects on UR were not > Drexciyas first outings,their first outings on their own label > did not farewell at all.You guys cannot imagine the type of > time and energy both financially and studiowise that goes into > making 4 trak material good enough to make a record out of. > Matter of fact most people cant make 4 trak projects into > good sounding records,but at UR thats what we did because > I heard something in those traks - I heard some brothers > who were using their imaginations to the max,I heard kids > who were pure at heart and knew nothing of the international > complexities of this music,I heard dreams.It is very,very > difficult to descibe what it feels like to lose talented > people the caliber of Jeff Mills,Robert Hood or Drexciya > not to lose them due to arguments or disagreements,but to > lose them due to the environment here in Detroit.It is a > very difficult place to stay in especially if you have been > abroad or know others that have been.After returning some > people are never the same! Jeff Mills was a world class DJ > a talent the world now enjoys.He had nowhere to play here in > Detroit we would watch as DJ after DJ would come play Detroit > and for all the hype could not rock the D,basically they > could not hold a candle next to Jeff Mills.Jeff is xtremly > competetive so he really wanted to get out there and kik ass > So when his chance came in 1992 at the Limelite club in N.Y > he took it! HE knew and I knew that he would never come back! > I never call Jeff a sellout cause he aint,the brother just did > what he had to do because that was his chance to share his gift > with all of you in peace.Rob Noise went with Jeff due to a life > threating incident he had on 7 mile and we all agreed that Rob > needed to get away and see the world to see another side of > life.You see techno for us is life-these brothers would never > have had the chance to see the world and meet people of all > different racial groups and idealogies if it wasnt for this > music period unless of course they did their 2 year stint in > the military! When Drexciyas James S. made his statements about > the caucasion persausion and plus-8 they were made out of > frustration,made out of living in a city ringed by 8 mile road > a street most minorities dont cross into at nite,bordered by > Dearborn MI. a suburb that didnt want detroit residents playing > basketball in its parks! Please understand there are 4 ways to > Escape these boundaries 1.go to prison 2.join the army 3.leave > and move somewhere else if you can afford it! 4.substance abuse > Thats the fucking way it is partner!So when guys from the city > see young affluent white teenagers from the suburbs running > around the city and not working particularily hard on inviting > brothers to their sets yes it is gonna cause tension! ITs > called cultural differences.I cannot tell you how many times > me and my crew were denied entrance to a party because there > where to many Black and mexican scary guys or gang members > at the door!! And thes kidz were supposed to be progressive! > Unfortunately 1 OF the guys from Drexciya was with us that > nite and it was a nite he never forgot. Let me tell you > prejudice hurts especially when its associated with the music > you love and the city you were raised in.It is for this reason > UR is in this war with the programmers - those kidz were > by the sight of 20 heavily muscled brothers who yes some were > gang members some x-members and now musicians,they were in- > timidated because the programmers taught them that all brothers > that didnt have on silver shoes and didnt smile or laugh at > bullshit jokes and small talk were probably criminals ask > Mumia,Rodney King or Malice Green who effects programming > has on people.I am a very serious brother nothing that I do > or have done with UR is funny or entertaining,I am not a clown > and I will never tap dance on cue - I have never been pimped > and neither has my company,the moves and strategies that I > use are for one thing and one thing only - and that is to guar > tee that the programmers agendas and stereo-types do not > proceed into the next century!! Because it is these same > agendas and prejudices that nearly extreminated my mothers > peoples(blackfoot indians) and forcibly inslaved my fathers > Peoples for 400 years - so believe me when I tell you UR > some DEADLY serious shit!!!! there is very little for me > to smile and be happy about with the condition my people, > my city,my EARTH - MOTHER EARTH is in.All I can hope is that > music from our label can without words or explanations > knock down all the barriers (racial,economic,religous,etc) > that the programmers have cleverly set before us in order > to keep us from understanding that catergories and definitions > separate and with separation comes exploitation and profit! > I hope you can feel what I am saying - as I stated > earlier I am not very good on the net and I tried to xplain > as efficiently as possible what me and my label stand for > so that there would be no misinterpetations or people > putting words in my mouth.I am 33 years old and fully > capable of speaking for myself but I choose to use music > because men have been talking for years but always with > FORKTONGUE music is true and ultimately much more efficient > than all writtien language to this date - tribal people > have known this for thousands of years.WE are all tribal > people but some of us have strayed away from the talk of > the drum and they talk with words and languages that mean > nothing!THE DRUM IS ALWAYS BETTER - > > > please forgive the length of my response and thank you for > this very unique forum of communication (consiousness) lets > leave the racial issues out of this forum and out of the > next century and most of all out of tekno music as it knows > no boundaries not even logic - peace MAD MIKE UR > > Back into the darkness I go do not try to find me> > > ps-lovebot if you ever come to detroit please feel free > to look me up and I will show you what I am fighting > against maybe then you would understand UR a little > better.Its the type of organization that we love you > but if you leave - dont come back,its that deep brother > Also just to set the record straight me,ritchy,john, > dan bell and Mike Himes all get along just fine ask > em if you need too!IN the future never ever take words > or statements that others have said and equate them to > me!feel free to fax me and i will get back to you > when time allows fax no.313.963.1025 > > peace and stay low,stay strong - out MAD MIKE -------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER De gemeente Almelo aanvaardt voor haar medewerkers geen enkele aansprakelijkheid voor eventueel onjuist, onrechtmatig of ontoelaatbaar geacht gebruik van e-mail (inclusief bijlagen). 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