hmmm

[Andreas]

http://www.gothamgrooves.com/newsletter/feb-03/T-1000Intvw.html

[tsr_tomas]

is the link supose to work ?
it doesn´t for me anyway, hmmm.

[invisibleplanet]

T-1000 Bids Farewell to the Detroit Scene
by A. “Grimace” Virden (grimac313@yahoo.com)
Feb ‘03



I first considered interviewing Alan Oldham (a.k.a. DJ T-1000) this past summer, soon after the third annual Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF) was held. Alan was an Artistic Committee member and performer at DEMF. As an established Techno artist and key player at DEMF, I knew he would have interesting views to share. But what really sparked my interest was something he said to me a couple of months ago. "Grimace, Techno in Detroit is dead," he claimed. With the recent closing of Motor Lounge (Detroit's most famous club and modern-day Techno institution), I had heard it before, but not from someone of Alan’s stature.

Peace Out Detroit

A couple of months ago, Alan sent out an email announcing his pre-Christmas gig at the City Club, which read "this and the Detroit Historical Museum event in January will be my last two Detroit performances ever, so I hope to see you there!"

When finally I sit down to interview him, this topic is the first thing on my mind. So, I ask him what the story is about him never playing Detroit again. He replies, "You were at the party, Grimace, you tell me." (there were about 35 people at the event). "True", I admit, “but it sounds like the decision was made well before that show.” He replies, "Well, the City Club confirmed my decision."

The event was a launch party for the Detroit Techno Trading Card Company and was held at the City Club, a venue made famous years ago by Richie Hawtin's semi-regular Control parties.

Alan can't reconcile his Detroit experience with the European scene or crowds anymore. "I had just played two parties in France and Switzerland the week before, and both were incredible. If that [City Club party] had been in Europe, there would be 500-600 people there on a Wednesday night instead of the few that showed up. “Paris the ‘Black Fu’ (who played with Oldham that night) was almost in tears," he declared.

When I ask him whether he would play elsewhere in the US, he simply says “It depends”. Alan recalls a New Years' Eve show he did in Dayton, OH that ‘rocked,’ and was more ‘old-school, rave-like.’ He feels that the over-21 crowd “killed the scene locally,” a point with which I partially agree. He also believes that the under-aged crowd “made the scene” with its energy and financial support.

Unfortunately, the great venues like early Motor, Timbos Hall, the Bankle building and Four Bears Water Park are all gone now. And whereas the world-famous Motor once prided itself on bringing in world-class Techno artists, the new glamour clubs in downtown Detroit advertise overweight, topless cheerleaders, indoor fireworks, and no-name artists.

Alan suggests that [Detroit] Techno needs a "patron with deep pockets" to help popularize this music. "What about the DEMF ?" I ask. Alan feels that “Detroit ‘blew’ that relationship. There was little return on Ford's million-dollar investment that carried the 2001 festival.” With the timing of Carl Craig's firing and the political maelstrom and negative publicity it caused, Ford didn't need the headache.

Alan then turns the tables on me and asks “Who do you think loses from corporate sponsorship?” For example, acts like Dirty Vegas and Telepopmusik doing the music behind Mitsubishi's latest commercials. Alan answers his own question by saying “The artists benefit and the company accesses a demographic they want to crack. Besides, if you don't like it, as a consumer, tune it out. Vote with your dollars. Basically, just don't buy the product.” Alan then jokes that “no children were harmed” in the making of the Mitsubishi commercial, unlike so many of the other products we take for granted.

DEMF – Killer of the ‘The Dream’
We return to an earlier conversation in which Alan told me that the DEMF killed Detroit Techno. The statement may surprise some, but other Techno stalwarts such as Derrick May echoed the same sentiment in a cover story in Real Detroit in May 2001. Alan acknowledges that there is still an appetite for Detroit Techno outside of Detroit, in Europe in particular, but not locally. I ask why. He smiles and says, "Detroit was never a ‘Garden of Eden’ to begin with. DEMF killed what little was left." He says that the DEMF divided the musical community, which was always fractious (at best), even further. These problems preceded Carl Craig's firing. They went beyond who did or didn't get to perform.

Alan says the DEMF spoiled the audience and "no one wants to pay to go out anymore" in Detroit. Times change. I ask why it's different in Europe and he feels its because “they are more liberal, and don't have our baggage. [They] don't project their neuroses onto the music. In Europe, the music simply is what it is. Subscribe to 313 [the underground Detroit chat boards] and watch the web postings for a while; you'll see what I mean.”

I ask Alan about his thoughts on the future of the festival, which was recently awarded to Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, and Carl Craig by the city of Detroit. He said that he had no desire to be a part of it, and that he is now simply an "interested observer," and waits to see what's next.

“I remember a time when people could only dream of it being this way in Detroit," Alan states, referring some recent Detroit successes. He cites examples such as Juan Atkins' No UFOs being used for a national Ford Focus commercial and the presence of major festival completely devoted to Detroit Techno. He says the realization of that dream is now "bittersweet." I ask whether it's because it took too much time to develop. Alan corrects me and says it's "because, by and large, many in the local audience took the joy out of it."

