Take a look at this nice video on RA’s Real Scene section about Detroit, MI.
Detroit nowadays has a lot of unemployment problems and looks like an abandoned city: economy collapsed and buildings are falling apart, in 2013 Detroit filed the largest municipal bankruptcy case in U.S. history.
There was a time when Detroit was a florid huge automobile production centre (GM, Chrysler, and Ford) and lots of people migrated to the city and the suburbs to work, black people especially. But what I want to talk about Detroit is something more important: it’s called TECHNO.
Detroit is the city where techno was born from the mind and the fingers of some eclectic youngsters and their enthusiastic friends, it was the place where in the early 80s the Electrifying Mojo would use the airwaves to spread the new language, it was a place where you could go and dance your ass off in abandoned buildings or improvised clubs with a new dark and synthethic sound. This was not Chicago with its House funky beats, not even New York and its Disco shit. Detroit was cold, decaying, racially instable, poor, post industrial and dark.
Detroit music scene was always one step ahead of anywhere else. Not only because of Techno, it was also the place where a lot of Northern Soul music was produced, home for the Motown and for Thelma Records, Groove City Records, Ge Ge Records, D-Town, Carla Records and many many more.
The conjunction for the birth of techno may relies here: a strong northern soul/funk legacy fused with popular Chicago House mixed up with sci-fi and Futuristic imaginery, Acid House and post industrial rage.
This is what I think made Detroit techno producers so unique: the ability to groove and to catch your soul.
there is a splendid documentary called High-Tech Soul to watch if you want to learn about the details of how everything came up togheter from the famous Belleville three (Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson) and how they needed to move to Europe (England) to legitimete themselves.
You guys all know Giulio Maresca and if you don’t you should.
he’s a hell of a dj, a skilled producer, a former label owner at Ipologica Recordings, a radio producer and a sweet and nice guy.
I know him since forever and he was kind enough to partecipate on my Upon Alpacas ep with a great remix.
The ep consists of three originals. They all move around dub techno/deep tech vibes but definetely there is Giulio’s touch as I listen to the tracks: to me his fingerprint consists in an absolute control over the musical elements in the mix plus an outstanding use of delays, but I will ask directly to him what his music is about.
So… welcome to the new session of my blog called Q&A!
Q&A with mr. Giulio Maresca:
Q: How much you like delays, how do you use’em and why?
A: I love delays, I usually use Ableton’s Ping Pong for its flexibility and ease of use. I like Softube’s Tube Delay for the sound and pitch modulation by varying the feedback, and I like the soft distortion it adds. I use also Timeless Fab Filter because it gives a lot of of creative possibilities given by the filters and lfo. Usually I use delays on send channels: Ableton’s Auto Filter on band pass mode with active lfo and random wave form goes before Ping Pong Delay, so the elements that I send to the delay often variate creating interesting patterns.
Q: Did you produce the track in your studio? and if so what’s your studio setup?
A: I mainly use Ableton Live with some external hardware like a Korg ESX, Korg Volca Bass and Volca Beats, an electric guitar and a multi-effects pedal which I use also with the drum machines (Giulio started out as a punk guitarist as myself. yeppa!). When I have the chance to play different synths or drum machines I sometimes sample them for later use. The three tracks were produced in different places, starting on my laptop so to save first ideas than the mixes were finalized in studio.
Q: Which a record that is never missing in your suitcase.
A: Probably PONTAPE’ by Renato Cohen on Intec, one of my favorite records!
special thanks to Giulio for his time and tips and make sure to check out his music and share it.
Few months ago I met Simone, a local dj known as Cutter, a nice and distinguished guy with a cutting sense of humour I talked to many times at the glorious Glucose techno night in Rome.
We decided to get togheter producing some tracks and we quickly discovered we were a perfect match, we could produce music easily and we were really excited about what we produced. Further Pushers were born!
We compiled a demo and contacted three labels we thought could be interested in. We got no reply and we decided to print the vinyls ourselves. FUCK YEAH!
We first mixed the three tracks we choose to release at Subsound Studio in Rome with the help of Luciano Lamanna a really talented and enthusiastic guy who was really impressed by our work. We mastered the tracks at Andrea Merlini’s studio (one of the best mastering technician in Rome and also part of the famous Minimal Rome crew) cause we decided to keep it local.
Everything went so fast and we were ready to send the files to the printing factory. We decided to print only 150 copies cause we didn’t know how actually the game worked so we kept it kinda low profile.
Then Luciano Lamanna got us into his label/collective called Love Blast and we were happy to be part of a local community with friends and skilled producers.
Now the vinyl is out and we are so fracking excited.
(the digital will be also released on the 14th on every major digital music stores)
Some technical info about the records.
We recorded the tracks jamming on our cheap synths and drum machines: we used a MC303 , a MC505, a MFB522, a Yamaha TG33, an drrum machine called Eko Ritmo20 and some pedals fx like the Ibanez Tube Screamer and the Memory Boy. Plus we used some field recordings.
Further Pushers’ debut reviewed on Pattern Burst. A track by track review plus a focus over contemporary underground techno scene. make sure to read it through.
With all the chest beating and soul-searching that has accompanied the massive changes to the musical landscape in the last few years, it would be easy to think that we are heading into an end-times where all music will finally be defeated by the forces of evil. Digital platforms, if we are to believe the hype, have probably killed music off for good. Sales are down, piracy rampant, and even if you can get your hands on new music it will probably be by some teenage idiot utilising a cracked copy of FL studio to stick some low bit rate samples of the Amen break behind one of their mates singing about smoking weed.
It’s not exactly true though, is it? Those who once benefited from what were essentially cartels are still scrambling to repair the cash pipeline that ruptured as more and more methods of distribution came online. And…
When Edwards moved from LA to New York City he met with Ron Morelli, founder of Long Island Electrical Systems (L.I.E.S.), and togheter they worked at A1 Records. they must have shared same taste and ideas about techno and house music and the same vision of lofi machine driven bangers.
He is native from Los Angeles and produces jacky house, with elements of ’80s electro, acid, ghetto house, and the first iterations of Detroit techno – this is straight from the XLR8R page where you can download his podcast as well 😉
this is the single from “for club use only” 15th releases for L.I.E.S. and released on 2012
this other ep features Edwards teaming up with british FunkinEven. great “ohmyohmy..” track with lots of distorted claps and a solid bouncing bass line.
the ep was released in 2013 for Apron Records
I got to tell you, I watch VEGUCATED and I really really enjoyed it.
Of course some tears fall from my eyes but it’s ok, it’s an emotional issue for me…seeing ppl getting to know what Veganism is about, going through the “eyes opening” process and so on, it’s a good thing for me. I always get touched.
the movie is directed by Marisa Miller Wolfson and won the Best Documentary at Toronto Independent Film Festival in 2011.
Really, I recommend everyone to see the movie, especially kids in school.
It’s not just terrifying images of slaughterhouses movie (yes, something you’ll see but…) and the story is real: three different persons get initiated to the vegan diet, through medical visits, lectures, documentaries and trips to farms. everything falls into its right place: once you open your eyes and see what actually means eating meat you cannot go back anymore.