What is the history behind the iconic dance track “Raise Your Hands”. How has this song influenced the electronic music scene. Why do DJs continue to remix and play this classic tune. What makes “Raise Your Hands” a timeless club favorite.
The Origins of “Raise Your Hands”: A Dance Music Classic
“Raise Your Hands” is a seminal dance track that has become an enduring anthem in the electronic music scene. Originally created by Lenny Fontana in collaboration with D-Train, this high-energy tune has been captivating audiences and filling dancefloors for decades. The song’s infectious rhythm and uplifting lyrics have made it a staple in DJ sets worldwide, with its message of unity and celebration resonating across generations of music lovers.
The Masterminds Behind the Music
Lenny Fontana, a renowned DJ and producer from New York City, teamed up with D-Train, the stage name of James Williams, to create this dance masterpiece. Their collaboration brought together Fontana’s expertise in house music production and D-Train’s soulful vocals, resulting in a track that would stand the test of time.
Deconstructing the Lyrics: A Call to Action on the Dancefloor
The lyrics of “Raise Your Hands” are simple yet powerful, serving as a rallying cry for partygoers and music enthusiasts alike. The repetitive chorus urges listeners to “Raise your hand, raise your hand, raise your hand,” creating a sense of community and shared experience among the crowd. This call to action is more than just a dance move; it’s an invitation to let go of inhibitions and fully immerse oneself in the music.
The Power of Participation
Why does the song encourage listeners to raise their hands? Raising one’s hands in a club or concert setting is a universal gesture of enjoyment and surrender to the music. It’s a physical manifestation of the emotional release that dance music often provides. By incorporating this action into the lyrics, the song creates an interactive experience that bridges the gap between performer and audience.
The DJ PPClub Remix: Breathing New Life into a Classic
One of the most notable remixes of “Raise Your Hands” is the DJ PPClub Remix, which has gained significant popularity on platforms like Beatport. This remix takes the original track and updates it for modern dancefloors, demonstrating the song’s versatility and enduring appeal.
Remix Culture in Electronic Music
How do remixes contribute to the longevity of dance tracks? Remixes play a crucial role in the electronic music ecosystem, allowing classic songs to be reinterpreted for new audiences and different subgenres. The DJ PPClub Remix of “Raise Your Hands” is a prime example of how a well-crafted remix can introduce a beloved track to a new generation of listeners while maintaining the essence of the original.
The Impact of “Raise Your Hands” on Dance Music Culture
Since its release, “Raise Your Hands” has left an indelible mark on dance music culture. Its influence can be seen in the way it has inspired other artists, shaped DJ sets, and become a benchmark for successful dance anthems. The track’s ability to unite people on the dancefloor has made it a go-to choice for DJs looking to elevate the energy of their performances.
Creating Moments of Collective Euphoria
What makes “Raise Your Hands” so effective at creating memorable dancefloor moments? The combination of its uplifting message, infectious beat, and participatory nature allows the song to create instances of collective euphoria. When a crowd moves in unison, hands raised to the sky, it fosters a sense of connection that is at the heart of dance music culture.
Technical Analysis: The Musical Elements that Make “Raise Your Hands” a Hit
From a musical perspective, “Raise Your Hands” incorporates several elements that contribute to its success as a dance track. The song features a driving four-on-the-floor beat, characteristic of house music, which provides a steady rhythm for dancing. Layered on top are syncopated percussion, uplifting chord progressions, and catchy melodic hooks that work together to create an irresistible groove.
The Role of Vocals in Dance Music
How do vocals enhance the impact of electronic dance tracks? In “Raise Your Hands,” the vocals serve multiple purposes. They provide a melodic focal point, deliver the song’s empowering message, and act as an additional rhythmic element. The call-and-response structure of the lyrics also encourages audience participation, further enhancing the track’s effectiveness in live settings.
The Evolution of “Raise Your Hands” Through Various Remixes
Over the years, “Raise Your Hands” has been remixed by numerous DJs and producers, each putting their own spin on the classic track. These remixes have helped to keep the song relevant across different eras and subgenres of electronic music. From deep house to techno interpretations, the core elements of “Raise Your Hands” have proven to be incredibly adaptable.
Notable Remixes and Their Impact
Which remixes of “Raise Your Hands” have made the biggest splash? While the DJ PPClub Remix has gained recent attention, other notable versions include:
- The Funkerman Remix, which adds a funky tech-house flavor
- The Chocolate Puma Remix, bringing a more energetic, big-room sound
- The David Penn Remix, offering a soulful, piano-driven interpretation
Each of these remixes has contributed to the song’s longevity by introducing it to new audiences and contexts.
The Legacy of “Raise Your Hands” in the Digital Age
In the era of digital music distribution and streaming, “Raise Your Hands” continues to find new listeners and maintain its relevance. Platforms like Beatport have played a significant role in this, providing DJs and electronic music fans easy access to both the original track and its various remixes. The song’s presence on these platforms ensures that it remains a part of the contemporary electronic music landscape.
Streaming and the Democratization of Dance Music
How has digital distribution affected the lifespan of dance classics like “Raise Your Hands”? The accessibility provided by streaming services and digital music stores has allowed tracks to transcend their original time and place. This democratization of music has given new life to many dance classics, with “Raise Your Hands” benefiting from the ability to reach global audiences instantly.
The Cultural Significance of Hand-Raising in Music
The act of raising hands during a musical performance is not unique to “Raise Your Hands” or even to dance music. It’s a gesture with deep cultural and historical roots, seen in religious ceremonies, political rallies, and various musical genres. In the context of dance music, raising hands has become a universal symbol of unity, freedom, and collective experience.
Psychological Effects of Synchronized Movement
What happens in our brains when we raise our hands in unison with others? Studies have shown that synchronized movements, such as those encouraged by songs like “Raise Your Hands,” can increase feelings of bonding and social cohesion. This synchronization releases endorphins and can create a sense of collective effervescence, contributing to the powerful experiences often described by dance music enthusiasts.
The Global Reach of “Raise Your Hands”
While “Raise Your Hands” originated in the New York house music scene, its appeal has proven to be universal. The track has been played in clubs and festivals around the world, transcending cultural and linguistic barriers. Its simple yet effective message resonates with diverse audiences, making it a global dance anthem.
International Remixes and Adaptations
How has “Raise Your Hands” been adapted for different international markets? In some cases, local DJs and producers have created remixes that incorporate regional musical elements, further expanding the track’s reach. These adaptations demonstrate the song’s flexibility and its ability to connect with various musical traditions while maintaining its core identity.
The Future of “Raise Your Hands” in Dance Music
As electronic dance music continues to evolve, tracks like “Raise Your Hands” serve as touchstones that link the genre’s past with its future. The ongoing creation of new remixes and the track’s persistent presence in DJ sets suggest that it will remain a relevant force in dance music for years to come. Its timeless message and adaptable musical structure position it well to continue inspiring both producers and dancers.
Potential for Future Collaborations and Remixes
What possibilities exist for future iterations of “Raise Your Hands”? As technology advances and new production techniques emerge, there’s potential for innovative reinterpretations of the track. Collaborations with contemporary artists or the use of cutting-edge music technology could breathe new life into this classic, ensuring its place in the dance music canon for generations to come.
The enduring popularity of “Raise Your Hands” is a testament to the power of a well-crafted dance track. Its ability to unite people through music and movement has cemented its status as a timeless anthem. As dance music culture continues to thrive and evolve, this iconic song stands as a shining example of the genre’s ability to create joy, foster community, and inspire collective celebration. Whether experienced through its original form or one of its many remixes, “Raise Your Hands” continues to invite listeners to do just that – raise their hands and lose themselves in the music.
Lyrics containing the term: raise a hand
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따라와 ah ah Raise your hands If you hate me (hallo) Raise your hands If you envy me (hallo) Raise your hands If you catch me (hallo) Hallo hallo
you're falling apart Raise your hand, raise your hand And if you've ever felt that life's breaking your heart Raise your hand, raise your hand Everyone
All delighted people raise their hands And I took you by the sleeve No other reason than to be your leading man And you woke up with a fright Our
delighted people raise their hands And I took you by the sleeve No other reason than to be your leading man And you woke up with a fright Our lives depended
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Don't just sit there feelin' bad.
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I said raise your hand, hey.
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come to praise Everybody let me see you raise Your hands up high Your hands up high I've come to praise Everybody let me see you raise Your
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and cover you With kisses and roses everywhere Raise your hands, all of you believers Make your stand, something's coming your way Raise your hands, ain't
like a wildfire and burns you down We've gotta fight it, gotta stamp out the flame Raise your hands for a better world Raise your hands and let your
60 of the best hands up & hard dance songs ever released
Hands up music is one of the most underrated genres of music.
It includes some of the best dance producers and groups like Cascada, DJ Manian, Empyre One, DJ Gollum, Rob Mayth, Tune Up!, Basshunter, DJ THT, Tweekacore, Darren Styles, The Hitmen, and many more.
Hands up is a very niche genre and is much bigger over in Europe in countries like Germany, Poland, and Slovakia. I originally got hooked on it when Cascada’s “Everytime We Touch” was released back in 2006 (check out my interview with Natalie Horler on When Life Hands You Lennons). Since then, I’ve gone on to really love the genre and become fully immersed in it. This is the type of music that I produce myself. It’s simple, yet complex. It’s cheesy, yet incredibly melodic. It’s fun and strictly meant for you to, well, put your hands up.
Here are 60 of the best hands up and hard dance songs ever released, officially or unofficially; original or remix.
Cascada – Everytime We Touch
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Katy Perry – I Kissed a Girl (5iriu5 Remix)
Money-G – Release Me (Empyre One Remix)
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Otherside (Basslouder Remix)
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Tune Up! – Ravers Fantasy
Dual Playaz – Every Day I See You (Justin Corza meets Greg Blast Remix)
Quickdrop – Party Monster
The Hitmen – Like I Love You
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DHT – Listen to Your Heart (Rob Mayth Remix)
DJ Gollum & Shinzo – I Wanna Be A Hippie
Lazy G & Nicco – Kiss Me (DJ Gollum feat. DJ Cap Remix)
youtube.com/embed/uBiDe2dobjU?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””/>
Loituma – Leva’s Polka (Basshunter Remix)
Cascada – Back For Good (Max R. Remix)
Bass-T – P.O.W.E.R (Tune Up! Remix)
Basshunter – All I Ever Wanted
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Avicii – Without You (The Hitmen Bootleg)
Power Runnerz – Wild (144 Bpm)
M.Y.C. – What Up! (DJ Manian Mix)
Tweekacore & Darren Styles – Partystarter
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Backstreet Boys – I Want It That Way (RainDropz! Remix)
Floorfilla – On & On (feat. P. Moody) [DJ THT Remix]
Lady Gaga – Monster (D3Y Remix)
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Phillerz & Shinzo – Origins
Giga Dance – Like an Angel 2k19 (Dancefloor Kingz vs. Sunvibez Remix)
NeoTune! – Mad Enough (DJ Cap Remix) [feat. Morano]
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Quickdrop – Day After Day (Dancefloor Kingz & Sunvibez Remix)
Overdrive Division – Midsummer Night (Alex Megane Remix)
Tomtrax – Mono 2 Stereo (Empyre One Remix)
youtube.com/embed/RcJ4wh-asZk?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””/>
Cascada – Miracle (The Hitmen Remix)
Sunvibez & Max R – Music In Your Heart (Dancefloor Kingz vs. Sunvibez Bootleg Remix)
L.A.R.5 & Empyre One – Música del Sol (feat. Tommy Clint & Big Naimi) [Hands Up Mix]
A.R.5 & Empyre One feat. Tommy Clint & Big Naimi – Musica del Sol (Hands Up Radio Edit)” data-src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/3uO5glpt8D4?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””/>
Klubbingman – Revolution Reloaded 2k13 (Mix by RainDrop!) [feat. Beatrix Delgado]
Giga Dance & Shinzo – Run Away (Quickdrop & B0UNC3 Remix)
Peter Luts & Dominico – What A Feeling (The Hitmen Remix)
youtube.com/embed/YHcD-EGJKuU?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””/>
Skiddaw – Saturday Night (Malu Project Radio Mix)
Dual Playaz – Sax & Bass & Crazy Beats (Justin Corza Meets Morty Simmons Remix Edit)
Mikesh – Sounds of the Club (Upsynth Techno Trance Anthem Radio Cut)
youtube.com/embed/9k0xAxpTPEY?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””/>
Italobrothers – Stamp On the Ground
DJ Gollum & Empyre One – Stars (DJ THT Radio Edit)
Gammer – Stay Tonight (feat. Dylan Matthew)
youtube.com/embed/oe2BOB1cOp0?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””/>
DJ Gollum – The Strike (Official East Rave Anthem 2019) [feat. DJ Cap] [DJ THT & Ced Tecknoboy Remix]
Empyre One – Angeline (Hands Up Remix Edition)
Max!m & Dancefloor Kingz – Strong (Dancefloor Kingz Vs.
Sunvibez Remix)
Dyce – Tomorrow Can Wait (Cascada Extended Remix)
Dancefloor Kingz vs. Sunvibez – Back 2 You
Empyre One & DJ Gollum – Round & Round (Hands Up Mix)
youtube.com/embed/fVuVlDNGtpA?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””/>
ItaloBrothers – P.O.D.
Cascada – How Do You Do (Rob Mayth Remix)
Dancefloor Kingz & Godlike Music Port – Hey Girl (Kris Mctwain Edit Remix)
Vinai x Harris & Ford – Break The Beat (Giga Dance Bootleg Edit)
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Hardwell & Wildstylez – Shine A Light (feat. KiFi) [Denox Bootleg]
DJ Gollum & Nick Skitz – Temperature (Hands Up Mix)
Alex M. & Alex Megane feat. The Ultimate MC – Whoomp (There It Is) (NewDance Edit)
& Alex Megane feat. The Ultimate MC – Whoomp (There It Is) (NewDance Edit)” data-src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/tDGez8DOlNE?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””/>
Quickdrop – High up in the Sky
The Hitmen – How I Wish
Italobrothers – Up ‘N Away (DJ Gollum feat. DJ Cap)
DJ Cap Video Edit HD)” data-src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/s3Zuu9wXq2A?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture” allowfullscreen=””/>
Quickdrop – I Want Your Soul
Pulsedriver – Superstar (Empyre One Remix)
Hunter & Dragon – What Can I Say (Empyre One Remix)
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There you have it. This is a list of some of the hands-up tracks that have formed my love for the genre and style of music. I will continue to update this list as I discover new hands up music. If you have a song that should be included in this list, please leave a comment or tweet us at @edminasoda.
