2Lanes is the alias of Joe Linden. The DJ and producer seeks to keep the lifeblood of the Motor City’s electronic music legacy moving ever forward. Drawing inspiration from footwork and funk to social media networks like Vine, 2Lanes’ unique personality is right at home in Detroit’s diverse creative scene. Detroit Music Magazine sat…
In the world of Jeff Mills, Space Is the Place. That phrase comes from a 1974 film directed by John Coney, written by Joshua Smith and Sun Ra, and featuring the latter jazz musician. Although Mills is most readily associated with the second wave of Detroit techno, the many threads of his work and…
Guilty Simpson is Detroit’s son. His name holds serious weight in the Motor City and is recognized far beyond its 8 Mile border. If you’re reading this, it’s too late — Guilty is a staple of Detroit hip-hop. Guilty’s legacy can be traced back to the time of Slum Village, Eminem (whom he…
Vocalist Zee Bricker and instrumentalist Adam Michael Lee Padden are Tart, a Detroit-based duo making songs that are a unique union of sultry blues and shiny electro-pop. After their debut, 2014’s Knots and the single “Rabid Dogs,” the pair have kept busy writing, recording, and playing, and now they’re back with a brand new…
Juan Atkins is the creator of techno music. As many new genres of music begin, techno derived from new technologies powered by the curiosity of young musical pioneers. Atkins, along with two other forefathers, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, (known as the Bellville Three) cultivated a new musical style, influenced by the…
Producer Alex Kaye and vocalist Liana Vanicelli are Valley Hush, a Detroit-based experimental indie pop act whose music exudes a mystical enlightenment beyond their years but still exhibit a down-to-earth charm in person. Having recorded and released their first EP, To Feel Small, in a matter of only six months, the ambitious duo…
“Music is the universal language of mankind.” This line out of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Outre-Mer from 1835 seems as old as time itself but has been misquoted often enough that its sentiment rings hollow. The Internet, held in high esteem by many for its democratizing aims, has too often had a flattening effect on music. More of it is…
Gosh Pith is a young electronic duo that dabbles in the psychedelic and the soulful. Their self-proclaimed “cosmic-trap” seems to originate in the forgotten corner of the basement, where all the good stuff is stowed away. Consisting of Josh Smith and Josh Freed, Gosh Pith has received national acclaim for their first single, “Waves,”…
Since releasing their debut album, Wormfood, just over two years ago, the Detroit-based band Jamaican Queens have earned critical acclaim and become Motor City music royalty. But the group appears unbounded – either by city limits or stylistic conventions. Despite the title of their recently released single, “Bored + Lazy,” Jamaican Queens are…
An Ann Arbor-native, but longtime Detroit resident and musician, Shigeto is one of electronic music’s most intriguing figures. Shigeto (born Zachary Shigeto Saginaw) is able to practice musical exploration freely at his Rivertown Detroit, in-home studio. His label, Ghostly International (which has origins in Ann Arbor), boasts a long list of experimental, influential…