Feeling nostalgic to talk about '90s Detroit Techno.

[Oddz313]

Bagley Optical around 2006 and a couple parties at Berts and CAID around the same time period until maybe 2007 was about the end for me but the real rave days were like 99-2001 for me.

[detroitrbychoice]

Oh Transmat....I actually worked at the old Science Center-announcing IMAX shows and running the gift store [[swiped a yo-yo that later got swiped from me by a porn actress). Funny thing about sitting there bored reading Philip K. Dick and William Gibson books and looking up to see a giant lunar capsule suspended from the ceiling.

Dude I had that same job around the turn of the century [[HA!), 99-00 ish. Got to play some Lunar lander in the half floor every now and then.

[shellodrewery]

I must be a little older, but for me the sweet spot of 90s techno was approx. '92-'93, with the early Voom parties being particularly memorable:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/csghol...7624415611611/

Note the 11.21.92 party at the Bankle Bldg. with Richie Hawtin still as "Richie Rich."

I think a good part of what made this period interesting [[at least for me…) was the relative lack of a predictable, formulaic look or expected pattern of behavior at shows. Still alot of folks from the old Music Institute / 1515 scene still hanging around, but also a large[[r) presence of white suburban kids explicitly interested in pushing cultural boundaries in a semi-intentional way.

Something like the you-never-know-what-might-happen-next [[and hence what is possible??) sense that people must have felt when punk started in 1976 or something… [[forgive the extravagance here…)??

Also long trips to Record Time in Roseville...

[G-DDT]

Wow! Thanks for everyone contributing. Yes, I do believe sincerely that this should all be documented, and should a book ever be written, I'd be honored to contribute. Oh, got the Metropolitan Detroit magazine with you mentioned in it, Lowell.
First off, the yo-yo story: I once lived in an old punk rock house in the Cass Corridor [[yeh, I called in that!), and I met a couple who frequented parties and fancied themselves Chaos sex-magick types. I mostly took hits from bongs, nodded politely, and borrowed Burroughs and Leary books I wish I never read. When they moved out to Cali-the woman changed her name to I.V. [[initials only, here, folks), and the guy later reported to me that when the techno lockdowns occurred nationwide, folks tried to do them in the desert, only to have copters swarm in on them. I heard some Native American Reservations were down with hosting a few with out Federal invasion. The yo-yo [[which I painted with the words "Can You Get to That?") is probably being used as some fetish to curse my life into perpetual hell. Then again, that also started around the same time I met a K-zoo [[home of Upjohn) girl who messed me up [[and others) and now claims to be a fund-raiser for Eli-Lily in Mexico.
Second, a similar incident of collapse happened to me at Crack & Hellville. I was going to drop in on a technician friend of mine [[really high-demand, talented guirella-style-sic-sound and lighting technician) and burn one. Luckily, I ditched my stuff a block away, but I still reeked of it. He wasn't there, but the cops busted things up really quick. Some huge guy [[with the same name as the lead singer of a famous 1980's British psychedelic-punk band) suddenly lies down on the floor and won't get up. The security guard remaining [[who was stiffed on pay) starts screaming and slapping at this unconscious dude to wake up, before storming off. I was one of only eight persons who stuck around for hours [[along with an old biker dude and his hot girlfriend a third of his age), pouring water into and onto this guy, until bit by bit, he was more and more responsive, and eventually could stand and walk. I mention this, because it is one of my true regrets-that I didn't act appropriately and cart this big guy [[not that I could carry him) to a hospital, right away. I reckon he's doing a lot better, but man, do I feel like a cowardly ......... for that one-just because I smelled like herb and was afraid of what the authorities would start asking me about this zonked-out Elias Big Boy ditched there by his ride.
Yeah, the Firehouse was around Milwaukee, also, but that afterhours was Afterburner, which later moved to Woodward as a "legitimate" copy and internet store [[described as an "office party gone wrong" by those going to the continuing functions there complete with tanks)-that is, until the proprietor got shot. Hope he's doing better. After all, he's the first person to show me my first online Star Wars parody [["Uh, who's droid is this?..uh-huh it's your cousin's").
As far as 91'-92'. Yeah, I heard about the functions being slamming. The guy who got me high for the first time used to work at a law firm on Woodward and moonlight at those parties [["They got smartdrinks, dude, seriously!"-uh-huh, okay...remember that blip on the cultural lintroller?!). My one roommate [[the punk rock house, remember?-no, not "Brick's") often went to those functions, and he talked of a cat who went around in the dark with a straight pin giving quick, sharp jabs to the heiney's of the kid's standing around dressed like fools. Gawd, it would've been awe-inspiring to see all of that go down from the late 1980's up until the time I actually came onboard.