I created a playlist on Spotify with the songs that are available there (bootlegs and unofficial remixes aren’t released on streaming platforms). Follow and listen to the playlist below. I’ll update it when I update this article.
#HUMFS
Kevin Saunderson | Red Bull Music Academy
Hosted by Christine Kakaire Transcript:
Christine Kakaire
Welcome everybody, to what is the final lecture of term one, of RBMA 20, 2018, here in Berlin, and our final guest lecturer is sitting to my left here. There are very few people in the world who can claim to have had a hand in inventing techno but he’s definitely one of them. Please welcome, Kevin Saunderson. [applause]
Kevin Saunderson
Thank you.
Christine Kakaire
So as I was trying to figure out where to start with taking an overview of your entire discography, all of your projects, all of your aliases, it gave me an opportunity to really examine everything that you’ve done and the word that kind of kept coming back to me was inspiration. Inspiration in the sense of a process of intaking information, absorbing it, digesting it, having that be the catalyst to create other things and having those things go on to influence other people. So probably going to spend quite a bit of time talking about Detroit and also the year 1988 because I think that was an incredibly monumental year for you, musically and professionally. But before we get there we should go there. So I want us to start the beginning and the reason that we were playing those two tracks at the beginning by Stephanie Mills, is because they relate to your upbringing and also to your place of birth. I’d love for you to start by telling everyone where you were born and where you grew up.
Kevin Saunderson
All right, so, originally born in Brooklyn, New York. I grew up there probably until I was ten, 11, 12 right around there, ten, 11. I’m from New York originally, my mother’s from Detroit, and she moved to New York and I was born there.
Christine Kakaire
What was it that took you to Belleville? Because when you left New York you didn’t move to Detroit proper, you moved to Belleville which was kind of a satellite city of Detroit? What were the circumstances?
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah Belleville was a suburb of Detroit, it was about maybe 30 minutes away from Downtown. Actually I moved to Inkster first. Inkster was the same, but a different type of environment than Belleville. It was kind of an urban community, poor neighborhoods and that’s where my mother grew up, so I lived there and I think I went to elementary for one year or something like that. And then I moved to Belleville which was quite different than Inkster and it was quite different than definitely Brooklyn. My mother got me out of Brooklyn because I was just around a lot of negative energy and I think she was, and she wanted to make better for me, she wanted me in a different environment so she decided to leave, vacate New York. And she moved me back where she was from.
Christine Kakaire
I understand that it was something of a rude awakening for you in Belleville. It wasn’t a particularity diverse community. I believe I read in an interview that you did that it was kind of the first time you became aware of what racism was.
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah, definitely, definitely. When I moved to Belleville, I moved into a nice, I guess middle class neighborhood around lakes and stuff like that and it might have been three or four black families that lived in that whole kind of… They called it a subdivision. So it’s might be, I don’t know, 150 houses, whatever. I used to always wake up, I’m doing whatever, I look outside and I see all this trash in my yard. I’m like, “Well, how’d that get there?” But it was continuously. So one day, I was outside and I heard… You see cars go by, whatever, and these cars go by and they say… they blurt out this words like, “N—a, n—a, n—a.” And I’m like… I don’t really know. I didn’t know at that time what racism was, I didn’t know what the word meant. But I watched this movies called Roots and that’s when I got my first education about slavery, and then about racism, and then I put two and two together and I could tell that these people didn’t want me in this neighborhood. When I first moved into Belleville, the first whatever, first month, two months, that’s what I got when I first moved there.
Christine Kakaire
And I believe that you were quite natural when it came to sports, various sports in school. Was that kind of a bit of a refuge for you perhaps? For this environment or…
Kevin Saunderson
Well Belleville was a different type of city compared to New York. It was like seriously country, very green, I didn’t have any friends. Yeah I think when I first moved there I’m like… Even school hadn’t started for maybe a couple of months at the beginning of the summer. I didn’t know Derrick [May] or Juan [Atkins] at that time either, I just didn’t know nobody. You got lakes, you could fish, and there’s not much you can really do. And I sure wasn’t making music at that point. So once I got to school, finally went to school, start going to class every day and all that, I became interested in sports because I was bored in my surroundings and I needed, or I wanted, to do something that was interesting to me. So that became my thing, and meeting Derrick, I met Derrick through sports, I met him in junior high. We were 13, 12 or 13, and that’s how I first met Derrick May.
Christine Kakaire
But you didn’t get off to the best start with Derrick May, is that right?
Kevin Saunderson
Well, in the beginning it was okay but maybe about a month or two later… You know how you become friends with somebody, you meet them you think, “OK, I’ll hang out with this guy.” About a month or two later, we made a bet, we bet on a football game and he lost [laughter] but he didn’t want to pay. It was whatever, $5. And he was acting silly, “I’m not going to pay.” So I got mad and I got aggressive and I had to punch him a few times, basically I beat him up, OK? That’s how we actually really became friends. [laughter] For real, because sometimes it takes that for somebody to respect you, and then all of a sudden he had that respect. I wasn’t a guy to try to bully people, I was big now but I was a nice guy, I like to get along with everybody. So we became friends from that point.
Christine Kakaire
I think this is probably a good point to look at photo number one. It’s going to come up on the screen behind you. Talk us through who’s in this picture, obviously that’s you on the left there.
Kevin Saunderson
That was the promotion of the compilation, I think… I want to say The Face magazine, or some magazine from England came to Detroit, and they wanted to take pictures. This was the beginning of the whole interest in our music. That was probably one of my first pictures taken.
Christine Kakaire
This is the three people who…
Kevin Saunderson
Obviously Derrick, and then Juan is over there and that’s the beginning almost.
Christine Kakaire
And my understanding is that Juan is a few years older than you and Derrick.
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah, Juan was… Let me think here. Juan is definitely two or three years older. Yeah, definitely.
Christine Kakaire
I understand that Juan was the first person to start experimenting with making music…
Kevin Saunderson
No doubt.
Christine Kakaire
… In the very, very early ‘80s. When did you first get a sense that he was kind of tinkering with these machines and tinkering with sound?
Kevin Saunderson
OK so, as I was explaining about Derrick, junior high school, we became friends, we were playing football. Juan’s brother, Aaron Atkins, also was paying sports with us. So we hung out together, because we played sports together and we kind of hung around each other. So I would go over to Juan’s house and Aaron’s house because he invited me, he invited Derrick. So we kind of hung out over there and that’s where I first met Juan. And Juan was like this kind of… In school you seen him, but he’s older, he ain’t got time to be hanging out with us. He was just older, different at that time. Thinking about different things, thinking about moving on, and high school, thinking about chicks, whatever, stuff like that. We’re just sports geeks. So going over to the house, that’s where I met Juan.
And Juan, he stayed distant, he didn’t even say hi. It was like, “That’s my brother, Juan.” That was it. I seen different pieces of gear, or tape decks back then like eight-tracks and cassettes stacked on top of each other. So he was already doing something different with these machines than I was used to seeing them. You know them, the regular set, eight-track and maybe a receiver and a turntable or something like that. So he had multiple units doing whatever, I didn’t pay attention that much but that’s when I first caught this taste of… He was doing something different. That was kind of the beginning of that part but it evolved over time and over years of just being around the house and Derrick. But it really grabbed me, more or less, when Juan started making music. Derrick actually moved into my house when we were in high school, so we’re talking like three years later, we’re in high school now. Derrick moves in with me for like four months, his mother decides she’s going to move back to Detroit but she wants Derrick to finish out the school year at the same school. She didn’t want to take him out of school right then, so she asked my mother, he moves in with me and that’s when the musical part started to… That was really the beginning, I would think, of the connection with music and even my roots in New York. Because even though I was young, I used to go back to New York to visit my brothers, other relatives and listen to the radio, WBLS and all that. So we had a connection musically, we started talking about different acts, and Juan was at the beginning of making music and Derrick was trying to explain this to me. Derrick was his biggest fan and kind of prodigy at that point.
Christine Kakaire
So you mentioned that you were still traveling back to New York periodically and I believe towards the end of your high school years when you were visiting New York, you were going to one particular club. Which club was that?
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah, I definitely went to the Paradise Garage at least, three, four, five times and it was towards the latter part of my high school year before I went to college. I got to experience Larry Levan and Paradise Garage for sure, quite amazing experience. Not knowing at this time too that I was going to be making records, and making a record that actually Larry could play. But I was so inspired by the atmosphere, the sound, just the music, the feeling I got when I went there. I got there, whatever, 1 AM in the morning, I left at 12 PM so, definitely…
Christine Kakaire
The first track as people were walking in was by Stephanie Mills called “What Cha’ Gonna Do with My Lovin’,” which is a song that you ended up covering with your project, Inner City, in the late ’80s. But we’ll kind of talk about that a little bit more a little bit later. Going back to Detroit around this period while Juan is experimenting, you and Derrick are communicating, in the same space, talking about music. And I believe at this point for all of you, the Electrifying Mojo played a huge influence as well. It’d be great ff you could to the participants who he was or who he is, rather.
Kevin Saunderson
So when Derrick moved in with me, probably the first night… It’s, I don’t know, 11:30 PM, whatever. I’m like, “I’m going to sleep.” He’s like, “You’re going to sleep? No man, it’s time for the Electrifying Mojo.” That’s what he told me. I hadn’t heard of Mojo. [laughter] I had no clue who Mojo was at this time, so I was like, “OK.” He cuts the radio on and that was my first experience, so Derrick introduced me to the Electrifying Mojo to listening to the Midnight Funk Association, that’s what he called it. That’s how my influences that came… Really was from New York and then I’m round my mother so I’m listening to Motown stuff too, because that’s what she grew up on. But I listen to a lot of New York stuff when I can, so… But that’s when my musical taste, it got broader, I started hearing different music. The way he introduced music, the way he played music, Mojo would play albums when you’re used to hearing maybe one song or maybe another single. When Mojo played, he had this theme with Star Wars and all that kind of stuff and it led up to this great intro that lead into whatever he was pushing that night, whether it was Prince, Parliament-Funkadelic, Kraftwerk , The B-52s, all that stuff got introduced to me through that channel, through knowing Derrick. And that’s how I started finding out about Mojo. That became a ritual, I wouldn’t miss his show.
Christine Kakaire
Yeah I mean it was every night, right?
Kevin Saunderson
I can’t remember that part but… I can’t remember, was it every night? Was it every night, Mike? [asks Mike Banks in the audience] John? OK. Yeah, it was every night. So, wow. Just some great music and some great times.
Christine Kakaire
I’d actually love to play just a little rip that I found of Electrifying Mojo’s very cinematic, very over the top radio intro. I think just to give people a sense of the world he was building and also the community that he was building with the Midnight Funk Association. So I’m just going to play around a minute or so of this intro.
Electrifying Mojo – Midnight Funk Association intro
(music: The Electrifying Mojo – “Midnight Funk Association intro”)
That’s just a fraction of that particular intro. Could we look at photo number eight on the screen actually? So this Midnight Funk Association was an actual card-carrying membership. Were you a member?
Kevin Saunderson
I was a member just because I was listening and I was just into it, that’s all that mattered to me. I don’t even know if I knew about the cards.
Christine Kakaire
I found this one deep in the internet. But I think something that I love about this Midnight Funk Association community is that idea of people signaling to each other, like switching on the porch lights or even honking their horns at midnight…
Kevin Saunderson
Honking horns, flashing lights, definitely.
Christine Kakaire
… And creating this sense of community and people being connected through the music. Mojo, was he somebody that you talk about at school? You talk about the tracks that you heard, etc?
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah, definitely. We’d definitely talk about the tracks, especially if you heard a new album of a new Parliament-Funkadelic that you hadn’t heard. Just amazing. And you heard music that was completely different, like I said, B-52s and all that kind of stuff. It was just so way out from what standard radio was playing and you didn’t want to hear any other radio besides something like Mojo.
Christine Kakaire
Did you ever meet him in person?
Kevin Saunderson
Definitely, of course I met Mojo. As time went on, Mojo did his segments just featuring Inner City and I was like, “Wow, this is like… This can’t be real.” So definitely, yup.
Christine Kakaire
Before we get to Inner City, I want to try doing something and creating something of an audio family tree. Because around ’86, ’87 I believe, is when you started observing and watching and eventually joining in. Making music with Juan and Derrick but also other characters like James Pennington, Santonio Echols, etc etc. And I think it’s really interesting to hear various kinds of hallmarks and sound signatures already starting to emerge at that point. So what we’re going to do is just listen to quite short, 30 to 45 second grabs of particular tracks. The first three are Juan and Derrick, I’ll let you know what those are. And then the second lot of three are tracks that you, Kevin, were involved in, and I feel like you can already hear the eventual traces of Inner City starting to kind of assemble.
OK, so the first track we’re going to listen to is Juan’s very famous debut, under the name of Cybotron.
(music: Cybotron – “Clear”)
That was Clear by Cybotron AKA Juan Atkins, from 1983, which is kind of hard to believe. So just a couple of years later Juan and Derrick released a record under the name X-Ray and I’m going to play a track called Let’s Go. And I believe, when I was kind of doing research about this, that you were observing them. It took them a few months to make this track, do you have any particular memories about this track?
Kevin Saunderson
Are speaking to X-Ray or Clear? Or both?
Christine Kakaire
X-Ray.
Kevin Saunderson
OK. At that time, when X-Ray was being made, we all were… When I say we all, I had equipment, and Derrick had equipment, and Juan had already had a few releases with Cybotron. Actually he was on to… He might have been on to Model 500 as well. I always was observing the whole… Once me and Derrick … There was a point where Derrick moved to Chicago. So the Chicago movement was in its early stages, we kept in contact over the phone. This was like 1982, but Juan’s got records out as Cybotron, obviously Clear came out in ’83, so ’82 was the beginning… ’82 going into ’83 was really my beginning as far as my inspiration and changing my path. I was playing football and I decided, “Oh, I’m going to be a DJ.” I hadn’t thought about the music part but I knew I was going to be a DJ and I was starting trying to figure it out. That was before X-Ray because X-Ray might have came two years later. So there was a lot of stuff going before we even got that far. But by the time we got to that point, Derrick was… Yeah, he was working on tracks, he had a place downtown near Wayne State and he had some equipment, I had some equipment, Eddie Fowlkes had some equipment, Juan, we all had pieces of equipment. And sometimes we would bring it together. If he needed me to bring my 909, whatever, then I would bring it down to his house. Tracks got formulated like that because now you can complete a track because you had the equipment. I was around when everybody was making their tracks. I mean, Juan was kind of just in his own world, he was well above us as far as his knowledge, his skill level, and he had records out. But that was kind of the beginning for Derrick for sure and, I’m trying to think, Eddie had a track that he was working on. Like I said, we were all working on music. X-Ray was probably finished before Eddie’s track but Juan wanted to release Eddie’s track first, so that’s what I remember.
