High Tech Soul: 15 songs that define early Detroit techno
Describing “Detroit techno” is no easy task, particularly when that involves distinguishing it from its overseas counterparts in Berlin and the makers of house music that equally influenced it down the road in Chicago.
Doing it in 10 songs was even more difficult, I found, forcing me to add five songs in assembling an essential mix of cuts that define the ubiquitous genre more than 40 years after its discovery by a trio of Belleville High School students who attended Washtenaw Community College together at a campus just a mile down the road from where I live now.
That trio of Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson delivered track after track that defined what Detroit techno music came to be under a number of pseudonyms before it was discovered by larger audiences while being played in clubs in Chicago. When the music was brought overseas, it significantly broadened its appeal to audiences in places like Berlin, who adored its nods to Kraftwerk along with its own variety of futuristic sounds influenced by Prince and Parliament-Funkadelic.
While I don’t profess to be a scholar on the genre, I dove into the catalogues of a number of first and second generation Detroit techno producers to try to create a mix of songs I thought carried historical significance while holding up to today’s standards. It should be noted Derrick May was left off the list as an editorial decision, despite his obvious influence on the genre.
Here’s a look at 15 songs that helped shape Detroit techno that still deliver on Saunderson’s promise of “high-tech soul.”
Cybotron - Alleys of Your Mind (1981): Later celebrated as one of the genre’s most celebrated musician, Juan Atkins teamed up with fellow Detroit resident Richard "3070" Davis in 1980 as the electro duo Cybotron, combining Kraftwerk with George Clinton, defending the basic precepts for the genre. Along with other aptly titled tracks like Techno City and Cosmic Cars from its groundbreaking debut album Clear, Alleys of Your Mind set in motion a path for Detroit techno with its crashing percussion and futuristic synths, providing a glimpse of what the genre was capable of.
Eddie “Flashin” Fowlkes - Goodbye Kiss (1985): Often forgotten for his role in the early development of Detroit techno, Eddie Fowlkes is essentially the fourth father of Detroit techno, and Goodbye Kiss is his biggest hit. Funky with a hard edge, Goodbye Kiss was notably a Detroit favorite, with noted producer Anthony “Shake” Shakir describing Fowlkes' record as “one of those records that bubbled up out of the street. It worked in the hood.”
Model 500 - No UFO’s (1985): Atkins’ second appearance on the list comes from his first single under the Model 500 pseudonym after parting ways with Davis and Cybotron following the release of Clear. Ahead of its time while contemplating the future, No UFO’s is often cited as the “first techno record,” with Atkins’ focus on life beyond Earth and a government hell bent on covering up the possibility of life in another galaxy.
Inner City - Good Life (1988): Belleville three member Kevin Saunderson wrote and and produced the two biggest global hits of any Detroit techno artist, including Good Life, delivered under his Inner City moniker with vocals from Paris Grey. For all intents and purposes, it’s a massive pop song, displaying Saunderson’s musical range that exposed his music to a much wider audience. Along with fellow smash single Big Fun, this is the song that put Detroit techno on the map.
Tronikhouse - The Savage and Beyond (1991): Another addition to the list from Kevin Saunderson, The Savage and Beyond leans a bit more funky than the producer’s more pop oriented material. Equipped with a hefty polyrhythmic backing, the groove goes deep, setting the stage for the next decade of techno music.
Innerzone Orchestra - Bug in a Bassbin (1992): Boasting the most diverse catalogue of recordings of any Detroit techno producer, Carl Craig’s 1992 single Bug in a Bassbin showcases his work with breakbeats, forecasting the drum n’ bass movement in the United Kingdom. Bug in a Bassbin’s live, percussion-heavy opener dazzles before shuffling behind a jazzy bassline and soulful keys, making you question just how many types of music you’re consuming by the time you’re halfway through the track.
