Our third installment for this year comes from JEM, a community organiser & DJ hailing from Detroit, determined to introduce us to the new sounds breaking through from the next gen there - and we’re all about it.
First and foremost, can you tell us a little bit about the energy behind this mix, is there anything you would prescribe doing while listening?
A transposition of emotions to sound… a journey through what I was feeling at the time. The beginning is broken and jarring, erratic and unsettling… riding through false peaks and fragmented breakdowns. It’s a bit dark and unclear as to what will happen next. As time goes on, there’s a slow build up of clarity: you can feel yourself coming out of the darkness and into something brighter… something freeing. You feel lighter at the end…. skin tingling with tenderness and elation.
You’ll hear hard drum, idm, prog house, leftfield bass, dub techno and more…
You’re showing us another side of Detroit, not just the techno it’s renowned for but the newer gen getting freaky with heady, weird, dubby, and psychedelic sounds - who are some folks or collectives we should be watching?
This is what I love about the scene in Detroit right now – it’s so much more than OG techno. When you go to a party here, you’re going to hear drum & bass, breaks and electro, nu skool ghetto tech, super heady dub techno, spooky dark wave, etc. I feel like this next gen of artists are taking the classic sounds of Detroit house and techno and building off of them. Like adding a lot more swing, going deeper with basslines, breaking down the traditional 4-to-the-4 floor structure. There is a unique “groove” to Detroit that is hard to describe with words, but you know it when you hear it.
I’ve actually noticed when out-of-towners come here and play more “traditional” techno, like what you might hear in Berlin, the local crowds don’t seem as into it. They’re definitely looking for something weirder. I wish I could list every single person smashing it in the scene right now, but that would be a post entirely of its own lol. I’ll try to list some of my long-time favorites.
Producers: Tammy Lakkis, Erika, Detroit Bureau of Sound, Young Muscle, MGUN, Marshall Applewhite. Already local legends, these people have been putting in years of hard work and it definitely shows in their music. Everything from ambient to UK dubstep to electro pop to hazy acid.
Collectives: Interdimensional Transmissions, Haute 2 Death, Imbue, Blueprint, THRG, Freakish Pleasures. Seasoned party throwers who know how to completely transform a space and curate a night of audio/visual hedonism that takes you to another world. These groups bring in diverse lineups and each have very unique styles.
Interdimensional Transmissions parties are dark, spaced out, and trippy and showcase artists like Mike Servito, CCL, Carlos Souffront, DJ Stingray 313 and Kiernan Laveaux. Haute 2 Death has been throwing eclectic house and disco parties for over 10 years! Always with extremely well thought out themes. Imbue is an all-ambient, completely immersive experience with insane visuals, live sets, freeform dancers and more. Blueprint, THRG, and Freakish Pleasures are your classic ragers where you know the rooms will be packed, the lineups will be stacked, and the music will keep you jacked.
Tell us about some of the parties and events you’re running, how did they start out?
A few years ago I started a network/outreach program of sorts called Every Woman Music. The goal was to connect all the women and non-binary peeps in the Detroit music scene so that we could make friends, share skills, get bookings, and have a safer space to freely discuss the industry. I and many others made soooo many friends through this, and it really linked us all together! Through Every Woman Music, people were able to start building their own projects and collectives.
Nowadays I sometimes throw a one-off party, and currently I’m in the throes of figuring out if that’s something I want to continue doing. Do I want to go deeper and build a party series like the ones I mentioned earlier? Is that what Detroit wants or needs right now? Is it what I want? I’ve been taking my time trying to answer these questions, because whatever I do next, I want it to be thoughtful, intentional, and impactful. I don’t want to add more noise to the scene.
Some ideas that are bubbling in my mind include a radio show, live streams, and maybe a blog… essentially outlets that allow the people and sounds of Detroit to extend beyond the city. I want to use digital channels to our advantage and extend our sounds further. I want this next generation of Detroit artists to get more exposure outside of the Midwest.
“I’ve actually noticed when out-of-towners come here and play more “traditional” techno, like what you might hear in Berlin, the local crowds don’t seem as into it. They’re definitely looking for something weirder.”
How did you get into mixing and who are some of your biggest influences?
Honestly, I got into this whole world by accident. My only understanding of the culture growing up was “EDM” in the Americanized sense, meaning big room house, commercial songs… all things I hated and found incredibly cheesy. I had no idea that a weird underground/diy electronic music scene existed until like 6 years ago.
So I was a big hip-hop head back then, trying to make beats like J. Dilla and MF DOOM. I tried doing that on a Maschine MKII, but everything I made was super techno-sounding (by accident). I thought, “wtf is this music I keep making? Is this… techno? (lol) I should look into that.”
Next thing I know, I discover this wild fucking world of allllll different kinds of electronic music! Acid, electro, UK bass… I never knew it existed! Blew my effing mind and I went off the deep end for months straight learning EVERYTHING I could. I was religiously reading music production textbooks, the history of genres like dancehall, gqom, and italo, Red Bull Music Academy blogs, and any other educational source I could find. I just researched and listened to music pretty much 24/7 for a while. I love music history and enjoy learning the roots of a sound just as much as playing it. You have a deeper connection that way.
Discovering this world literally changed my life. I’ve always been a creative person and tried every outlet growing up: painting, drawing, designing, writing, etc. but nothing ever felt like it was fully “doing it” for me until DJing. I finally felt at peace and had a gut feeling this was the creative outlet I was always searching for. And since I grew up on everything but electronic music, I feel like I have a unique non-electronic approach to playing that allows me to draw influences from many different places.
ANYWAYS… biggest influences…
Dorothy Ashby, Arthur Russell, Prince, Underground Resistance, Aux 88, Animal Collective, early new wave, 90s trip-hop/psytrance/breaks, 2010s hardcore and post-punk, Principe Discos, or:la, Eris Drew, MF DOOM, J Dilla, River Yarra, Livity Sound, Hessle Audio, D. Tiffany, Roza Terenzi, Batu, Mumdance, An Avrin, Wisdom Teeth, JTC, Kincaid, WVWV, Moxie, Toumba, Mozhgan & Solar, Robert Bergman, Ciel… could literally go on forever…
Additionally: film scores, outer space, nature, the sounds of everyday life, human emotion, colors, memories, love, sadness, heartbreak…
What is next for Anastasia ?
Currently in baby-producer mode, as in, I’m totally green and have no clue what I’m doing. But it’s so fun! Definitely frustrating too, but I’m surrounded by so many talented producers who’ve been eager to help me get started. Thank you Steve and Tim of KeThu, Joel, Robin <333.
I will keep at that, keep supporting my friends, and keep exploring my own tastes. Hoping to play outside of Detroit soon so… if you’re reading this, let’s talk!