Christine Kakaire
Yeah and it’s interesting to kind of go through Discogs and try to figure out the lines but it’s all overlapping. It seemed like everyone had their own record label, everyone was bringing their friends in to collaborate. So actually, this is probably a good point to ask about setting up record labels because from the start you had KMS, Juan had Metroplex, Derrick had Transmat. What was the significance of having your own record labels this early in the game?
Kevin Saunderson
OK, so yeah, Juan had Metroplex, then Derrick led into Transmat. Actually my first record came out on Metroplex. It actually…
Christine Kakaire
Kreem.
Kevin Saunderson
The first version came out on Metroplex Records and I was like, I was kind of observant and I was like, well shoot I could do that, I can give it to the DJs, I can promote it, I wanted to do it myself. You know because I felt like I wanted to control what I wanted to do with my record and then I could tell like I gave it to Juan and it felt like I didn’t know what was going on so I was like, “Juan, I want my record back.” And you know, he was cool about it, he was cool and he said, “No problem.” So I got it back, did some remixes and that’s when KMS started. I started that. I wanted to start because of the reason I just said, I wanted to be able to… I didn’t want nobody to tell me how to put my music out, how to play it. I wanted to control that and I didn’t want to be tied to anyone else’s timeline.
Christine Kakaire
So this is the Kreem release you’re talking about? Well let’s fast forward to this first instance of you getting a production and writing credit on a record. So this is you and Juan Atkins as Kreem. I’m gonna play the track “Triangle Of Love,” which I think is like a direct predecessor for what comes later, particularly with the use of vocals, so let’s listen to a little bit of “Triangle Of Love.”
Kreem – “Triangle Of Love”
(music: Kreem – Triangle Of Love”)
So that was a little bit of “Triangle Of Love” by Kreem. How did that track come together because to me I can definitely hear elements of the kind of music that you’d be hearing at Paradise Garage, especially the vocal. How did that all come together?
Kevin Saunderson
Well, I like vocal music, I like melodies, and I thought about Paradise Garage and when I decided I was gonna make my first record, somehow I wanted it to be a vocal record. I fell into that path. So before the vocals, and trying to put this track together, basically it was really just a lot of drums and different elements. The musical part really didn’t come in until later, and Juan played a very important role because I had… First of all I had a different bassline, so Juan changed the bassline. What I told Juan is, “I got this track, I feel like it’s almost finished but I don’t know how to finish it,” because at that time my production level was nowhere near like Juan’s. I know how to do some drums, I can maybe play a bassline and hum out a melody or get a keyboard player to play it for me like I think I want it. So I got all that and I got like eight tracks, so I’m working with a Fostex eight-track. I got seven actually I think, because you gotta leave one for the sync. But I don’t know how to finish the track, so everything is playing, there’s no arrangement it’s just like everything is just playing straight and I got my drums and my rows and everything is just going but I’m like, “Well what do you do from here?” Because I never actually seen anyone finish the track. We all got together and you could see Derrick and everybody working on stuff but never knew how to finish it.
So Juan, I called up, I told him I needed him to help me finish this song. So Juan basically said, “All right, well how much money you got?” That’s what he said. I said, “Man I ain’t got no money.” He said, “Well, what kind of pieces of equipment you got?” So I had to… I had a sampler and I wasn’t really into using samplers so I just had this sampler, it was the Akai 800 or something like that, if I remember correctly. So I said, “I got this sampler over here.” He said, “That’ll work.” So he came over and finished the track. But now I see Juan, I’m right there with him so I could see how he mixing and how he arranging. He decided to change the bassline, which later I found out was kind of like an influence from New Order, at the time I didn’t even know. But then he mixed it and I was missing those elements, like how to mix it and take it to two-track and make sections and splice it together, your arrangement together, but I had no clue about that part. So once Juan showed me that I was off and rolling. I knew what to do and this is my first production but things elevated for me because now I got a record company, or I mean it came out on Juan’s label first but eventually I had my record company and I was able to… I didn’t need nobody to show me what to do no more so now there was no holding me back.
Christine Kakaire
So in this period of having this masterclass from Juan about how to finish your tracks, and realizing that nothing is holding you back, you went into a period of high productivity, I understand. I believe you also needed to replace a vocalist. Was it the vocalist from that particular track who…
Kevin Saunderson
Well, this track, the vocalist… I replaced her on the new version I released on my label. I worked with a guy named Duane Bradley. He played on the radio too. He played daytime, more or less. He did mix show. A decent ear for production, he was a good guy, and he was a fan, and he was into… He was like a New York version of… He was a Detroit guy but very New York-y as far as the music style he played and influences and the way he thought about production, so I worked with him on that next record and he was the one who was like, “Well, we need to work on these vocals,” That’s when I brought another vocalist in for that project, but then it changed again when Inner City came about because she just wanted to sing gospel so that was really my last time working with that singer.
Christine Kakaire
So at this point enters Paris Grey, who I believe, you were telling me yesterday, you sent her the track, she wrote the vocals for “Big Fun” and then sung them to you over the phone, is that right?
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah, yeah. So in between all this, I went from Kreem to working with Derrick and James Pennington on an EP at that time, and then I went into Reese & Antonio, so I had a few things going on but it was more underground, it was different. I wasn’t trying to be vocals. If it was vocals it was vocals like, “Bounce Your Body To The Box,” stuff like that, “Just Want Another Chance,” and then Paris came about as I had this music that I had already been working on with James Pennington that became “Big Fun.” She did write the lyrics and she sung it over the phone, I listened to it and I brought her to Detroit to do the vocals and we had to go to Juan’s studio because I needed more tracks again to, and Juan played another significant role. He mixed it for me. I knew how to mix at that time but I was like just, I was all over the place. Making tracks, doing this, you know. So Juan, he did the mix on it. The music was already there and he just finished it for me.
Christine Kakaire
But that particular track kind of joined the archive of things that you were working on, I’m talking about “Big Fun” here. But it wasn’t until another person entered the picture by the name of Neil Rushton. It’d be great if you could talk about how you first encountered each other.
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah Neil, he became my manager eventually, but I first came in contact with Neil through Derrick May. Derrick May met him because Derrick had “Strings Of Life” going on, big buzz. Neil contacted Derrick saying, “Hey man, I want to license this record,” and Derrick was like, “It’s too late I already gave it to…” whoever he had signed it to and so Neil told him, “Well, if you ever run into any problems later on down the line,” or he said, “If you ever have any issues or anything, you need some advice, just give me call.” So, Derrick ran into some issues, got in contact with Neil, they started building their relationship and Derrick actually ended up going to England, to meet Neil. He met Neil and hung out there for whatever, a week or two, came back, told us his experience in England and what was going on over there and the music he was hearing from us over there and Chicago and all that. Beause he was the first one to travel like that, so we went off of his word basically what was going on over there, and Neil ended up coming back to Detroit to meet myself, Juan, Eddie, just the whole crew, Blake Baxter, I guess Mike [Banks] too. Members Of The House and whoever else I might have forgot at that time that was on that album, but he listened. He met with us all separately, listened to all our music and “Big Fun” was one of the tracks I played for him that ended up getting licensed on this Detroit techno compilation that eventually came out with “Big Fun” on it and all the other Detroit producers, DJs at the time.
Christine Kakaire
Yes that compilation was called Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit and from what I understand, I don’t know if it’s myth or reality, was that Neil Rushton and had put together a compilation of Chicago music and it was Chicago house and the intention was to call this Detroit house but at some point the word techno was adopted. So you have any insight about that?
Kevin Saunderson
Well, I don’t really remember but I know Juan, this is what Juan tells me, that’s what I hear that it was called house, or the sound of Detroit House, whatever it was called, but and Juan said, “No, no, no, no this is techno, Detroit techno.” So that’s what Juan says that he told Neil, “We’re gonna call this Detroit techno,” and that’s… and Juan always called it techno. I knew techno from Juan from the very beginning. I didn’t even know the word techno until I heard Juan say the word techno and that was always his theory.
Christine Kakaire
It’s great to hear you speak with such a reverence for Juan because the three of you, you’re known as the Belleville Three, Juan, Derrick, and yourself, but within that you all have your superhero names. Like Juan is the originator, Derrick is the innovator, and you are the elevator. And I think this would be a fantastic opportunity to watch a couple of videos from this compilation, the biggest hit which went on to become a single, and turned into this amazing video that we’re gonna see, was “Big Fun.” And I was so thrilled that I watched this video closely last night and asked you earlier if that’s you dancing in the background and it definitely is.
Christine Kakaire
So let’s have a look at video number three which is Inner City’s first single, “Big Fun.”
Inner City – “Big Fun”
(video: Inner City – “Big Fun”)
So that was the video for Big Fun by Inner City. You said you hadn’t watched that video for a few years now, what’s it like seeing it back again?
Kevin Saunderson
Bring back some amazing times, just a great time for music and how things evolved. It moves really quickly and, you know, 1987 is when I put my first record out on my label, 1988 I’m having this huge hit success a year or so later. I thought it was a dream.
Christine Kakaire
I mean did you have a sense of how things were changing for you, coming from this like hotbed production community and then having a breakout hit like “Big Fun” which is being consumed almost like pop music where it’s all about the performer and the performance. How was that transition for you and for Paris?
Kevin Saunderson
Well, I mean, I wanted to stay in the background pretty much and that was my whole plan.
Christine Kakaire
Literally.
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah, exactly, just like in the video. But I just wanted to make music and I wanted to be this great DJ. It did change things for me because I had to go on these shows and do all these like Top of the Pops and stuff like that, which at the beginning I definitely wasn’t comfortable doing but I did it because it was kind of the beginning. I had to learn my way and I was a developing artist. I was more a producer than an artist, for sure. I didn’t have the vision to want to be that kind of artist but it happened because of my inspiration, because I was blessed, and the timing and I wasn’t one-dimensional either. I like different forms of music, I like the dark, dirty underground shit too, but I like to sing a song too and feel it in my soul, so because of the success it came with it.
Christine Kakaire
Speaking of Top of the Pops we do have a little clip of that that I’d love to play as well.
Kevin Saunderson
Oh boy. [laughter]
Christine Kakaire
But of course you have this big breakout hit and at that time, it was kind of towards the beginning of 1988, is that correct?
Kevin Saunderson
It was like September, October the record might’ve came out.
Christine Kakaire
OK.
Kevin Saunderson
But it came out on my label, it came out on the compilation, so it was bubbling like crazy throughout the whole summer.
Christine Kakaire
But of course, as is the case in record label land, big major label land, if you have a hit you’re expected to deliver another hit, which you did with “Good Life,” which alongside with “Big Fun” formed the basis of this album, and I think it’s worth mentioning just how popular this album and these tracks were. I think eight of these tracks made it onto the British Top 100 in terms of single sales.
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah I don’t know if it was eight, it was definitely five for sure. I believe five for sure.
Christine Kakaire
And you had a similar success in the US with the Billboard Dance Charts as well.
Kevin Saunderson
Definitely, definitely.
Christine Kakaire
Okay well let’s have just a little look at this video from Top of the Pops because I think it’s worth reinforcing how much of a crossover act Inner City had become. So if we could play, let’s just play a minute and a half of this video of Inner City performing “Good Life” at Top of the Pops in December, 1988.
Inner City – “Good Life” (live on Top Of The Pops)
(video: Inner City – “Good Life” (live on Top Of The Pops))
What are your memories from that? Do you have any memories from that? Were you kind of directed, told what to do?
Kevin Saunderson
Just felt uncomfortable, a lot of anxiety. Like, “What the hell am I doing up here?” I mean really, that’s how I felt.
Christine Kakaire
It’s funny because you’re just like endlessly queuing this one record in the background it’s amazing.
Kevin Saunderson
You know it was just moving so quick and I’m a studio producer so it’s like, you’re out of your environment really because you’re not in the studio, so things have changed obviously now. You can basically take your studio on the road with you and perform and do stuff that you at least used to do or that you do in the studio, but it’s still a great experience. Paris was the star, she needed to be the star and I just played whatever role I needed to play to be a part, because I was a part.
Christine Kakaire
OK so you talked about you were a studio person, you wanted to be in the studio, you were in the studio, so I think this is probably a good time to follow another pretty epic line of your discography. I didn’t realize until you mentioned this to me yesterday but you are credited with creating the first dance remix, in terms of not just doing an edit but essentially gutting a track and reforming it in a different context, so it’d be great to hear a little bit about this work that you also did in 1988.
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah I went to England, as Neil was trying to get me work in the market, so he asked me, and I think Derrick also, did we want to do some remixes while we were over there, try and do a little DJ tour, it’s early days and promoting the techno compilation. So early ’88 I took on this project called the Wee Papa Girl Rappers and it was for Jive Records. I hadn’t heard the track, these days you listen to the track, you decide if you want to do it but it was just like, “Do you wanna do a remix on this track?” So I was like, “Sure, I’ll do whatever. I’m here.” I wanted to make time go by while I was there and do something with my time at the same time so I worked on this track. I went in the studio, heard the track for the first time. I was like, “What the hell am I gonna do with this track?” I didn’t know what I was gonna do with it because I was used to making music, my music, not taking somebody else’s tracks and trying to make them work for me.
Then I knew like, OK, people like Shep Pettibone and Jellybean Benitez and all them was doing remixes, a lot of disco stuff, which extended it and made it easy for DJs to play. So I had a challenge there, if I was gonna go that direction I felt like it wasn’t anything that I would play myself. If I edit it and make it, and extend it, it still wouldn’t fit to where I wanted to get, so my approach was to lose everything and to make a track, and make sure it was in the same key, and take a bit of the vocals, and use it over my track and that’s how that kinda happened. And then it was like the first time that had happened, so the record company… I mean I did it and then instantly it was something I felt like I could play, that fit into what was going on at the same time.
So the record company, they… I mean I don’t actually think they hated it, they just couldn’t believe it, and the artists couldn’t believe it as well because the producers were Fine Young Cannibals I think, of the actual track, and they weren’t very happy about it but somehow I guess they let some other people hear it, they gave it some DJs and it just, it blew up from that, and all of a sudden I’m doing all these remixes, kind of just following the same format and other people are following that and that’s how that ended up happening, basically.
Christine Kakaire
The inspiration begins again with the remixes. But I think that we should listen to just a little snippet of the original version of this track which is called “Heat It Up” by Wee Papa Girl Rappers which is a British hip-house duo, twin sisters. And then we’ll listen to your Detroit House Mix directly afterwards.