Robert Hood - Sleep Cycle (1993): Embracing a minimalist approach to his techno production, Robert Hood got his start as one of the founding member’s of Detroit’s highly-influential group Underground Resistance, teaming up with two of the genre’s most influential artists in its second generation in “Mad” Mike Banks and Jeff Mills. His work stands out on its own as some of the most singular in the genre, with tracks like Sleep Cycle from his 1993 album Minimal Nation delivering on the promise of a minimal, pulsating beat that’s washed over with soothing synths, creating a track that sounds great on headphones or in the club.
Infiniti - Sunlight (1993): Another classic from Juan Atkins, Sunlight’s elastic synths shine behind a shuffling beat, bringing to mind electronica later made famous by rock-friendly artists like Daft Punk and Todd Terje. While Atkins’ Infiniti recordings generally lean more ambient and atmospheric when compared to his more recognized, club-friendly output as Model 500, Sunlight stands out as one of Atkins’ more mesmerizing singles.
Kenny Larkin - Q (1994): Although he got a late start on producing techno due to serving in the military during the years of its creation, Kenny Larkin immediately took making music upon his return. With support from Atkins and fellow Belleville Three member Derrick May, Larkin went on to produce one of the genre’s best albums, Azimuth, on Warp Records in 1994. Larkin’s varying approach and grasp of other scenes like Berlin are on display on tracks like Q, which would fit in snugly in the middle of a Floating Points album today. The track builds in a way that seems so familiar today, speaking to Larkin’s influence on the genre.
K-Hand - On A Journey (1995): Kelli Hand’s appearance as the only female producer on this list is not particularly surprising, given the genre’s male-dominated history. While some would argue her style leans more toward Chicago house, Hand’s independence and influence in creating her own record label that churned out her steady catalogue that spanned up until her death in 2021 makes The First Lady of Detroit Techno’s inclusion feel like a no-brainer. The opening track of her debut album, On A Journey sets the stage for her career with dizzying synths and flickering snares that bring to mind the more headphone-friendly variety of dubstep. On a Journey is relaxed but relentless, going as hard as any of her male contemporaries while keeping its cool.
“Mad” Mike Banks/Underground Resistance - The Illuminator (1995): While the work of fellow Underground Resistance co-creators Jeff Mills and Robert Hood is more readily available, the elusive “Mad” Mike Banks is another story. One of the true innovators of Detroit techno, Banks’ work is frustratingly hard to find, but worth seeking out for stuff like The Illuminator, an epic nearly-12-minute track that closes out UR’s 1995 album Electronic Warfare (Designs For Sonic Revolutions). Repetitive but elegant in its simplicity, The Illuminator shimmers while always pushing forward before eventually unravelling.
Paperclip People - Floor (1996): Carl Craig’s command is on display from the outset on the laser-focused Floor, a 1996 single from his Paperclip People pseudonym that leans into deep house with its driving bassline to deliver one of the techno giant’s greatest achievements.
Jeff Mills - The Bells (1997): After Jeff Mills made his name in another one of Detroit’s great techno institutions, Underground Resistance, he launched a solo career that established him as one of the genre’s most respected artists. On The Bells, a single from his solo 1996 Kat Moda EP, Mills’ famed hard-edged, industrial beats are at their most dancefloor-friendly, making it a legacy-defining composition that has endured as a techno standard for decades.
Moodymann - Dem Young Sconies (1997): While I fully acknowledge the controversy of pigeonholing the enigmatic, genre-defying Moodymann as “Detroit techno,” it’s difficult to imagine leaving him off this mix, given how he has carried the spirit of that music forward in the decades since. An early career highlight, Dem Young Sconies fits in nicely with its contemporaries of Detroit techno’s second movement, illustrating Moodymann’s strength for creating both texture and restraint.
Drexciya - Andreaen Sand Dunes (1999): It’s fitting the last song on this mix has a noticeable symmetry to the first in its core synth-driven melody. Detroit’s Drexciya, another mostly anonymous group with ties to Underground Resistance, deliver one of the genre’s most timeless cuts on Andraen Sand Dunes, equipped with airy, otherworldly synths, once again pointing the genre toward the future with a nod to the past as it headed into the 21 century.