Our conversation turns to Ignition 2003, the launch event for the Detroit Historical Society's exhibit called Techno, Detroit's Gift to the World, (featured in Future Frequencies June '02). I mention “that some people complained that the event was $25 at the door.” Alan interjects that "you'd pay $10 for any single name on that bill alone." (the event featured performances from the Juan Atkins, Aux Men, K. Hand, Eddie 'Flashin' Fowlkes, James Pennington, Mike Huckaby, Stacey Pullen and Alan Oldham).

Although Derrick May and Jeff Mills weren’t performing at the event, I personally would have paid $25 to see most of the aforementioned names perform by themselves anyway.

I then dig up a post to 313 from 1995 in which Alan weighed in on who he thought was the best DJ ever to come out of Detroit. His response at the time was Derrick May. He shakes his head and says something about how “these things always come back to haunt you.” I ask who else has impressed him in the seven and a half years since he first wrote it. He says unequivocally Jeff Mills, because of his music, as a businessman and from his personal relationship with Jeff. As for other Techno artists he admires, he feels that Marco Carola is "brilliant," and is "probably the only one able to make Jeff sweat." Dave Clarke is also an old friend of Alan's and a favorite. He calls his set at the 2002 DEMF one of the highlights of the festival.

The Technology Factor
The conversation then turns to Technology. I ask Alan about emerging Technologies such as Internet radio. He stands by an earlier statement that Internet radio is premature. "Until you can listen to it in your car, or walk around with it on a Walkman, live it in real-time, it's useless," he states. I retort, “What about Final Scratch?” He says "as a Techno DJ, you basically rely on records by a small stable of artists like Marco [Carola], Oliver [Ho], Jeff [Mills], Surgeon, Christian [Smith] and a few others. I just can't see having to carry that many records where it would be an issue." He says that the Technology is "amazing," but he can't use it. He feels it is a luxury item, one that he doesn't need. “I don’t need more toys, I need more good records to play out," Alan declares.

I ask him his opinion as an artist, about the current ease of downloading original music from the Internet and burning to a CD. He says he has no problem with live DJ sets being shared, and writes it off to promotion. On the topic of his own original material, however, he believes that it hurts him (and artists like him) who are not mainstream and who cannot afford for their original music to be copied. Alan says that two years ago his answer may have been different, but now, home-burning has gotten more widespread.

For example, an artist like Pink, who sold 8 million CDs even before piracy, can afford for a couple million copies to be stolen,” says Alan. Problem is, someone like Alan only sells 500-1000 CDs, at best. The Internet has made his music more accessible to more people, for which he's grateful, but he says it would still be nice to get paid for his work.

I close by asking him about another passion of his, illustration. He tells me about his comic book project entitled The Sexy Adventures of Orietta St. Cloud. He says he has put it aside for now. “I slave over the art and only 10 people enjoy it. Kind of like Techno."

[tsr_tomas]

thanx for that IP.

[Hiro]

It is a sad thing- to watch something fade... as the public techno following (in Detroit) has been in recent years.... At the same time, it is a positive thing to look at change as a way of discovering something new... and perhaps not further destroying a thing, by hanging on... and dragging yourself from it-

You don't necessarily have to cap the passion...

I remember the many parties at the GI building, Four-Bears, Packard, Timbo's - It was an incredible time... and I go back in memory. Many of the participants have moved on... Although, I am just as excited for the new kids who are coming out with their own spin on things in Detroit- Namely in Ann Arbor. Things change... they do not have to die- even as moments pass... the coming time is unpredictable- and therefore, just as exciting.

It is sad, what happened with DEMF- I have attended each year- mostly just to visit old friends... and perhaps take in some after-festival music... I am not going to cling to that moment- I love it enough to leave it where it now exists.

Valentine's Day man... has me all teary-eyed.

[wheezer]

I'm fairly tired of hearing Detroit this and Detroit that - while there is no doubt that some very fine tracks have originated from Detroit, they were produced decades ago! Detroit was not the single birthplace of what we now refer to as techno, despite what many people may say - and people like Juan Atkins still spin the same vinyls they spun 20 years ago, perhaps the only difference being that now there's a crack pipe involved as well! What's the point in that, and even more paradox - how come they're always talking about the future but play the American Gigolo Soundtrack?

I've heard Marco Carola sets, and I've heard Mills sets, both certainly have got the technique down, but to me they are but two of seemingly endless numbers of 3-deck techno jocks, certainly not "ultimate dj's"

It looks like the DEMF did not go quite as planned last year, and that is a shame, since that certainly was a good lineup - don't get me wrong, there's a lot of people and productions I respect, it's just that afaik Detroit hasn't really been a great place to actually go out and listen to techno for decades, much like many other big American cities...