Wee Papa Girl Rappers – “Heat It Up”
(music: Wee Papa Girl Rappers – “Heat It Up”)
Wee Papa Girl Rappers – “Heat It Up (Detroit House Mix)”
(music: Wee Papa Girl Rappers – “Heat It Up (Detroit House Mix)”)
So that was the Detroit House Mix of Wee Papa Girl Rappers. Where did you start with this track? I mean, you talked about wanting to strip all the bits that you didn’t want away, do you remember how you actually made it?
Kevin Saunderson
I just used the vocals and I had to use some trigger device, I can’t remember what it was, where I could sample like 30 seconds… No not 30 seconds, like five seconds, ten seconds, something like that. You can only do that amount and I was able to trigger that vocal to make that “It’s like that” layer. I think I started with that, working it over some drums and I got a TB-303. That might have been the first or second time I worked with a 303. I just filled it out, built drums, a little bass and just kept working it until I felt like it was working.
Christine Kakaire
What’s your working process like because you seem to be somebody who is especially prolific and working on a range of things, particularly around this time period. Are you a start to finish kind of person? Do have numerous projects going at the same time? Has your process changed over time?
Kevin Saunderson
Well back in those days, when you went in the studio and I got a 24-hour block, I was done within 24 hours. Sometimes I was done in 12 hours. The only thing that kept me from completing a project was if we had technical difficulties and there was plenty of technical difficulties with using tape. If you needed to use anything from the actual track or you needed to really use the vocals, just didn’t have the technology that you have now to do it. And then I had all the time in the world. I was young and I didn’t have any commitments so I could just work endlessly in the studio as I did back in Detroit and that’s why I had all these tons of aliases ‘cause I just kept making music and I was like, “I‘ma just gonna put that under that brand. I’ma put it out under that,” ‘cause I just wanted so much music to come out. So that was my approach on remixes and I think now, if I make a track, I will sometimes play it… I make it just for me and I might play it for two or three months, just play it in my sets before I even revisit it. It’s a different approach. You know, with technology you can test stuff out a little different. It’s just a different time now. I think people tend to take their time with tracks a lot more than we did back then. And I mean even me, you know I’m all over the place, I’m still playing all around the world, I have a family, so I try to balance everything. And I don’t have any super commitments to finishing anything ‘cause I don’t really have to unless I feel like I need to. And then when it’s finished, it’s finished. Or when I feel like it’s finished, it’s finished.
Christine Kakaire
[laughs] OK, you mentioned your aliases and I do want to talk about Reese in particular. But you also just mentioned your family and I think it’s worth noting that KMS Records and Inner City has become something of a family affair. Is it two of your adult sons who are on the same path as you?
Kevin Saunderson
Well, well, OK. So Dantiez, one of my sons, he runs KMS more or less, A&Rs it, puts out records, every now and again I’ll bring a record into the whole pot and say, “Hey, we should put this out.” But he also is… He’s partnering up with Inner City, so the new music… We got a track out now, we got a track coming out in another month I think, anything that’s new from Inner City, he’s doing 90% of the music and he’s moving on with that project. There’s no longer… Paris Grey is no longer part of Inner City because she is basically retired. He wanted to take on the project, I thought it was good and I gave him some coaching and I’m still a part of that. My other son, they work together on tracks as the Saunderson Brothers and they work individually too, so it’s a family affair too, and we have a studio that never stops. I guarantee somebody is using it right now. [laughter]
Christine Kakaire
Okay, let’s revisit one of your aliases, Reese. I’m gonna play a little part of a track called “Just Want Another Chance.” And this is also from 1988. And then we’re gonna talk a little bit about it afterwards.
Reese – “Just Want Another Chance”
(music: Reese – “Just Want Another Chance”)
So that was “Just Want Another Chance” by Reese, which is one of your aliases. Tell us about that bassline in that track?
Kevin Saunderson
You know when I was creating that bass, I was thinking dark, deep, I was thinking Paradise Garage. And I created it on a CZ-1000. So I just got into the parameters which I always enjoyed doing because sometimes when you’re creating sounds, it can inspire you to play a certain way or you hear something that inspires you to play something on top of that. And you can also change your direction, I’ve played lines that were just okay sounding, but all of a sudden, I get into parameters and I’ve morphed that and changed it in a way where all of a sudden it’s amazing, the line, where you wouldn’t think I would get that out of it. Experimentation, just experimentation with no rules. That’s as simple as that.
Christine Kakaire
And so this particular bassline was taken to by drum & bass producers, and jungle producers in the UK. So what I’m gonna do is I’m gonna play a little bit of a track called “Terrorist.” Which is by an act called Renegade which was Ray Keith and Gavin Cheung, and this is from 1994, and you can hear that exact same bassline in this track, so let’s have a listen.
Renegade – “Terrorist”
(music: Renegade – “Terrorist”)
So this lifting of that element of your track came out six years after “Just Want Another Chance.” At what point did you become aware that this bassline, and then, after that, the bassline treatment, became the ‘Reese bassline’ which is such a staple of drum & bass and jungle music now?
Kevin Saunderson
Well I used to hang out in London a lot. I used to hang out with Fabio & Grooverider, so I used to you know used to always talk about, “Oh man, your bass, your bass!” So until I went actually to hear him play, it seemed like every three or four records, every track I heard, it was some form of that bass sound, it had been sampled, or replayed. I don’t know what year, whenever they was at… I think it was Heaven, I don’t know what the night was called. It was in London. But I recognized it through them before I… I mean I didn’t know because I was just hanging out listening to them play drum & bass. And I was like, “Wow, every three or four records, here come another Reese bass,” you know? So it became definitely a staple and it sat in many, many, many tunes, I know that, so. It was also a compliment in a way. Hey, they didn’t create it, but they was able to grab it and use it creatively.
Christine Kakaire
Yeah. OK so the last section that I want to talk about, which I think brings this conversation… Rounds it off quite nicely. You talked about hanging out in the UK with big drum & bass DJs at that point in time, people who were taking music that was kind of coming from that hardcore continuum and elements of ragga and elements of techno as well. You have another alias named, E-Dancer, which is known for being quite no-nonsense, tough, dark, dancefloor-driven tracks. That’s an alias that first arrived around 1991. But what I would like to play is… OK, so there’s a pretty well known track of the E-Dancer discography from ’97, I believe, called “Velocity Funk.” And again, through deep diving into Discogs, I realized that the origins of this track is a remix that you had done for the electro-funk group Cameo in 1991. So this period of the late ’80s, early ’90s, where did you find the hours in the day? But also how did this remix come together? Because you specifically called it The Hardcore Mix, so you were making a nod to the stuff that was going on in the UK which was influenced by what you’d been doing, so tell us all about it.
Kevin Saunderson
I was hanging out in the UK, so I would go to raves and all that, and part of it I really liked, and some of the music I really hate, but there was elements that was interesting. And sections that was really good. So I was influenced, I would say subconsciously, and when I got into the studio, especially when I was working a remix, I was like, “I’m just gonna mess around with this,” you know? And see how it come out. And I ended up liking it. So it was Cameo. And I thought it was just a bizarre mixture of music and the artist. ‘Cause I grew up listening to Cameo. So, the record company released it, majors, especially back then, they didn’t really know what they had, they might put it there a little, promote it, under-promote it, whatever. It kind of floated out to some people, many people didn’t get it, so I decided to just go back and redo it and use it as an E-Dancer. So that’s how you noticed that and then the change over.
Christine Kakaire
OK. Well let’s listen to a little bit of the original of “Money” by Cameo and then directly after that, I’m gonna play “Velocity Funk.” And then we can wrap up before we open it up to questions.
(music: Cameo – “Money”)
E-Dancer – “Velocity Funk”
(music: E-Dancer – “Velocity Funk”)
I mean it’s almost impossible to imagine putting those two tracks together, but with the remix which you did, which unfortunately I don’t have, you managed to do that. But what I want to do before we open it up to questions, is ask about how inspiration and reiteration is still continuing with you. I know that with your E-Dancer project, you put out an album in 1998, called Heavenly and I believe it was last year there was Heavenly Revisited, and it kind of continues to iterate itself as does Belleville Three, you’ve been doing live shows. It would be great to get a sense of how all of these strands of your projects are still continuing to evolve now.
Kevin Saunderson
Well I’m not gonna have 10,000 aliases like before, so really i’m just doing Inner City, I’m doing E-Dancer now. So what I decide when I play E-Dancer, I decided a couple years ago I want to revisit it and do some tweaks, but sometimes the new generations don’t find the music from the past so I thought what was a way to connect the two, and then maybe they’ll go back and find the original album if they like what they hear. With the new album it was really still mainly the old album, with just some modifications as far as mixing and some slight arrangement things. Maybe adding some fills, I did stuff like that with …Revisited. And I also added two or three new E-Dancer tracks to that record as well. So I just felt like it was necessary. I’ve been doing this for 30-something years, and I felt like the music is still great, I think it’s still important. So I’ve done that. And I’ve been doing some live shows featuring some of those tracks in some of the live shows. I’ve also worked on another version that’s gonna be coming out that’s totally downtempo, totally ambient, very relaxed but very strong, with the same music. But it’s gonna surprise people. Very orchestrated.
Stuff like that is a challenge, but it inspires me to take those chances and do what you want to do, and try to do what you want to do and achieve. So I’ve done that with E-Dancer and some of that will be coming very soon. With Belleville Three, me, Derrick and Juan decided to get together and tour, and the original concept was, “Let’s tour and let’s put some of our great tracks together and let’s do a live tour.” And go to some of our favorite places around the world and just do it properly, something that we haven’t done, and maybe add a few new tracks or tracks by each other, or maybe collab on two or three tracks and add it to the project.
Well the process took longer than anticipated trying to get there. So what we end up doing is doing a DJ tour for four, five dates, having three individual setups. So that’s what we ended up trying, it worked 50% of the time. I mean when do something like that, it’s totally an experiment, ‘cause you’ve got three different minds, three different ways of thinking, we’re not sitting down practicing and trying to format anything. It’s more like whatever happens, happens. You get on stage, either it’s gonna sound like shit or it’s gonna sound great. Sometimes you have amazing moments too that you cannot recapture either, so what we decided was we not gonna do that. If we go back out together, it will be completely live, playing some of our classic records and hopefully a couple new tracks together, so that’s kind of the next phase of that, Belleville Three.
Christine Kakaire
Well hopefully you’ll be elevating for another 30 years.
Kevin Saunderson
Hey, as long as I stay healthy, I’ll be here.
Christine Kakaire
Please thank Kevin Saunderson. [applause] So at this point we’ll open up to questions particularly from our participants. If you have any please raise your hand.
Audience member
Respect Kevin.
Kevin Saunderson
Hey.
Audience member
Yeah I was just wondering when was the moment that you created this timeless techno stuff that has been used countless times. When was the moment that you created that style?
Kevin Saunderson
Oh when did I create it?
Audience member
Yeah.
Kevin Saunderson
Oh man, 1985, ’86, ’87. Yeah ’87, ’86, ’87, all that, ’88. You know all that stuff was created back then. But it still began, it really began in ’82, ‘cause you know the foundation was, learn how to be a DJ, then it was learn how to work a drum machine, then it was learn how to get a sequence and do a bassline and then it was just adding pieces to the puzzle and learning. So the development really was between ’82 and I would say ’87 before the first record came out.
Audience Member
Hey, thank you so much. I just want to ask, is there any particular contemporary dance music that you’re excited about? Anyone you want to mention?
Kevin Saunderson
I don’t even listen to… I don’t even look at titles. When I’m musically playing something or listening to something, I never looking at the titles, so I never know what the hell… Even if I am, if I think it’s great, I really don’t know. It’s not like back in the day were you really knew each record and each artist because I had all that time to be educated or really absorb it. So it’s a different time for me. So when I hear shit, I mean I hear lots of great music and there’s still plenty of great music out there. But I can’t even give you a name or the artist or the act, just can’t.
Audience Member
You spoke quite a bit about the people who are influencing you as a producer and mentoring you there. But who are some of your mentors as a DJ that helped inspire your style in that particular format?
Kevin Saunderson
DJ wise, OK. Larry Levan. Tony Humphries. Ron Hardy. Derrick May. Even though me and Derrick is at the same age, Derrick, especially back then, just did amazing shit. He would take chances. And he was ruthless. It’s almost like being a sports guy, being a competitor at the same time. But having no fear. So that’s what I loved about Derrick. Ron Hardy just… Derrick was influenced from Ron Hardy. Ron Hardy was the first one messing with the high end, taking out the bass, low end, bringing it back in, crowd screaming. Keeping it out for two or three minutes, stuff like that. That’s some of the ones.
Audience Member
Could tell us about the music scene in the late ’80s, early ’90s in Detroit in terms of, were there many clubs? Were you going out? Were you even DJing that much in your home city? Because from what I’ve heard, sometimes a lot of pioneering musicians in America have never fully been appreciated in their home country or home city and have had to go to Europe to find success. So if you could tell us a bit about that.
Kevin Saunderson
So, back in those days, the first gigs… Juan was doing these Deep Space parties. He had this little following, and it was all urban black kids, basically. At least it was probably 95% just black. People from the cities, going to schools. And then it elevated from that to these kids going to college, to also following the music that Juan and then Eddy and then myself were creating. Derrick and all of us, Blake. And we were playing also. So the parties we were playing, the parties I was playing, were parties on the campus. Fraternity parties and events like that. We were actually playing at different universities, stuff like that. As far as clubs, there was a club called Cheeks, I remember the first time I went there I heard Al Ester. Great DJ, he could play, he was playing back then. We had Ken Collier playing and maybe a little later in the ’80s or early ’90s, I remember Heaven.
What else in Detroit? I mean the Music Institute of course. The Music Institute was where Derrick’s residency, it started out as me and Derrick’s residency, but because of Inner City, I kind of got dragged out of the Music Institute to touring within the city and a guy named D-Wynn ended up taking my spot and playing there, ‘cause it was every an week thing, that was the place. That’s where Richie Hawtin, many people came that was within the surrounding area to be inspired hearing all this great music from Detroit and from Chicago, from wherever. So that’s kind of what was happening at the time.
But we did have to go overseas and it was a gap for me because of Inner City. Some people didn’t even realize that I was a DJ, it took a while to kind of reestablish myself as a DJ. But we had to go overseas to really get that love and then it turned around with having our own festival in Detroit. I think in the US it’s better, much better than it was years ago, now, today. I play probably more in the US then I play in Europe and that was unheard of.
Audience member
Yeah I just wanted to ask about coming from America, when you guys first popped in Europe, do you remember the specific moment that that happened? And was there a specific person or a bridge that helped you guys establish yourselves in Europe?
