20. Eddie Flashin Fowlkes - Time to Express (1989)
An underrated gem from an underrated producer of Detroit's first wave, Time to Express's sample list foreshadows key influences in the city's emerging techno scene: Kraftwerk, Telex, Yazoo, Art of Noise. Silo Mix offers freestyle; The techno mix is even more complex.
19. DJ Bone – Cultural Diversity (2014)
The best place to start for Detroit native Bone is to listen to the stunning three-deck recordings of his DJing known as Video Attack 41, then delve into his lengthy catalogue: the highlights are too numerous and varied to list. , but interesting cultural variations - African chants, jazz keyboards, percussion rhythms - spoil everything.
18. Blake Baxter – When We Played (1987)
Although Blake Baxter has earned the title "Prince of Techno", he feels like a normal person, somewhat overshadowed by his first wave peers. When We Have to Play was co-produced by Kevin Saunderson and he's absolutely brilliant. Despite all the endless introductions to long passages of pure rhythm, it carries a strange, poignant melancholy.
17. Kenny Larkin – Azimuth (1994)
For Kenny Larkin, a minor figure in Detroit techno's second wave (he calls himself "famous for not being famous"), his reticence does not reflect his artistry. You can get completely lost in the complex, babbling layers of the title track from his debut album: somewhere in between there is a clear hint of jazz.
16. Martin – Star Dancer (1992)
The B-side, credited to the mysterious "Will Thomas", may be the culmination of the mysterious 'Red Planet' episode of '12, which is believed to be the work of an underground resistance. Whoever made Star Dancer is incredible: evil dragonfly, nasty two-note bass line, huge wave of flanger electronics, great climax.
15. Drexia – Andrean Sand Dunes (1999)
Deciphering the discography of Drexia, aka James Stinson and Gerald Donald, and their aquamarine take on Afrofuturist mythology is quite a task: there are no obvious standouts or easy starting points. But Drexier's hugely influential take on electronic music often hits like Andrian Sand Tunes: solid beats with incredibly beautiful synths.
14. K-Hand – Starz (1995)
The late Kelly Hand was the first lady of Detroit techno, a brilliant producer in a male-dominated world. His Acacia Classics compilations boast a rich back catalog—check out the raw, edgy funk of Come On Now Baby—but Starz is his signature masterpiece: addictive yet funny, powerful yet hypnotic.
13. Underground Resistance - The Last Frontier (1992)
The defining characteristic of the musical collective Underground Resistance is that they are techno's public enemies: Detroit's most uncompromising purveyors of Afrofuturist electronica. But the manifestos and rhetoric wouldn't mean much if the music weren't so good: the sharp acid line on Final Frontier, the beat rooted - like techno itself - in electro, and the inviting atmospheric synth notes.
12. Robert Hood - The Sleep Cycle (1994)
As a result, the former UR member almost single-handedly creates an entire subgenre: minimal techno has other core elements, but Hood's album Minimal Nation is his original. Sleep Cycle boldly strips its sound down to its essentials, creating a magical world where small, gradual changes in sound are energizing.
11. DJ Minx – A Walk in the Park (2004)
“Walk in the Park,” recorded while Minx's husband was taking their daughter to the store, is an irresistible minimalist cocktail: punchy bass, tropical percussion, jazzy chords. Moodyman's recent remix (not on this list because he's not a techno producer, which is a different genre in itself) is also excellent.
10. Floor Plan - Never Grow Old (Transplantation) (2013)
Written by Robert Hood and his daughter, "Never Grow Old" is both techno and deeply spiritual soul music, complemented by a sample from Aretha Franklin's legendary gospel album "Amazing Grace." The tension between the intrusive voice and the insistent, fast electronic pulse is incredibly strong.
9. Cybotron – Clear (1983)
Cybotron - Juan Atkins and Richard Davis, the last Vietnam vet who changed his name to 3070 - are cornerstones of Detroit techno, and Clear is their finest moment. It still sounds great 40 years later, thanks to the Afrofuturistic-inspired power plant on the electricity meter.
8. Reese - I Want Another Chance (1988)
A hugely influential debut from Growling Ridge bassist Kevin Saunderson, who has been featured on numerous drum and bass, UK garage and dubstep tracks since the mid-90s: so much so that it seems strange to hear him today on a track from the late 80s. , as if the word fell through a wormhole in time.
7. People with Paper Clips - Drop It (1994)
Carl Craig's catalog is so diverse that it is difficult to single out one piece as the best. Less's jazz drums and powerful electronics are gone, but Let's Get Thrown, released under one of his many aliases, fuses techno and house DJs with a magical cover from LCD Soundsystem that has the sheer ability to hypnotize. Example of dance floor spells
6. Jeff Mills – Bells (1996)
Mills calls The Bells a "handy DJ tool" that effectively supports the incredible power of its theme, "something I can say hello to." It's incredibly haunting - a track with heavily distorted beats - and surprisingly subtle in the way the acidic melodies rise and fall in intensity.
5. Model 500 - No UFO (1985)
After Cybotron, Juan Atkins refined his sound with the album No UFO. He shared Cybotron's ambivalent vision for the future - "They say there's no hope / They say UFOs don't exist" - but refined the music, making it blacker and less susceptible to European electronica. The result is so innovative that it is difficult to imagine that it was created back in 1985.
4. Aztec Mysticism – Jaguar (1999)
Jaguar, a Detroit techno track crossed into the regulated dance world featuring Jeff Mills and Paul Oakenfold, became so popular that it spawned several European covers. The noise is still clear: it's incredibly addictive, gradually building towards a climax with the synthesized echo of dramatic disco strings.
3. Galaxy 2 Galaxy – High-tech jazz (1993)
Underground Resistance's output may be harsh - militant music from militant artists - but the high-tech jazz (from Galaxy 2 Galaxy, written by members of the group) is no less beautiful. Combining jazz saxophone, electro, techno and house, he exists in his own exciting, expansive musical universe and has experienced an unexpected but well-deserved rise in popularity thanks to the soundtrack to the video game Midnight Club.
2. Rhythm is rhythm – Strings of Life (1987)
An attempt to revive the optimism lost after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., "Strings of Life" quickly became an enduring anthem on the world's dance floors. It's so well-known that it's easy to forget what a strange and experimental track it is: a bold, bassless, salsa-influenced Detroit Symphony sample.
1. Downtown - The Good Life (1988)
Kevin Sanderson's Inner City's Big Fun was a product of the techno compilation era of 1988! Detroit's new dance sound: poppier, simpler, more Chicago-house-influenced than Sanderson's Detroit peers ("It's a crossover," noted the producer). The same goes for "Good Life" - with its irresistible escapism from the pen to the dance floor, an attempt to create a modern track equal to the quality of "Chico", and it succeeds quite well - although the Detroit atmosphere is still felt throughout, from the metallic tones of the synth to internal name of the city. Timeless, joyful - as befits a producer from The Elevator - and untouchable, this is the perfect single.
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