[G-DDT]

Oh, I forgot...I liked those record stores brave enough to support the scene. Threads was one. Record Time in Roseville was another with it's one techno wing. I'd like to here more about the coffeehouses, as well. I can't remember if I/O did techno [[but I remember seeing Cobra Youth and Frank Pahl play there for a Tyree Guyton event-which isn't techno, but....). I can't remember if the Zone in Dearborn supported techno, either-maybe I'm thinking about the coffeehouse at U of D. Asteroids had a hive-like mentality, and Cloud Nine in Hamtramck seemed way loose.
My first Cass Corridor experience was the Dalley in 91', and we later ended up at the infamous Red Door where a D.J. was spinning remixes. Heard about the waterlogged Bank afterspot [[where the proprietor there was dragged down from the rafters he was hiding in by the feds raiding it-so it goes). Eastern Market was the place [[if not Lafayette Apartments or Grand River) for "Ku-wazy" afterhours.
I stayed mostly loyal to a few locations. I'm having more memories come to me about the Theatre. Like how our Laser-guy freaked and called the bombsquad on us. There was the time our treasurer totally brushed off a chance to have Afrika Bambaataa come in and play an impromptu set. Man, my boss laughed off both occurrences.
When the scene shutdown, the club scenes prospered greatly from the new graduation [[and the eventual upgrade to the "Devil's Dandruff" that settled into folk's nostrils-Geez! didn't anyone learn anything from the '70s.) of clientele. The Motor [[formerly the Falcon) made out big, and ditched it's cigar bar imagery. I worked there, too. Unfortunately, watching the events that led up to a security guy raping a girl forced me to realize I don't fair well in those settings.
Speaking of bummers, I need to know what went down at the Contemporary bust in 2008. I used to hang there. I was in Rochester [[NY), when that ugliness went down. Caught many articles, but watching John Oliver recently jogged my memory.

[Islandman]

Yeah, I heard about that CAID drama. That was not cool. Strangely enough, Jon Oliver just covered this raid on his new show: http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/arch...-the-caid-raid

Threads still supports the techno scene. I think it's about the only record store that does. Mikel is the man. Really laid back.

There was one book trying to document the history of Detroit Techno by Dan Sicko, a Detroiter [[RIP): http://ghostly.com/news/2010/4/719-g...-techno-rebels

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/ne...at-42-20110829

I wish Mojo would have done a book on the techno scene. His show was the main inspiration for many techno artists. He exposed Detroiters to the European scene of techno, as well as other genres [[synthwave, etc.). If anything should be digitally archived, his shows should be. I remember years ago there was a site that had a ton of his shows. At least you can still grab Wizard remixes on the net.

[motz]

Yeah, I heard about that CAID drama. That was not cool. Strangely enough, Jon Oliver just covered this raid on his new show: http://www.metrotimes.com/Blogs/arch...-the-caid-raid

Last time I went to CAID was about 2006 for a Funk Night event with a friend. We brought a 30 pack and a fifth of some liquor, sold half the 30 pack to cover the booze and cover and danced the night away. Problem was that, I would guess, half the crowd was underage, with some even being high school age. When my friend was chatting up a lady on the dance floor and she said "How old are you?", he responded and asked her the same... response was "Oh, I'm 16! I go to high school out in Utica!". That's when we decided to part out the rest of the beer and get out. Couple of months later, place got raided.

Lots of these types of venues and parties seem to be way too lax with admission. I don't think the BYOB part is too big of a deal unless on a grand scale, but not carding is where you can really get in deep sh*t. Once you involve drinking + underage teens, WXYZ and concerned suburban moms and whatnot raise a stink and basically forces the hand of the police.

I do still wish there was a place or two to go afterhours to dance. Sometimes I will have obligations until 12-1am and afterwards, I want to go and jam out for a few hours... The Works, while still around, is just kind of gross these days and I'm actively trying to avoid the Ruskies having narrowly missed a raid or two back in the day.

[G-DDT]

Lots of these types of venues and parties seem to be way too lax with admission. I don't think the BYOB part is too big of a deal unless on a grand scale, but not carding is where you can really get in deep sh*t. Once you involve drinking + underage teens, WXYZ and concerned suburban moms and whatnot raise a stink and basically forces the hand of the police.