Kevin Saunderson
Well I mean I would think 1988 is when it really took off because for me, obviously I had the Inner City success, but I had “Rock To the Beat.” I had all this other stuff going on, “Just Want Another Chance.” You had Derrick with “Strings Of Life,” Already had “Nude Photo” out. Then you had other cats coming in from Detroit like UR as that whole thing started to develop and Octave One started developing. Everything started, Carl Craig, so it all happened from the compilation. It all happened because of England, they jumped on board, and Neil Rushton was the person who introduced us. So that’s the specific person who got us over there. Even though we were over there in a way, it got us the deal that triggered other things. ‘Cause we triggered ourself because we put out records. We DJ’d and we controlled our own labels so no one could stop it, it’s just where it was gonna be placed in the end.
Audience member
As somebody who’s had many aliases, I’m just curious how did you come up with the names?
Kevin Saunderson
Man I would just sit back and listen to music and just daydream and just feel like, “It feels like that. This feels like that.” And then you know, sometimes I wanted it to be, she had mentioned like there was some influence with the UK rave scene right? So like Tronik House, that was specifically, I was gonna use some breaks. I knew I’m gonna start this track out, I’m gonna mess with some breaks and chop up some breaks and try to include that type of thing in there. But just sometimes I create the music and then came up with the aliases. It wasn’t really that I came up with the alias first, you know?
Audience member
Whatever fit the music.
Kevin Saunderson
Huh?
Audience member
Whatever fit the music.
Kevin Saunderson
Yeah, whatever fit the music and it felt like the Reese project, it was more soulful. It was a little more downtempo, it wasn’t as fast as some of the other stuff. It was different singers from Detroit. And everybody wanted me to produce them. I can’t produce everybody so I was like, well yeah I can put two or three tracks of you guys together and you all kind of got this gospel type effect. And I thought let me do… You trigger ideas like that. And then you make the music and it works.
Audience member
Cool.
Audience member
Hi.
Kevin Saunderson
Hello.
Audience Member
Thank you for sharing your story. I wonder, do you remember the first time you played in Berlin? And can you recall how you experienced the techno scene here when you came?
Kevin Saunderson
Man, I played Berlin. I don’t remember the first moment. Here’s what I do remember. Not as a DJ, I remember as Inner City, I played Berlin and I played right when the wall came down, right? So I remember walking over and getting a piece of the wall and we did this constant, big… It was with Kool & the Gang, and S.O.S. Band and Inner City and Diva something, I’m trying to think of her name. I can’t remember, but I think it was maybe 1989 and ’90. So I think that was the first time I even came over here. But I remember distinctly getting a piece of the wall, going on stage, holding it up and I did it like Inner City theme, like it was really a powerful, magnetic, special moment. And then through the years, I remember coming back and I seen the scene developing. I remember it being very fast, very dark, very aggressive, but they had a buried underground scene going on. I do remember that.
Christine Kakaire
I think that’s the final question. So once again, thank you Kevin Saunderson. [applause]
Kevin Saunderson
All right, thank you, thank you.
Keep reading
That Time I Got Adopted for Stealing – Chapter 2 – AdorableAxolotl
Chapter Text
Envy
That was the ugly emotion that Prince Wilbur felt the day he received a letter from Prince Dream announcing the birth of their kingdom’s youngest prince. A terrible feeling that consumed the seven year old as he found himself craving a younger sibling to call his own, jealousy coursing through his body with every letter he received from Dream that detailed the newest milestone his younger brother Ranboo had achieved.
Wilbur could remember the absolute horror on both of his parent’s faces the day he barged into their throne room in the middle of a court hearing with the declaration of wanting a younger sibling. His personal maids chasing after him and trying desperately to usher the child from the throne room while his parents sputtered loudly, faces bright red with their embarrassment. Speaking with Wilbur later that night and trying their best to explain as simply as possible that creating life wasn’t as easy as the child believed it to be, the explanation going over the child’s head as he only grew more frustrated with their avoidance at giving him a clear answer.
Even now at the tender age of twelve, Wilbur still dreamed of having a younger sibling that he bragged about in the same fashion that Dream did. The other prince found joy in sending countless letters to Wilbur, knowing full well how the other prince felt about the entire situation, rubbing his younger brother in Wilbur’s face.
The intensity of that desire only grew stronger as the years trekked on, his attempts at convincing his parents only becoming more elaborate and creative the wiser he became with age. Learning years prior that stomping his foot and making local vocal demands for a sibling was getting him nowhere. Both of his parents began to actively avoid him the moment they spotted that familiar spark of determination in his eyes, panicking before rushing off with excuses of meetings.
If Wilbur couldn’t win them over with his words and valid reasonings on the benefits of having another prince or princess join the royal family, he would have to change up his tactics and come at the problem with a different approach. Turning to his personal guard for a second opinion on how best to proceed with convincing the King and Queen that a second child was in the best interest for the entire kingdom and not just something that Wilbur personally desired.
The sudden question had surely thrown Niki for a loop as she nearly stumbled over her own feet as she turned to Wilbur with wide confused eyes, not having expected such an abrupt question when the two had remained in silence for so long. Leaned back in his chair with feet propped atop the wooden desk, a feather pen balanced precariously on the bridge of his nose as he tried to entertain himself whilst he awaited his next instructor.
“I’m not quite sure I understand your question, your highness.” Niki finally spoke up after a few moments of silence as she attempted to recollect herself from her initial shock, internally reprimanding herself for allowing such a visual reaction when she had just received lessons involving masking one’s emotions. It was a lesson where she had received praise from the Knight Commander as she was able to mask her emotions well when compared to her peers. Words that she kept close to her heart and replayed over once she was in the comforts of her room, screams of pure delight muffled by the pillow she pressed against her face.
It had always been a dream of hers to enter into the royal knight academy and train to become someone that was highly respected and renowned throughout their kingdom, to stand proudly beside her liege as she kept them safe from whatever threat made itself known. A dream that seemed so unreachable and would have been abandoned long ago if not for the encouragement of her dear friend Wilbur, the prince exclaiming that he would take her as his personal knight once Niki graduated. The young girl returned the sentiment with promises of her sword, pinkies interlocking as they made a silent vow with one another.
There were times when Niki didn’t believe that she would make it as far as she truly had, woken up with aches in her body that left her in tears and a strong urge to lay down her training sword and just give up with her pursuit of fame and glory. Only refraining due to the encouragement she received from her fellow knights in training and her dear friends that all kept her marching forwards towards her dream.
It didn’t take long before Niki found herself appointed as the prince’s personal guard that was to attend to him during the evening hours of the day. Having been given the title once the Knight Commander had deemed her well-enough verse with the blade, keeping her morning schedule free to participate in regular training hours while the evening was reserved for experiencing life as a personal guard. A temporary title that would be exchanged once she properly became a knight and swore her blade to her liege.
“I feel as if all my attempts are falling on deaf ears at this point.” Wilbur started once more, nose twitching with a barely held in sneeze that caused the feathered pen to topple to the floor with a small clatter. Both teens looked towards where the object had fallen before Niki gave a small sign and reached down to collect the pen before handing it back over to Wilbur’s own awaiting hand. “How would you approach your parents when asking for a younger sibling?”
This time around Niki had been able to properly brace herself for the rather embarrassing question that Wilbur seemed to have no qualms in asking, a heat rising to her cheeks at the discussion of such an intimate act yet refusing to let those feelings show in her facial expression. “A child is a heavy responsibility and not one that I would pressure my parents into having if they did not want another.”
Wilbur simply scrunched his nose at her reasonable answer as he began twirling his pen in between his fingers, both teens remaining silent as Niki didn’t know how to best approach the conversation when it looked as if Wilbur was once more lost within his own thoughts. It had been an ongoing conversation between the two for years now as Wilbur turned to his best friend for advice, that determination burning ever so brighter with every passing year.
Those feelings growing ever so larger the older Prince Ranboo grew and the more Prince Dream antagonized Wilbur. An ongoing rivalry between the two princes from differing kingdoms that had always been determined to one up the other. An endless battle to discover things that the other was better skilled at and rubbing those accomplishments in one another’s face. Dream remained undefeated as he had the younger brother that Wilbur craved more than anything else.
“I’ve decided!” Wilbur suddenly called out and in turn caused Niki to flinch as she hadn’t been expecting the sudden shout from the prince. The teen kicked his legs over the side of the desk as he brought himself to a standing position, stretching his arms high above his head with a satisfying pop. Turning his head Wilbur looked at Niki who returned his smile with a raise of her brow, confused as to what Wilbur was planning when he was meant to be waiting for his next instructor to arrive. “I’m going to make another valiant effort at convincing my parents!”
Niki barely had time to properly register what Wilbur had exclaimed before the prince was marching out of the study and towards a nearby guard that had been stationed outside of the room, grinning as he asked where his parents currently were within the castle. Chasing after the prince with tiny shouts of protest, trying to reason with Wilbur that he would be scolded once more for disturbing his parents whilst they were busy with work. The boy simply waved his hand back and forth as to dismiss her worries and the vain attempt at preventing him from barging into the throne room once more, she had long since lost count of how many times that would make it this month.
Sighing in defeat, Niki resigned herself to their fate as she trailed behind Wilbur as he walked through the grand halls with purpose. A fire burning in his eyes as he plotted how best to start the conversation and lead it in the direction that would end in his favor. Deciding that today would be the day that his parents would finally relent and see the reasoning behind his words, come to an understanding that it would be beneficial to both the kingdom and Wilbur’s future reign if they had another child.
Someone that would support the young prince with the hefty weight that came along with ruling a nation as magnificent as theirs, a fact that Dream had shoved in his face countless times before as he relentlessly teased the other in their letters. Bragging about Ranboo and how he was excelling in his studies, becoming someone that would stand by his brother’s side to lead their own kingdom to prosperity.
When Wilbur arrived outside of the dining room, he briefly pondered as to why his parents were having lunch at such a strange hour. It wasn’t uncommon for the pair to eat at odd times as both of their schedules were filled to the brim with things that needed to be attended to, yet both made sure to always arrive at the dining hall for both breakfast and dinner so that the family of three could eat with one another.
Wilbur just found it slightly odd that both of his parents were eating inside of the dining hall instead of inside of their respective studies, both choosing to eat their meals while they worked. Though he didn’t let those thoughts rule his mind as he turned towards the guards stationed outside of the room and waited for the pair to open the door. An action that Wilbur would much prefer to do himself though he knew that if word of his actions reached his etiquette instructor, she would surely have his neck for the ‘unsightly’ behavior that was unbefitting of someone of his status.
Wilbur would have never anticipated the sight that awaited him once those large doors were fully opened, allowing him to take slow steps inside of the room. Leaving Niki behind with the guards stationed outside of the room as they closed the doors behind him, only the royal family and their unexpected guests remained inside. Eyes falling onto both of his parents that sat in their usual seats while two unknown children sat alongside them at the table, the younger one eating a plate of food as if he was a starving animal.
He took time to truly look over both unknown children and fully take in their appearances, realizing rather quickly that both were wearing mere rags that were ill-fitting and barely managed to cover their skin from the harsh elements of their kingdom. Their rags were nothing like the thick wool that Wilbur wore himself to stay warm during this frozen season, a cape always found tied around his shoulders to protect his wings from the ever-present snowfall that came along with this time of year.
Scrunched his nose at the layer of dirt and grime that covered both their clothing and skin that wasn’t properly covered by their meager clothes. Cuts and bruises covering their limbs and faces, something Wilbur couldn’t help but notice as bruises on the older ones’ wrists oddly resembled handprints and rope burns. It was a realization that left a bitter taste in his mouth as his mind wandered off to come up with a valid explanation as to why the bruises would be in that particular shape, shoving those questions aside to focus on the more prevalent question at hand.
Who exactly were these children?
The younger one didn’t look to be a day over the age of four though Wilbur knew that may also be a product of malnutrition as he had been forced to educate himself on the topic, to recognize the suffering of the homeless and understand where he needed to step in and assist. All those signs were glaring obvious when he looked at both children and realized in an instant that there were children that had been raised on the streets.
He tried not to think too long on those implications as he focused on taking in their appearances, looking at the youngest’s head full of blond curls that looked much darker due to the thick layer of dirt that was caked to his skull. Two round and striped ears sat atop his head that matched the tail that swished in the air behind him as the child leaned forwards to snag another apple from the table. Throwing himself back heavily into his seat before biting into the fruit and not bothering to wipe away the juices that dripped down his chin.
The older teen released a heavy sigh before he took a cloth from the table and wiped at the protesting child’s face. Wiping away some of the dirt that covered his face and revealing that the dark markings around his eyes were in fact a part of him and not another layer of filth. Giving him the appearance of wearing a bandit’s mask rather than just a child that had spent too much time rolling around inside of a flower bed.
Moving his gaze to the other unknown child, Wilbur found himself meeting the gaze of the teenager in question. Wilbur quickly felt at a loss of breath from the sheer intensity of the hard stare that was being directed at him, an analyzing gaze as if to determine what kind of threat Wilbur posed. With eyes that belonged to someone that had seen battle and had grown ever so weary with the constant blight.
Wilbur had seen that same look in their Knight Commander’s eyes when he spoke to the young prince of a war that had long since passed. Had seen that look when his father spoke of friends that were no longer of this world. And now he had seen that look in the eyes of someone that seemed to be the same age as himself, a teen that was covered in scars that told stories that Wilbur couldn’t begin to imagine.
It brought forth a sudden wave of protectiveness that Wilbur couldn’t explain in words, a desire to rush forwards and gather the other teen in his arms and lock him in a warm embrace. Wrapping his wings tightly around the other and never letting go in a vain attempt to chase away all the demons that seemed to haunt him.
Though Wilbur refrained from doing the very thing his instincts screamed at him to do, harshly swallowed down the chirps that begged to be released. Wanting to recreate the same comforting sounds that his mother and father had once made for him whenever he came running to them with tears in his eyes. Carding fingers through his hair as their chest rumbled with the chirps that lulled him into a sense of safety.
“Wilbur, it’s nice to see you darling.” Wilbur was snapped out of whatever spell his hybrid instincts seemed to hold on him as he turned his attention towards his mother who had been watching him with a soft smile. A knowing look in her eyes that brought forth a sense of embarrassment, the teen wondering how much his mother knew and would that information be used at a later date to tease him with.
“Why don’t you join us for lunch, mate?” Wilbur decided to accept his father’s offer as he made his way towards the table and sat himself down in a seat beside his parents, directly across from the two children that watched him with a wariness in their eyes. It was a startling realization as Wilbur had never found himself to be someone that was threatening or intimidating, there was hardly anyone that found him as such even with his status as crowned prince.
