Style: Detroit Electro | Electro | Machine Funk | Electro Bass | UK Electro | Breakbeat Electro
Description:
While I was in Detroit recently for Movement, driving through streets that have felt familiar for more than twenty years now, I found myself talking about DJing, as I tend to do.
More specifically, I was talking about how I’ve been “playing a lot of electro” lately.
My Detroit friends are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met. They’re also incredibly patient.
Aux Mind 2005 by Aux 88 was playing on the radio. I don’t remember the exact wording, but it became clear pretty quickly that there was a disconnect between what I meant by “electro” and what they meant by “electro.”
In my mind, electro meant cold, detached vocals. Retro-futurism. Leather. Fetish. Maybe something French. Sure, Detroit electro included Cybotron, but it also included Adult., right? Electronic punk. Electroclash. Darkwave-adjacent things.
Then we started talking about Stingray.
He was scheduled to close The Underground later that day, playing back-to-back with Ellen Allien. I was excited. The previous two times I’d intended to hear him, Detroit had happened — plans changed, adventures emerged, other DJs were heard in other places. Still fun, but I was overdue for a proper Stingray fix.
“Stingray plays electro.”
Right.
I was starting to understand that my personal definition of electro had probably been forged somewhere else entirely.
If I had to pinpoint it, I’d trace it back to Montreal and DJ Mini.
I don’t know if she knows this, but while I was living in Montreal — despite being a little junglist running around in camouflage with my junglist crew — Mini was always my favourite DJ. I loved hearing her play at Parking in the Village. She played what I thought of as electro.
A Montreal electro.
Not a Detroit electro.
Suddenly, everything started making sense.
I haven’t actually been playing much electro lately.
I’ve been playing darkwave. Coldwave. Industrial. Post-punk. EBM.
So when I was sending my Detroit friends links to Electro Vol. 01, Vol. 02, and Vol. 03 (with promises of more on the way), they were understandably confused.
What the hell was I talking about?
Then Stingray dropped Life Is A Nightmare by ATM & Philthtrax.
And it clicked.
Oh.
I get it now.
So I did what crate diggers do.
I dug.
This is the first volume of 100% Pure Electro.
This isn’t Montreal, folks.
This is Detroit.
🎧
Tracklist:
- Aux 88 – Detroit Non Stop
- Cybotron – Parallel Shift
- Radioactive Man – Do It TIll You’re Satisfied
- Anthony Rother – Darker Places (Short Edit)
- Sir Hiss & K-65 – Wild Strikes
- Sam Binga & Fracture – Trippin’
- Addison Groove – DTF
- Xkylar – Go Out
- James Shinra – 1310Clap
- Addison Groove – Bay Be
- Jensen Interceptor – Mactavis
- Client_03 – Interest Reset
- ATM & Philthtrax – Life Is A Nightmare
- Will Hofbauer – Whiplash
- Oldboy – Extender
- Detroit In Effect – You Gone Get Down
- Cyan85 – Get Ya Up
- Pura Pura – Just Gettin’ Hot
- yunè pinku – Affection
- Human Rebellion – Soulless Humans
- London Modular Alliance – Broken Remote
- Aloka – Concave
- Aux 88 – Aux Mind 2005
Like what you hear? Help spread the word:
https://soundcloud.com/accomplice/100-pure-electro-vol-01