Yeah, the drinking was something we avoided at the Theatre. We created an environment that tried to be safe for teens and young adults and not tick off the cops. It's a miracle the scene could mostly provide just that kind of somewhat stability for many teens wanting to break free and get social near Detroit on the weekends, no matter where they were from [[I still meet veterans who go on about how much networking and margin of autonomy was granted to them at such an uncertain and naive time in their life. They speak well as if it were a necessity towards development or something). While we cracked down on bulk drugs, we tended to shrug off [[ as did most of the cops we let walk through-come to think of it, this goes for almost every Detroit cop I've encountered) when little circles collected in corners to blaze one, and it's not like we could be ever vigilant on the little, personal stuff the kids were crafty and "competent [[?!)" enough to sneak in for themselves. The more "responsible [[again-?!)" afterhours were very watchful about keeping out kids not even old enough to drink. It's amazing how many late shift folks [[especially those working at other bars and nightclubs) really relied on the afterhours as a place to cut loose and unwind after all the formal stuff they do serving others at their own job. Foolish and wordy bias aside...were these scenes perfect? Far from. Were there many bad avenues to go down? Oh, many. Was the scene being fully tracked and monitored by higher sources. Very much so....

Ah... The Electrifyin' Mojo....played a lot of Prince, Whodini, and got really out there while still knowing which way is up. It wasn't always easy to get his show on the dial, but when you hit the frequency.... [["The W-w-w-WHIZaaahd!"! Ha ha! Yeah!)-how dare I forget just how great Detroit radio once was [[that's for another thread topic). I was lucky to know a lot of radio D.J.s. Space Nate at WHFR was always trying to get Techno up and off the ground; once he brought in an Indianapolis friend of mine from the Docile label to spin on air. Also, Larry [[Life According to...-no affiliation to the MacFarland pilot) Hoffman and Liz Copeland [[at WDET) were very eclectic and tried to get folks to see the value in Techno music and it's roots. I think it was Martin Bandyke that played over-polished electro a lot in the early evening slot at 101.9. Brave New Waves [[oh, man-what was her name?!) on 89.9 played REALLY out there experimental noise music, and that's how I heard a lot of the Ninja Tune label stuff or Mille Plateaux.

[G-DDT]

Ah-it was Patti Schmidt that did Brave New Waves [[bless her heart). Perhaps my brains are not old and scrambled, after all. In your face, ENO!

[Islandman]

Braves New Waves was my second favorite radio show. Her "breathless" delivery was always a nice touch. That exposed me to Depeche Mode et al. I first heard Behind the Wheel in the wee hours of the morning on there.

[motz]

Braves New Waves was my second favorite radio show. Her "breathless" delivery was always a nice touch. That exposed me to Depeche Mode et al. I first heard Behind the Wheel in the wee hours of the morning on there.

I really think this is something an entire generation is going to miss, and that makes me sad. I was able to experience the tail end of this, I spent more than a few nights with my lights out, curled up in bed next to my alarm clock radio enjoying what the radio had to offer at night. Thankfully WDET has Alpha, but I wish there were more options out there.

[Islandman]

I really think this is something an entire generation is going to miss, and that makes me sad. I was able to experience the tail end of this, I spent more than a few nights with my lights out, curled up in bed next to my alarm clock radio enjoying what the radio had to offer at night. Thankfully WDET has Alpha, but I wish there were more options out there.

Completely agree motz. At the time I was listening to BNW, I lived at 7 Mile and Southfield Freeway. I had a cheap JC Penney ghetto blaster with 2 tape decks [[and 8 track!). I would have to flip the radio upside down to get the signal from Canada.

While visiting town last week I stayed at St. Regis a couple of nights and caught a radio show called Echoes, also on WDET. While not as amazing as BNW, it gave me hope.

Not electronic per se, but very eclectic.

[G-DDT]

I need a little more recollection on certain parties. What were the best stand-outs? Better still....Halloween is coming up; what was the best Halloween party [[particularly club or techno in nature) that rocked? The only party I really regret missing while I worked at the Theater was the Halloween gig [[took the weekend off and went to a friends party dressed as a Sumatran Rat-Monkey-she was too much tripping to handle that; laughed my testicles off when some friends came as Ponch and John from C.Hi.P.S.-their mere presence riled-up some confused, uncostumed high-ons in the back kitchen to bolt out the backdoor in a panic and empty all of their bags of herb into the bushes.). I heard that the Theater party was off the chizzain-but seeing as my birthday was the next day, I didn't want to spend it cleaning up after a wild function.