“So who are our guests?” Wilbur questioned as he leaned forward and reached hands out to begin and fill his plate with an assortment of different vegetables, trying to come across as nonchalant and non-threatening as physically possible. Humming a tune he had created himself as he went through the motions of fixing his plate, hoping that by coming across as non-judgmental he would ease the worries of the other two and allow them to return to eating their own meals.
“This is Techno and Tommy.” His father supplied easily as he gestured towards each child as he spoke their names. The combination of both father and son working together did wonders in easing away the tension that both children held. Tommy soon returned to eating his meal while Techno’s shoulders loosened ever so slightly, as if undoing a tight knot.
“A pleasure to make both of your acquaintances, I am Prince Wilbur Craft.” It was a rehearsed introduction that Wilbur had repeated countless times over the course of years, growing tired of repeating the same sickeningly sweet pleasantry. Though Wilbur could admit that this would be the first time in his life that the response he received to his introduction was a frown and furrowed brow.
Tommy’s face twisted in annoyance as he stared long and hard at his plate as if contemplating something, humming to himself before finally lifting his head upwards to meet Wilbur’s own questioning gaze. “What does that mean?”
“Huh?”
“Acquain– quaint–” Tommy’s face scrunched up with his annoyance as he tried sounding out the word a few more times and failing to say the word in the same way that Wilbur had. Growing more frustrated by the minute and those emotions easily being seen in the way that his ears pinned backwards and his tail thrashed about wildly in the air.
“Acquaintances.” Techno offered to ease the boy’s growing anger before bringing his fork to his mouth and eating another bite of the roasted potatoes that filled his plate.
“Yeah that one!” Tommy exclaimed loudly as he nearly stood up in his chair, hands smacked loudly against the wooden table as he looked towards Wilbur with an expression that demanded answers. “What does that word mean?”
Wilbur struggled not to burst out into a fit of laughter, not in a mocking sense but more along the lines of just laughing about the entire situation. He briefly wonders if this is what Dream felt when he constantly bragged over his younger sibling, what it felt like to actually have one. The child-like wonder over a word that seemed so commonplace in Wilbur’s everyday life that he thought nothing of it. “It means that it is very nice to meet you.”
Wilbur was forced to bring up a hand to his mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to escape as he watched Tommy’s face scrunch up once more with his confusion. Finding comfort in the fact that Techno also turned his head away from the younger boy and bit his bottom lip. “Well that’s dumb as shit, why not just say that?”
Wilbur couldn’t stop himself from bursting out into laughter once those words were spoken, finding himself nearly doubling over as Techno reached out and ruffled at Tommy’s hair. Causing the younger boy to scream out in protest as he brought hands upwards to swat hand that was making a mess of his hair. “How about we don’t curse in front of our kingdom’s royalty?”
“How about you fuck off!”
Wilbur decided at that very moment that he would change up his plans slightly, and both of his parents could see it in the way their sons eyes twinkled with an idea that they could see coming. Because why have just a younger sibling when Wilbur could have both a twin and younger sibling?
That sounded more enticing, especially when Dream didn’t have a twin that he could brag about.
How to . . . increase storage on your Android phone
It’s a common complaint: nice phone, shame about the storage. Particularly at the budget end of the Android market, you may find that your phone storage just isn’t up to scratch when it comes to coping with the photos, video and music you are trying to store on it.
But there are way to improve your lot: here are a few tips :
Add a bit
Okay, so it’s not quite making the most of what you’ve got, but it’s the easiest way to sort your storage problem. If your phone accepts external storage, buy a micro SD memory card for it. That will give you an instant boost, and it’s a relatively cheap method of expanding your phone’s capacity.
Before you invest in a massive memory card though check your phone’s information for the highest capacity memory card it will accept. Some older phones will only support cards up 32GB.
There are other options – using external devices or wireless drives – but part of the problem with relying on a memory card is that not all apps can be transferred to it. Some phones running Android 6.0 take the memory card and make it part of the system’s overall storage. It’s known as adoptable storage, and it means you can’t remove the card and use it in another device without formatting it, but it will be a cheap way to expand storage. You’ll need a card with a decent read/write speed too.
Delete unwanted apps
Those apps that you downloaded because they seemed interesting, but you rarely – if ever – use? Get rid. They may not be huge, but the cumulative effect can put a dent in your device storage. If you change your mind, you can always re-download them from the Google Play store, free of charge.
Clear app caches
Over time, your lean apps can collect data and swell to gargantuan proportions. There are two ways to clear app caches in Android. You can do it individually for each app, although how you do it will depend on the version of Android your phone is running.
Generally, if you go to Settings>Apps, you’ll find a list of your installed apps. Choose the app, and you’ll be brought to a screen where you can force the app to stop, uninstall it, and see exactly how much space it is taking up on your phone. Under Storage, there’s usually an option to delete data and delete the cache.
You’ll have to do this individually, unless you don’t mind losing information from all your apps. In that case, you can put your phone into recovery mode and clear the app information that way. It differs from phone model to model, but a quick Google search will usually turn up the instructions.
Delete your downloads
Use the cloud
It’s nice to have your photos at your fingertips, but do you really need to store all of them on the phone? If you use Google Photos to automatically back up your images, you’ll have a slightly lower resolution, but still usable, version on your Google account. That means you don’t have to store everything on the phone.
Set Google Photos to automatically backup your images by going to the Photos app – you can download it from the Play store if it is not available on your handset – and accepting the prompt to backup and sync that will appear when you first open the app. If you rejected that option initially, you can always turn it on by opening the app, choosing Settings, and checking the Back up and Sync option.
If you don’t want to use the free storage option from Google, you can always try Dropbox. You get 2GB free of charge, and you can set your images to automatically upload to your account directly from your phone.
Media files
As for your own tracks that you’ve bought or ripped from your CD collection, Google Play offers an online locker where you can store music, keeping it from cluttering up your phone storage.
Obviously, any cloud solution means you will need an internet connection, though, so think carefully about what you are removing from your phone.
Pitchfork Day 1: Phoebe Bridgers, Hop Along, Dehd deliver rousing sets in Chicago
Here are reviews of some of the Day 1 sets Friday at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.
Phoebe Bridgers, Green Stage, 8:30 p.m.
Phoebe Bridgers performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
“I hate you for what you did,” sang Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers, breaking into the beginning of her 2017 breakout single “Motion Sickness” and setting the tone for her headlining set at Pitchfork on Friday night.
Bridgers and her band — all clad in skeleton onesies — were greeted by an enormous crowd, eager to see the 27-year-old artist perform her blend of emotive indie folk-rock after a year’s worth of pandemic-forced canceled tour dates and virtual performances.
From the cheery Christmas lights wrapped around her mic stand contrasted with the skull-and-bones imagery of her outfit, to the muffled cheers from some of the happy fans in the crowd masked amid the global pandemic, to the thematically-heavy songs in major keys, Bridgers leaned into her knack for embracing irony to reach emotional clarity.
Set highlight “Kyoto” made the crowd swell to an even larger size, as fans danced to the upbeat song while singing deeply personal lines like, “I’m gonna kill you if you don’t beat me to it.”
Since the release of her brooding debut album “Stranger in the Alps” in 2017, Bridgers has developed a devout fan base that grew exponentially with the release of her emotionally evocative sophomore album “Punisher,” released last year. And while “Punisher” never got a proper tour, it did net the artist multiple Grammy nominations, a “Saturday Night Live” performance and widespread acclaim.
Bridgers’ fan base — sometimes known online as the “Phantoms” or the “Pharbz” — was clearly present Friday night, some of whom waited more than eight hours at the front of the stage for a key spot. During quiet moments in tracks like “Garden Song,” they sang passionately with eyes closed, all but drowning out the artist while belting lines like, “I hopped the fence when I was seventeen, then I knew what I wanted.”
If you didn’t wait for hours for the front row and were instead on the outskirts of the massive crowd, it was sometimes a struggle to hear Bridgers and her band, a reminder of the Pitchfork’s scale in comparison to other major music festivals and the limitations of its sound system. But by the second half of her set, the crowd had quieted enough for moving performances of songs like “Me & My Dog” — a song from her side project boygenius, with artists Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus.
Bridgers’ love for irony really shone during her mid-set cover of Bo Burnham’s “That Funny Feeling,” from his 2021 special “Inside,” which had her crooning lines like “Reading Pornhub’s terms of service, going for a drive, and obeying all the traffic laws in Grand Theft Auto V,” with haunting conviction.
The artist ended her set with her song “I Know The End,” building up to a climax that prompted the crowd to jump and scream as Bridgers and her band did the same, sounding like a powerful, melodic exorcism. The song’s abrupt ending also meant the end of her set, as she and her band rushed off the stage.
Yaeji, 7:45 p.m. Blue Stage
Yaeji performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Like many artists on this year’s, Yaeji released music last year that never got a proper tour.
In April 2020, the DJ, producer and vocalist dropped “What We Drew” — a creative, electronic, house-, R&B- and hip-hop-leaning mixtape with odes to human connection fit for a rave. But it was relegated to isolated, solo listening during a time hallmarked by shutdowns.
So when Yaeji took to the Blue Stage Friday night, she was making up for lost time, even going about 15 minutes over her set time — much to the satisfaction of the several hundred festival-goers assembled.
The crowd danced nonstop as Yaeji worked from behind her DJ setup, and was ecstatic when she took the mic and moved to the front of the stage.
In addition to being an innovative, genre-pushing producer, the Brooklyn-based artist is also an incredibly magnetic performer — which was really emphasized during her performance.
Songs like “Money Can’t Buy” saw Yaeji depart from her low-key vocal delivery on recordings, and project her voice in a way that sounded like she was spitting full-on bars.
One of the best features of the set was the presence of two backup dancers on stage with her for select songs — something she was trying for the first time, she told the crowd. The choreography was both tight and effervescent, and it was clear the crowd lived for moments when Yaeji would join the dancers for a synchronized combo.
On more mid-tempo tracks such as “Never Settling Down,” she clutched the mic and slowly strutted across the stage with the gliding demeanor of an R&B singer giving the audience a ballad.
Her song “Waking Up Down” helped to turn the more secluded corner of Union Park into a club, as Yaeji’s fans — whom she affectionately calls her “onions” — stepped and sweat along with the beats.
If she lost anyone from the crowd who peeled away once Phoebe Bridgers started her headlining set over on the Green Stage, Yaeji quickly gained new members who sprinted from other parts of the park when she started her 2017 cut “raingurl.” It all culminated in a full-throated singalong.
“Thank you, Chicago, Thank you, Pitchfork,” Yaeji said before her final song. “Everyone here is Best New Music!”
Kelly Lee Owens, 6:30 p.m., Blue Stage
Kelly Lee Owens performs on Day 1 of the Pitchfork Music Festival in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Welsh producer and musician Kelly Lee Owens brought her meditative electronic techno-pop sound to the Blue Stage Friday, easing the crowd of festival-goers into a sort of tranquil trance as the sun set on Day 1 of Pitchfork Fest.
Many members of the crowd closed their eyes and swayed to the low, feel-it-in-your-chest frequencies pushed through the subwoofers, while others nodded to the ethereal beats with their eyes transfixed on the artist working on stage.
“You look so beautiful!” Owens told the crowd, as sunlight silhouetted her and shone onto the crowd.
Owens was in constant motion throughout the set, playing keys, turning nobs, pounding a sample pad and singing into a mic. Yet, the multitasking felt like less of a juggling act and more like witnessing an artist meticulously reproduce her work in real-time to create an experience unique to that environment.
The effect was an engaging performance, where Owens’ production was accented by her breathy vocals floating above shimmering arpeggios and moments where she would lean into the mic and sing, headbang and look into the packed audience.
Her setlist boasted a number of other tracks from her latest release, last year’s “Inner Song” — a dreamy and introspective album touching on themes such as profound loss, letting go and change. The sophomore record is equally and deeply emotive, whether accompanied by Owens’ tastefully minimalistic melody lines or masterfully arranged instrumentation.
Even from a stage separating a crowd split between masked and unmasked festival-goers, the former-nurse-turned-professional-musician connected with the hundreds of fans in attendance, making eye contact and nodding in encouragement to those catching danceable grooves.
A standout moment was when Owens performed “On,” looking wide-eyed into the crowd with a nod, as if encouraging fans to, as she sings, “let go.”
The backhalf of Owens’ set produced for danceable moments, amping the crowd up as sun finally set and temperatures cooled significantly.
People packed before the stage were all smiles, dancing, hugging and laughing — all while kicking up a significant cloud of dirt that floated above them.
And at the end of her set, Owens stepped to the edges and clapped for the audience, raising her hands to cheer and thank them all.
Hop Along, 3:20 p.m., Red Stage
Frances Quinlan of Hop Along performs at Pitchfork Music Festival on Friday in Union Park.Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
No stranger to festival settings, seasoned Philadelphia-based indie-rock group Hop Along took the stage for its sweltering afternoon slot on Friday.
Save for a few cobwebs that came in the form of the occasional out-of-tune guitar or hardly-noticeable missed notes, the four-piece group performed a tight set spanning their more than 10-year-old discography.
After all these years, the undeniable focal point of Hop Along’s loud, folk rock-leaning sound is still the distinct rasp and range of bandleader Frances Quinlan’s vocals. The well-known power of their voice as heard on each of the band’s albums and the dynamic presence of all their vocals as captured on Quinlan’s 2020 solo record “Likewise” were on full display Friday.
Quinlan’s voice burst through the monitors and showcased their skill for sliding from falsetto to full-throated wailing and back, all while delivering catchy choruses to an audience nodding to the beat.
The performance was a breezy hit parade, with the band steadily gliding through a set list that felt curated for all the fans who’ve waited since before the pandemic to see them. And as evident by the smiles worn on Quinlan and Co.’s faces, the band had been waiting to see them, too.
“It feels so good to be with y’all,” said guitarist Joe Reinhart.
“I was very by myself like a week ago — this is very strange!” Quinlan said with a smile.
A set highlight was when Quinlan switched out their Gibson hollow body for an acoustic guitar to play “Horseshoe Crabs,” from the band’s 2015 album “Painted Shut.” Reinhart along with drummer Mark Quinlan — Frances’ brother — offered backing vocals throughout the set, but really shone during this song.
Other highlights included “How Simple” from 2018’s “Bark Your Head Off, Dog,” which Quinlan prefaced by asking the crowd, “Y’all being cool? Y’all respecting each other? This next song’s about two people who don’t respect each other.” The band then ripped into the opening riffs before leading the sea of joyful fans in singing the lines “Don’t worry, we will both find out just not together.”
