Detroit techno is more than just a genre—it’s a cultural movement, a philosophy, and an unstoppable creative force that has shaped the global electronic music landscape. Rooted in innovation and resilience, it has continuously evolved while maintaining its core identity. Stacey Pullen, a pivotal figure in this evolution, embodies the genre’s forward-thinking ethos. His [...]
Mike Clark. Agent X. The Ambassador. He’s one of the most pivotal, most essential figures in electronic music history, holding down the underground for Detroit house music before such a thing existed. In that time he’s worn a number of guises. Clark was part of one of the early DJ groups in the [...]
Known as The Godfather of House Music, Frankie Knuckles helped revolutionize electronic music in the '80s. - The Frankie Knuckles Foundation If the grandeur of disco reigned supreme in the '70s, the following decade belonged to the homespun productions of rogue DJs. "In the '80s, you got the introduction of relatively affordable music-making equipment," says World [...]
Visit these destinations to experience and understand the enduring power, prevalence and history of Black house music. As many already know, house music has always been heralded in Black and marginalized communities, and like many musical genres, it originated at a time when collective frustrations were high. While many identify the genre with the [...]
WORDS BY NEAL ANDREW EMIL GUSTAFSON AND JESSICA FORTUNE FENNER A strong relationship exists between the spiritual sounds of Chicago and the mechanical sonics of Detroit. The decades-strong alignment is rooted in their history of shared traditions within the Black American musical diaspora, their proximity, and their midwestern heart. Both cities contributed significantly to [...]
Reggie Dokes is a producer, a DJ, a composer for films and a 100% pure Detroit electronic music artist. Though he’s released records on influential labels and played big shows in cities around the world, Reggie is at heart a seeker, a follower in the tradition of great Black diaspora seekers like Sun Ra. His [...]
Photo Credit: Simon King/Redferns Amid Beyoncé and Drake dropping dance-centric albums, here’s a guide to the classics of Black dance music subgenres — from Chicago house to Baltimore Club. Thanks to Beyoncé and Drake releasing their own respective dance-centric albums — Renaissance and Honestly, Nevermind — there’s been a renewed interest in dance music — specifically Black dance music — in the mainstream. In [...]