It’s a rare week when you can catch sounds custom-tailored by two of the most influential DJs and producers on the entire continent. You may have heard that two thirds of the Belleville Three will be around this weekend and, let me tell you, the jams are going to be gigantic.
Tonight, the conceptual genius and futuristic visionary behind Cybotron and Model 500, Juan Atkins, will appear at Parking with a mitt full of wild, hypnotic robot music. Kevin Saunderson, the original soul man of electronic music, the man who added that enigmatic, funky human touch to the dark, atmospheric tones of Detroit techno, will be onsite at Panthère Noire on Saturday night.
Seriously, if you don’t know what the heck I’m talking about here, just go Google “Big Fun” by Inner City and try to keep your feet still. I recently chatted with Saunderson on Skype about the state of the art community in Detroit in the face of economic catastrophe, which he explained has restricted the amount of work artists can get within the city and has forced many to seek work outside of it.
I’m not about to recount the story of how these two cats, along with Derrick May—three high school buddies—popularized techno, altered the face of musical history and helped set the stage for numerous major pop cultural movements of the past two and a half decades. You can Wikipedia that shit. But what I will say is that, whether you’re out peeping the latest pop at the festivals, or you’re an old dog looking for a way to reignite that funky, mystical vibe, it will be of extreme sonic and mojo benefit for you to take the time to groove to both of these legendary men’s DJ sets this weekend.
FREAK YOUR PLASTIC FUTURE FUNK… jack.oatmon@gmail.com