Hop Along ended its set with one of its oldest releases, the 2012 fan favorite “Tibetan Pop Stars,” which sent the crowd jumping and headbanging.
The group will reprise its Pitchfork stint with a 7 p.m. aftershow Saturday at Metro Chicago, where local bands Varsity and Slow Mass will open.
Emily Kempf of DEHD performs on day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival, Friday, Sept. 10, 2021. Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Dehd, 2:30 p.m., Green Stage
Following blistering sets from cerebral hip-hop group Armand Hammer and Detroit post-punk outfits Dogleg, local outfit Dehd was third up on Day 1 of this year’s Pitchfork Music Festival.
The three-piece group burst into “Lucky,” serving their brand of jangly, moody — and at times surf-leaning — indie-rock to the delight of hundreds gathered to see the home team.
Drummer Eric McGrady worked as the band’s backbone standing center stage, flanked by bassist Emily Kempf and guitarist Jason Balla positioned just ahead, who both jumped and swayed while trading vocal duties.
Where many artists might rely on a lineup of lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass and five-piece drum setup for a fuller sound, Dehd chooses barebones instrumentation to embrace the freedom of dead space and let their songs truly shine — and it always works to their benefit.
Kempf’s guttural wails Friday on set standouts like “Baby” sounded as if they were drenched in reverb, creating the illusion of a once-empty hall filled with her powerful voice. Balla’s guitar lines on tracks like “Flood” came through crisply, sailing through the speakers without the anchor of a rhythm guitar. And McGrady’s driving eighth notes — pounded solely on a floor tom and snare — kept the crowd moving throughout the entire performance.
“This is really cool you all,” a beaming Kempf said to the crowd as it baked underneath the mid-afternoon sun.
Dehd’s set at Pitchfork Fest also served as an opener for a delayed tour in support of “Flower of Devotion,” released in July 2020.
The crew plans to cover more than 20-dates, including a stint in Vancouver, before ending back in the midwest with a St. Louis show in November.
More reviews to come …
Balanced body Allegro 2 Reformer 2021 Review
The Balanced Body Allegro 2 Reformer is one exceptional machine. Hands down, the Allegro 2 stands apart from all other Pilates reformers.
No matter what kind of athlete you are, whether you are a professional athlete, movement aficionado, Pilates beginner or master, or someone looking for overall wellness – quality matters! The quality of the equipment you invest in has an impact on the quality of your movement and progress. The Balanced Body Allegro 2 beams with – QUALITY!!!
OUR VERDICT
There are a handful of Pilates reformers on the market today that you can choose from, and from our perspective, the Balanced Body Allegro 2 reformer tops them all. Its smoothness, elegance, and innovations raise the bar for Pilates equipment.
- Smooth and sleek profile
- New Adjustable sliding foot-bar!
- Easy adjusting straps
- Ability to add tower
- Optional wheels for upright storage*
- Quiet
- Offers new / improved choices for routines
- Cost – With a base Price tag of $3,045 – $3340 it isn’t cheap
- Heavy*
- Additional accessories add to the cost
Note: The Allegro 2 with optional legs is well worth the upgrade.
Upgrade your Allegro 2 Reformer with Legs –
- provides more space for storage beneath
- offers raised height that allows more range of motion for certain exercises that require more space: lunges, side extensions when using the sitting box.
- If you plan to store this equipment on its side, you will need to order the wheel kit.
- leg extensions are SOLIDLY secure!
The Allegro 2 reformer is an incredible work of modern engineering and architecture. I can’t help but think of the Guggenheim museum ?
Aside from the architectural comparison, The Allegro 2 Reformer’s innovative design allows you to upgrade your traditional Pilates reformer routine. Not only is this reformer sleek and solidly built; it is a quality machine that will support your body’s incredible transformation with consistent practice. Check out this fun video for a peek at the many ways you can have fun on this equipment.
Before you know it, you too can be doing moves like that in this video ?
Is it a boy? Is it a girl? It’s an Allegro 2 Reformer!
I couldn’t be prouder ? What a moment when I first unboxed this beauty.
The Allegro 2 Reformer, along with jump-board, and sitting box lite, arrived altogether. Each box was professionally packaged and wrapped securely. In the past, I had ordered a Balanced Body Pilates Springboard and Push Through Bar, and the top notch packaging remains to be consistent. Balanced Body Pilates does a fantastic job of ensuring that quality is not limited to their actual product, but the quality goes into their packaging, delivery, and customer service!
While I was able to assemble the Allegro 2 by myself, I did need the help of my husband to help with the unboxing and placement. We have been gradually building out a garage gym and have placed incredibly durable long lasting mats on the floor. (we recommend horse stall mats – you can find them at most tractor supply stores). As for the delivery, You can see how much foam the packaging contains. Helpful tip: Use some of the foam to prop up areas when assembling the foot-bar.
All necessary tools and hardware came with this purchase. Look over the assembly brochure to double check that you have everything you need.
The underside of the Allegro 2 reformer is quite impressive! I marvel at the engineering that goes into building a machine like this. Not to worry, the underbelly of this Pilates machine was already put together with everything in tact.
You’ll also notice the careful protective tape, styrofoam packing, as well as some plastic holders (not easily seen in photo) are all in place to protect the product during transit. You can trust that your Balanced Body Pilates products are cared for every step of the way!
And now…. let the assembling begin!
I DID IT ALL BY MYSELF!!!! (well, almost)
Allegro 2 Reformer Review Assembly
The shipment of this Pilates reformer is quite heavy. Fortunately, we had our delivered directly into a cleared space in our garage gym. You will likely need an extra helping hand to move this machine to your ideal location.
All hardware and tools came with the delivery.
For assistance in putting your machine together, I found a Helpful youtube video in addition to the provided assembly instruction brochure. You can also make use of Balanced Body Customer service for assistance in setting up your equipment.
While I put together the Allegro 2 mostly by myself within 3 hours (This would have been faster without taking photos documenting the process. And… I also will admit that while there were two brochures on how to assemble the machine, I did not realize I had the full detailed brochure until I was nearly finished with full assembly – OOPS!) Well, at least the brief brochure along with a helpful youtube video were clear enough for me to follow along. What I’m saying is, assembling this product was not as intimidating as I anticipated it to be. It was also kind of exciting and rewarding to be able to be part of the process of making this incredible machine a reality in my daily world ?
Points to be on the look out for while assembling your Allegro 2
Use the provided foam to help prop up the machine.
Follow instructions!
Inspect the bottom for any extra foam, tape, or small plastic place holders, or elastic that needs to be removed before continuing.
An extra hand does help for the initial placement and turning onto its side when called for.
Have patience when installing the foot-bar. Watch videos, read instructions, and have patience. You will get it!
The reformer also comes with a detailed brochure, as well as a warranty form.
Overall, I was quite impressed with how Balanced Body boxed up the Allegro 2 and the overall packaging for everything else.
Balanced Body Allegro 2 Reformer Review
If you are looking for a top quality, long lasting Pilates reformer, the Allegro 2 is a must! After 15 years of teaching Pilates and experiencing numerous Pilates reformers, I find this one to be the best!
Let’s get right to it. What stands out the most for this machine, compared to other Pilates reformers, is the adjustable sliding foot-bar. This truly is a game changer! It’s easy to move, it is secure once in place, and a wide array of new exercises on the reformer are now real possibilities.
- Foot-bar (at traditional location) has 3 settings: low, medium, vertical / straight.
- Sliding foot-bar slides to multiple clearly marked sections along the length of the reformer.
- Foot-bar adjustments accommodate different body sizes – including children.
The bar is uniform from top to side to bottom. To protect it from wear and tare, I covered it with a white cabinet liner that I cut to size. You can also purchase a foot-bar cover from Balanced Body. They have cushioned and un-cushioned versions. I’m ok with the DIY version I have, but my version is rather flimsy and is frequently moving around.
Allegro 2 Reformer
Straps | Adjustability
The Allegro 2 reformer has an improved strap system – Soft Touch Rope System. This makes adjusting the straps so much easier. There is a pulley tucked away near the head-rest, so you can even make adjustments while lying down. You can adjust one rope at a time, or both at the same time. At first, I didn’t think this was going to be ‘all that’, but once I experienced it for myself, I am impressed and satisfied with this innovation. It’s a time saver compared to other versions on different reformers.
Another bonus feature with these straps is the soft touch. The foot loops are soft for sure, but the entire rope system is without any clanky hardware; so when you’re moving around, the entire experience is much more quiet than when moving on other traditional reformers.
Jump-board
The jump-board is an accessory that you can buy. It’s a great addition for an overall workout that adds cardio, plyometric support, and extra fun to your routine.
This jump-board is big! It’s got a good width to it, so you won’t feel cramped.
As you can see in the photo, there are two handles that allow for ease in moving it around.
This is one of the easiest foot-bars I’ve worked with. You simply move the foot-bar out of the way (either to its lowest diagonal setting, or slide the bar mid way or all the way to the other end of the reformer. If you watch the video, you’ll be able to see how placing the foot-bar mid-way at the carriage, you can use it as a hand placement while jumping. It provides a bit more support as you have fun with jumps.
I almost didn’t purchase the jump-board because I thought the reformer along with the sitting box lite would be enough; but I’m glad I did. The jump-board adds a powerful dynamic to your Pilates routine.
If you need extra cushioning to the jump-board, you can purchase a cushion for it. I find that this jump-board is sturdy, mild cushion, and I don’t need anymore; but if you have specific needs for more layering, then it may be worth it.
You can see the many dotted points where the foot-bar can be moved to
Sitting Box Lite
Another great purchase! I love the sitting box lite! I love it because it’s light weight and I can move it around the house or easily take it to clients.
It also has an underbelly that is sectioned off so to match up with the shoulder rests when placed length-wise, or side ways. This feature offers more stability and prevents the box from sliding all over the place.
Having a sitting box (lite or traditional) is a no brainer. More exercise choices are added to your routine that will give you a whole body workout as well as offer you more therapeutic support that you might need.
When you order a sitting box, the foot strap will come with your purchase. I almost overlooked this feature and thought I could do with out it. But I looked close and am pleased with the simplicity in this design. You can see in the photo that the foot strap loop can slide easily into different ‘hooked’ settings. If you’re familiar with other reformers and their foot strap system, this one offers ease and finesse.
Happy Feet with purchase of sitting box lite ?
Accessories
Bonus pad for optional added cushion
This bonus pad adds support and protection to my hands when placed at the foot-board. It’s also helpful when doing standing work. It stays in place and does the job.
Springs Enhancement
Making spring adjustments easy-going
Last but not least, a small new feature that comes with the Allegro 2, are these spring collars. These little guys are actually a great feature that makes adjusting the springs easier and more gentle to the touch. It was a feature I nearly overlooked, but I think this is a great touch that people will appreciate.
FEATURES
| Adjustable Foot Bar |
| WOW! GAME CHANGER! Wide foot-bar. Smooth adjustment to 3 settings at traditional Pilates reformer placement. Plus 3 additional placements to slide foot-bar. Innovation at it’s finest. Be sure to see BB video of the Tour for the Allegro 2 (bottom of this page). |
| Easy to Adjust Straps |
| Soft straps / double loop. Easy adjustment near headrest – able to adjust while laying on carriage. Can adjust one or both at same time. |
| Seamless Headrest |
| Discreet lever beneath / to side of headrest. |
| Adjustable Shoulder Rests |
| Easy adjustment to remove altogether or to create wide or narrow distance between shoulder rests. |
| Simplicity with Jump Board |
| Simple to attach – easy in / out. Sturdy handles for easy transport. Heavy / Sturdy. Wide and ample space. |
| Light Weight Sitting Box Lite |
| Truly light weight. Various ‘pocket’ spaces on the underbelly to fit the shoulder rests so to provide stability on carriage depending on where you place it. |
| Smoothness / Quiet |
| Metal loops and hardware have been removed from the straps and replaced with rope / fabric only. This makes for an extra quiet experience. The carriage also remains smooth and quiet. The foot bar does have a clanky sound as you adjust, though it is smooth as you move it, and once in place, it is also quiet. |
Allegro 2 Reformer Specifications
Weight: 140 lbs (64kg) or 146 lbs (66kg) with legs.
- Height 9″ (22.5cm) or 15″ (37.5cm) with legs
- Length: 94″ (238cm)
- Width: 25.5″ (65cm)
- Footbar width: 31″ (79cm)
- Carriage width: 23″ (58.4cm)
- Carriage length: 33″ (83.8cm)
- Weight: 140 lbs (64kg) or 146 lbs (66kg) with legs.
- Retail: $3,045 – $3340 (no legs, vs. with legs).
What is the Cost of the Allegro 2 Reformer?
The current retail price is $3,045-$3,340. I ordered mine with legs – well worth it!
What is the Weight of the Allegro 2 Reformer?
140 lbs.
What are the dimensions of the Allegro 2 Reformer?
Height 9″ (22.5cm) or 15″ (37.5cm) with legs
Length: 94″ (238cm)
Width: 25.5″ (65cm)
What makes the Allegro 2 better than other Pilates reformers?
Hands down, the Sliding Foot-bar is a game changer. Smooth and quiet straps, Sleek and bright white design embodies elegance.
Are there any downsides to the Allegro 2 Reformer?
The price point might be a little steep, but for all that you get, it’s worth it!
A personal negative is that my house doesn’t have the extra room that I would like – so for now, the Allegro 2 is in our garage gym. Our garage gym is dedicated to our gym equipment only, so it is a very cared for space. We’ll have to see how it holds up over the season changes.
Before I purchased this Allegro 2 reformer, I did research other reformers out there. Once I watched this video that went through all the features of this machine, I was sold. I’m pleased with this purchase and while I had been tempted to go for a lower cost, less featured reformer, I know without a doubt I made the right decision to invest in this quality, beautifully designed, solid piece of equipment. I’m a proud owner of an Allegro 2 reformer – now I just need a personal name for mine ?
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Handzup Motherfuckers – Crystal Lake lyrics & lyrics
How to improve 4g and phone connectivity? Should you raise your hand? | Techno Harry
Do you raise your hand with your phone in order to improve the network signal? Does the raised hand help in finding extra sticks?
Maybe you think that by lifting your phone, you will get closer to the cell tower and thus the network will become larger?
In fact, cellular communication is evenly distributed around us .And therefore, if you do not have a signal now, then your arm is not long enough to catch it.
Cellular communication on the phone is not a beam that is directed in any direction. No, she is scattered around us. So when you raise your hand or change direction, the effect is very, very small.
Instead, to improve the signal, you need to move a few meters away from the place where there is no signal. Especially if you are in the city. After all, the buildings around you can really influence how the signal reaches your device.
