Alex Bond wrote:
>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??
In the words of Mike himself, when a similar question was asked in '95:
http://music.hyperreal.org/library/publicity/underground_resistance/mad_mike_speaks
Also very relevant IMO in regards to the recent Jeff Mills discussion about
whether/how to progress with techno.
Otto
--------------------------------------------------
This email from Underground Resistance's Mad Mike appeared on the 313 list:
Date: Thu, 03 Aug 1995 03:29:13 -0400 (EDT)
From: Somewhere In Detroit <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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
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