Of course, I know a lot of Goth and industrial venues treated Halloween like it was 12 days of Christmas or something. I just didn't get much reporting back to me that Labrynth was a blast [[though I knew an ex-Noir Leather employee who spun there), and CityClub was much too early for me [[yet Harpos and Blondies wasn't, for some reason). Heck! what was the name of that goth coffeehouse/afterhours near Capitol Park near the old synagogue?

[motz]

Completely agree motz. At the time I was listening to BNW, I lived at 7 Mile and Southfield Freeway. I had a cheap JC Penney ghetto blaster with 2 tape decks [[and 8 track!). I would have to flip the radio upside down to get the signal from Canada.

While visiting town last week I stayed at St. Regis a couple of nights and caught a radio show called Echoes, also on WDET. While not as amazing as BNW, it gave me hope.

Not electronic per se, but very eclectic.

WDET features Echoes, which is produced in NYC if I remember right, every night from [[correct me if I am wrong) 11pm-1am. It's a great program for late night, amazing to drive around to when the roads are half empty. From 1am until 5am they have a huge collection of live sets, mixes, DJ shows [[The Progressive Underground and Sunday Sessions are both WDET shows) and whatnot that play through the night. I've caught some real bangers on the way home from the suburbs on the weekends, and will often put it on later at night if I am trying to grind away at something. WDET really is doing their part in keeping that late-night electronic music tradition alive, and I wish other stations would take note.

[56packman]

Wow, what an education into a lifestyle I know very little about. Your parents must be so proud.

[Islandman]

Wow, what an education into a lifestyle I know very little about. Your parents must be so proud.

Please expound on your statement. I'm a parent myself, with two honor roll students in AP classes. And, as far as I know, my parents are pretty proud of me.

Or, are you insinuating that all people involved in a subculture you state you have no clue about, are all dirtbags?

[motz]

Wow, what an education into a lifestyle I know very little about. Your parents must be so proud.

Awwww, this is so cute You do realize that electronic music is as important to Detroit's history as Motown, right? In my opinion, I actually hold Detroit Techno a bit higher because it's "founder[[s)" didn't leave the city when they got the chance. Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May, Juan Atkins, Eddie Fawlkes, Carl Craig, etc still play Detroit on a very regular basis and are still very involved in the city.

[Islandman]

Jeff Mills, whom I consider a key player, moved to Chitown, but yeah, the rest those folks are still in Detroit Metro.

He's probably still upset the Packard Plant shut down and was used by dirty ravers, or some other nonsense.

[motz]

Jeff Mills, whom I consider a key player, moved to Chitown, but yeah, the rest those folks are still in Detroit Metro.

He's probably still upset the Packard Plant shut down and was used by dirty ravers, or some other nonsense.

Actually he was abducted by aliens and transplanted to Chicago against his will

Edit - The other big thing is that those who have moved on to other cities still visit very regularly. I could name a whole bunch, but what matters is that every artist that started here still supports, visits and most importantly, is proud of their city.

[G-DDT]

word.-and I mean, word.

[G-DDT]

So far, I'd like to thank folks for all they've contributed so far. Haven't heard any memories about stellar parties they recall [[or barely recall) or aspects like breakdance squads, and such. I am glad some folks still believed it wasn't just about drugs [[as I may've stated before, just like some of the Spinner factions of the Deadheads, there were groups-maybe within PLUR-who were straight edge/drug-free about their partying). Also, I'm glad some folks recall it was about flexing that constitutional right for folks to freely and unmaliciously convene with impunity. ....and yes, I'm glad folks remember all the opposition we faced in doing so from such elements like p*ss-poor promoters [[one-page ads in the Metro Times swearing they won't get shut-down), Fox News, or the cops. In fact, I just remembered [[uh-oh, here he goes again) that it was common for certain cops to sweep the parties they busted, look for little baggies of rapidly discarded drugs, go up to a naive lookin' kid, hold out their hand and say "Hey, How are ya' doin'"-kid stupidly shakes, baggie is now in their hand and now they are being busted for possession. All along we though they were there to uphold justice and prevent crime, not go out of their way to incriminate folks. Tsk-tsk.

[rex]

I used to like the hip hop parties myself. Seen all the wutang clan individually and separate. Remember when eminem was at Mack and Bellview sucking down balloons. I think a friend got pics of that, didn't dr dre go on stage with him? I dont recall it being a good performance either. Heiroglyphics, Pharcyde. I have trouble remembering who else. Get in the car at 5am and you cant read the street signs. Crack sunday at velvet. This is all back when I used to go out and know people. I dont do shit anymore. There arent really parties like this today are there? Some random warehouse where you walk from 1 side to the other and have 10 people try and sell you ELK? Is K even a thing anymore? I wear a size 32.... I used to buy size 40 skatepants. You could have fit 2 of me in those things. Some of those parties weren't small either. Kids packed into those spaces like sardines, could hardly move, couldnt breath,sweaty bodies all over you. Late 90s i was going to phish shows too. That was almost a dirtier scene. I dont remember much dope at parties and you would see people nodded out on tour all the time.

[G-DDT]

The Grind was a place where a lot of house and hip hop was bumpin'. It was difficult to get every genre represented into the amalgam that was techno, but I now wish more of that in particular was present.
Yeah, regarding tanks, those brought a lot of trouble, that's why the theater avoided them. Yet, almost every afterhours....to me, that's about as bad as it would get. That's why we all busted out laughing when Fox News would produce these contrived party websites "graphically telling one what drugs to expect-like crack and heroin." Yeeee well, I don't think those were quite the partyer's choice. Flipped-out typical media hoaxin' [[Ben Franklin was an artist and an innovator at it, so we have that "good man" to thank for the proliferation of lies we've inherited today).

[G-DDT]

Just want to let folks know I uploaded a bunch of techno flyers and such [[including a funny notice from the "Welcome to My House" guy) onto two albums on my profile page. I hope it's accessible [[let me know if it isn't) and memorable [[that I'd like to know, as well).

[G-DDT]

Came across a Facebook site called "Detroit Raves '96-'01" [[yeah, I know, "Rave"-right?). It actually had a lot of insight to the locations, flyers [[way more than my collection), some cool crowd pics [[zoom in on them and move the cursor around to find names),and many articles. One article was from May of 2013 on Buzzfeed called "Rave Kids in '90s VS. Rave Kids Today". The comparison is accurate and stark. I really believe folks who were into the serious aspect of supporting Techno music were more freaks of the mind than freaks of superficial style. We had a contained inner sun in us that allowed us to communicate effortlessly-not on small, shallow things or hanging on a keeping up an artificial "feeling" [[that can be "threatened" by gravitous intellectual, in depth talk). We were wiser, and never felt we had to desperately prove anything to anyone. We abhorred genre-ism in the '90s, and never felt we had to project an affectatious image just to desperately fit in and belong with some identity-any identity [[a problem, far too many cyber-culture/Burning Man/ Comicon culture folks dwell in-remember what Mr. Wolf said: "Just because you are a character, doesn't mean you have character."). A lot of what I see now is Bimbo airheadedness.
This is not to say that there weren't those who became 2-dimensional effigies in our midst. We had Candy Raver/Kandi kids all around us. Funnier still, there was a derisive term for the testosterone-driven Night at the Roxbury types [["Bar Guidos" I think they were called) who came in from clubbing with their Vanilla Ice styling moose-jobs, tanning booth bronze, chain on the neck, with their club shirt open, ridiculously shmoozing on said Candy Ravers [[who avoided them-how very Roadrunner & Coyote).
No. The real folks dressed somewhat pragmatically and carried themselves in a reserved manner that indicated they may be the real movers and shakers who supported serious scenes in Chicago, New York, Germany, and the Netherlands. This, in itself, ran the threat of becoming different cookie cutter archetype I repeatedly saw: those that lived up to the "Electric Marshmallow" [[to borrow a phrase from Rahsaan Roland Kirk) lifestyle. They were androgynous, regimented dronish kids that wore neutral Gap or sports wear, lived in minimally pipe-and glass furnished living quarters, spent much time in front of computers, and smoked out of glass blown pipes kept in neat little padded bags. They displayed the same stoic, clinical, sterile, hive-like, emotionless manner of being that a lot of the Indie culture so gallingly projected [[ooh yeah, you're too sophisticated for emotions, like to unnerve others with your stonefaced conduct, but yet, you listen to music that complains about a world that's stepping on your heart and robbing you of your right to genuine feelings). No. real folks can break charcter to be silly and lighten the mood at a given moment, instead of trying to play up some cold Nihilist or existentially-angst-ridden Postmodern German crizzap.
Regardless, I will not be swayed otherwise-for my memories still recall being amongst the pocket of those that did their best to keep it real, even if there was a shadow of disturbing activity in the background that very well lurked behind every single one of them.