So the recipe is simple – get up and go to another place . The same applies if you are inside a building. Even with close proximity of cell towers, the quality of mobile communication can be poor if you are, for example, in an old building with thick walls. Or in a building made of metal structures, in underground parking lots or, conversely, on the upper floors of high-rise buildings. With every collision with an obstacle, the cellular signal weakens. It’s physics, bitch.
In these cases, it may be sufficient to walk a few meters in order to improve the signal.
What else can you do to improve communication?
1. The most obvious thing is to change the provider. Coverage is different for everyone, different power of towers.
2. Change your smartphone. The quality of communication also depends on the mobile phone. They all have different sensitivities and designs.
3. A kind of life hack. Turn airplane mode on and off on your phone.
Then the phone will reconnect to the most powerful available base station of the operator. This is especially true if you are on the move.
By the way, there are special applications for smartphones that do just that – they are forced to reconnect to a more powerful tower.
4. Finally, you can install a repeater – intermediate receiver and signal amplifier. But this is pretty confusing.
So people, stop raising your hand to the sky. It does not help.
I hope the article was at least a little informative for you. Subscribes to the channel and good connection to you!
VIDEO:
Crystal Lake – Handzup Motherfuckers lyrics songmeanings
Lyrics
Whenever I’m listening to House Electro
Movin ‘the bass back;
Techno Techno
Make it faster, harder, harder
I’m addicted
Make it louder
Everywhere
That don’t care
You want it We got it Put your hands up in the air!
You put your hands up high
We throw them in the sky
Put your hands up high
Are you ready?
Whenever I’m listening to House Electro
Movin ‘my the bass back
Techno Techno
Make it faster – harder harder
I’m addicted; make it louder
everywhere
that don’t care
I’m tired of these bro ass club tunes in the club seats
All I really want right now
Is a motherfucking bass boom pow
Happens in my brain, brain
Drivin ‘me insane-sane
All I really want right now
Is a motherfucking bass boom pow
Happens in my brain, brain
Drivin ‘me insane!
You put your hands up high
We throw them in the sky
You put your hands up high
You throw them in the sky
You put your hands up high
You throw them in the sky
You put your hands up high
All I really want right now
Is a motherfucking bass boom pow
lyrics
Whenever I listen to House Electro
Move the bass back;
Techno Techno
Make it faster, harder, harder
I am addicted
Make it louder
Everywhere
It doesn’t care
Do you want this.We got it. Put your hands up!
You put your hands up
We throw them into the sky
Put your hands up
You are ready?
Whenever I listen to House Electro
Move my bass back
Techno Techno
Do it faster – harder
I am addicted; Make it louder
everywhere
What don’t care
I’m tired of these gigs in the club in the clubs
All I really want right now
Is the grandmother a mother
Happens in my brain, brain
Hit me insane
All I really want right now
Is the grandmother a mother
Happens in my brain, brain
Come me crazy!
You put your hands up
We throw them into the sky
You put your hands up
You throw them into the sky
You put your hands up
You throw them into the sky
You put your hands up
All I really want right now
Is a grandmother a mother
Detroit Techno – Founders.Public conversation in Amsterdam.
DERRICK MAY
We have a very cool panel about D25 today. Lots of distinguished, distinguished guests, including Stacy Pullen. I will ask each of them to introduce themselves. And we’ll start on the left. With Stacy Pullen. And I would like to invite everyone to tell a little more about themselves, and this will be the starting point.
STACEY PULLEN
Of course. Stacy Pullen, second generation Detroit techno. Most of those sitting here have inspired me in my work.
CARL CRAIG
I’m Carl Craig, a producer from Detroit. Electronic stage. He wrote a variety of music, had the good fortune to build a very long and fruitful career, to be creative. And I am happy to be here today, together with a whole team of my mentors and comrades from D25.
AL ESTER
My name is DJ Al Ester, from Detroit. I’ve been spinning records for 27 years. I am a kind of historian. I started even before techno started its formation.And to this day I do it. I am a huge fan of those present here, even though I started before them. And I still continue.
MONTY LUKE
Hello everyone. I’m Monty Luke. I’m kind of a newbie here. I work with Karl on Planet E primarily as a label manager, but also as a DJ producer. And every one of those who are here on the stage right now influenced me very deeply. It is a great honor for me to be here.
JUAN ATKINS
Juan Atkins, Detroit.He started at Metroplex Records more than 20 years ago. I went on world tours a couple of times. Then he somehow stopped.
GREG GOW
Greg Gow, the youngest generation of Detroit techno. Last year I had a release with Derrick May. And now I restart Transmat. Everyone present had a huge impact on me. I flew from Toronto to Detroit many times for all sorts of parties. And although I don’t live here, I consider Detroit my second home.
KEVIN SAUNDERSON
Kevin Sanderson.I was greatly influenced by Mr. May and Juan Atkins. We went to school together. I did not intend, and did not even imagine that I would make music, I loved music too much. But these gentlemen changed my path. And I am very grateful to them for that. I love all my brothers on this stage.
Derrick: We love you too, Kev.
KENNY LARKIN
My name is Kenny Larkin. And I love bacon. (Everyone laughs.) 2-3 times a week. And from time to time I make music. I have been doing it for 20 years.I want to confirm what Kevin said. For the past 20 years we have been living as a brotherhood, as a close-knit collective, we are part of it on very different levels – and there are no words to describe it. I don’t know if everyone in this room is doing music. But it’s a dream to be able to do something that you love, when you don’t have to compromise between what you think is good music and the rest. It is an honor for me to be involved in this, despite the fact that three years ago I moved to Los Angeles, but I still carry Detroit in my heart, I was born here, grew up, this is an honor for me.And every time I say this to the guys at almost every conversation, they are probably already completely sick of it. “I’m still tough, I’m holding on to the roots.” (Answers in bass for the others) “We know, bro, that you are tough.”
DERRICK MAY
My name is Derrick May and these are my friends, my brothers and colleagues, in every sense. We have known each other for a very long time. I met Alan Ester 4 years after the start of high school. I have known Karl since he was 18. He knocked on my door, he is still a guy, and he came and said: “Hello, Mr. May.Could you listen to my music? ”
I could not believe that someone would call me “Mr. May”. And I realized that I was still … not old. With Kevin, we have known each other practically from the cradle. At that time we did not even know what a “dream” was. We were children. We wanted to play football and run in the stadium. And run after the girls. And that’s all. In principle, we still love it now.
Juan is the pillar of this whole structure. He is a load-bearing wall. We sit on his shoulders. He is our guiding star in every sense.Without him, nothing would have happened. In the beginning, Juan played bass, a self-taught guitarist, wrote his own music. And I met him through his brother. Juan didn’t want to get acquainted. He didn’t care about me, he thought I was a complete asshole. Which, I must admit, is true. But it’s interesting that we became friends, slowly but surely we became friends thanks to the game of chess. For the first time in chess we established communication, that is, at the intellectual level from the beginning.
We both lived in Belleville, a small town, less than a small one.And we had very few friends. On this and agreed. In terms of our musical connection, Juan listened to a bunch of new music that few people liked, especially among the black guys. I had a box of cassettes, I don’t know where. I’ve used a couple of them. And he accidentally recorded something on one of my cassettes. And he says, listen, let me exchange this cassette for mine, because you will not like what I recorded on yours. And took my cassette. At the time, I was staying with Kevin. Tried to graduate from high school, we both went in for sports.And this cassette changed our lives. Absolutely. Because that cassette had Giorgio Moroder, Divo, a lot of great music, absolutely amazing. Telex were there too. Lots of music. And that was the beginning. The beginning of how this avalanche of music fell on us. And I remember that from that moment on, it was imperative for me to learn more about it. And the rest too. When you come across something, that something in a musical or creative sense has changed your whole life, then you then by all means try to find out more about it.
Honestly, gentlemen, I want to ask you a question. What was the most powerful moment in your life that changed everything? What helped you realize that you could make music? That you could not go to school anymore, leave your job, leave your past life and start a life in music? That you could get away from your girlfriend, get away from anything. What could you say to your parents “Fuck off.” What was that moment?
CARL: For me, and I went to school in Tennessee, I had to drive 8 hours to get to the parties at the Music Institute.
DERRICK: Wait, wait! You studied in Tennessee, but what did you do at school in Tennessee?
CARL: I played in the band.
DERECK: He played in a band! On the drums.
SOMEONE: Like those dudes who beat drums during American football matches. Who’s cooler here, motherfuckers?
CARL: Yes, that’s right. But then again, when I was in Tennessee, I exchanged tapes with the guys from Chikalo. WBMX radio cassettes that I recorded. Derrick had his show, Kevin, and Juan.So we traded cassettes, I took them to Detroit, then spent 8 hours driving home after parties at the Music Institute. That’s when I realized that I no longer want to go to school. I was thinking about quitting school and doing Detroit techno. It was only two years after I dropped out of college that I met these guys who are sitting here. I took a big risk, an 8-hour risk, to be here.
CARL: For me it was, not only when I heard Computer World, but also when I heard beatboxing (Inaudible name), it was wildly cool.It drove me crazy. I decided to quit my studies when I went on tour with Derrick’s band Rhythim Is Rhythim. We warmed up Inner City at the Atomic Country Club. I remember how many quarrels and struggles there were in order to leave home and devote myself to music. I spent three months at home trying to figure out what to do and how to do it. If I hadn’t used this chance then, nothing would have happened. This was my first big decision as a man.
DERRICK: He’s being shy, of course. Karl’s mother fought to the end, practically fought with him, because she did not want to let him go, and there was no question of him dropping out of school for the sake of DJing, he had no chance.
CARL: Well, I think we are all fighting with our parents in this sense, defending ourselves. For some, for example, parents want their children to become doctors.
AUDIENCE SCREAM: Fuck! Fuck! Fuck !!! (Everyone laughs)
CARL: Everyone goes through this. It was then that I felt like a man, a person who is able to make the music that he loves, in the city in which I always dreamed of doing it, that is, in London. I went to Belgium, was recording with R&S Records then.I got those chances. If I hadn’t taken a chance then, this would not have happened. It taught me how important it is to be in the right place at the right time, well prepared. And when the moment comes and the stars converge, you take everything that you can, stuff it into such a machine and something pops out of there. In my case, my career jumped out of the car.
KENNY LARKIN (possibly): I remember very well how it was with me. It was Friday. 1946 year. (Everyone laughs). The day I realized I wanted to make music in my life was, ironically, the day that Rodney King was being played on TV.No, no, the day the verdict was handed down in Los Angeles. Exactly, the cops who beat him were released, and I worked at Pizza Hut as a waiter. I was then studying at Eastern Michigan University. I remember how it was shown on TV, and I said, you know what, that’s enough for me.
It so happened that a few years earlier I had met Richie Hawtin. I don’t even know how it all started. I think I was going to the refuge (for runaway teenagers) on some weekend, and there I met Richie.This was before he became Richie Hawtin with a capital letter (depicts how loudly Richie is announced from the stage). He was such a bit of a nerd (portrays him, audience laughs). Well, we also found common interests.
Richie and I loved to show ourselves. He had no idea who Derrick May was. But he knew Juan. We were 16 and listened to Cybotron on the radio. There was such a great guy named Electrifying Mojo who opened up a layer of this music for us. But I remember how we rode a car with Richie and listened to some kind of muttering mix on the radio, it was Derrick’s show.I immediately wanted to have this kind of music. It was a fantastic ride, nothing to complain about. It was just amazing. I can only hope that I will be making music for the rest of my days. I would never change what I was doing and the friends I made thanks to our music.
AL ESTER: I must say that I knew I wanted to do this since I was 14. I secretly ran away from home to get to a club a couple of blocks from us – El Humo. The cool DJ Ken Collier played there then.He inspired many sitting here. He did remixes for Ann Arbor (* city in Michigan). And they played his track, which he did for the radio, a remix of the Was (Not Was) band from Detroit, called Wheel Me Out. And I heard this track on the radio every day. And I wanted to know who made it. And I remember exactly how we met. He came to a party my brother was throwing. And he put on the music. We got to know each other, we became very good friends. I started listening to Parliament Funkadelic, and then Giorgio Moroder, and Suzi Lane and Harry Thumann -like artists.
DERRICK: I have to add very quickly here. Alan Esther is perhaps the most unsung hero of today’s panel. He does his craft as a true warrior of this music in Detroit. He doesn’t travel the world, and he doesn’t make a lot of money from it. He does this solely out of love for art, like all of us. But he has an amazing life. He is happy. He is the personification of a real DJ. This person makes music because he loves it. And he is still doing this for this very reason.So when you look at Al Ester, you are contemplating the last real DJ in the world.
AL ESTER: I really appreciate your words. So Ken and I became friends, played music together, I found ways to record it. And since then I have been doing this business. I just love it. I dance very well. (Everyone laughs). But I can’t sing. I can do almost everything in music, except for singing. My next step is producing. So I am sure that I will be doing this for quite some time.
MONTY LUKE: I always wanted to make music, I was in music from a young age.But for a long time I lacked the courage. And then I moved to Detroit a couple of years ago to work for Carl and Planet E. That’s what helped me. I already have a pretty long DJing career, but this move changed everything. Many thought I was crazy. To move from the comfort of the Bay (San Francisco Bay Area) to Detroit, Michigan, where I knew very few people, I had very few acquaintances here, it is not clear what to expect from the weather. That’s when I realized that something could happen.
DERRICK; Did you feel like you had achieved your goal?
MONTY LUKE: I haven’t achieved anything.I’m still in the process. The last two years of my life have been full of challenges, it is internal, something unsettling, but at the same time it is wildly invigorating.
DERRICK: But why Detroit? Of all the places you might have moved to. Why not Chicago? You would hang out with DJ Sneak. (The audience explodes with laughter.)
MONTY LUKE: To be honest, I was in Detroit only once or twice before I moved. I don’t want to sound “vanilla”, but I really felt a deep connection with this music, that was the main reason.But that’s not why he moved. In fact, Karl made me an offer that I could not refuse. Who would refuse to move to Detroit to work with him? Many people asked me why not to Berlin or somewhere else. Well, not me. And then I felt that this move was what I needed.
JUAN ATKINS: I don’t even know where to start. I remember when I was a child, in primary school, I always told myself that I wanted to record music, do it. I was running around the house in my dad’s motorcycle helmet. (EVERYONE LAUGHS)
DERRICK: It’s like a face cream for women.
JUAN In general, we celebrated my 10th birthday, and dad had an electric guitar at home for me, such a surprise for me. Apparently, he was watching me, but I did not know that he sees everything. Bought me a guitar. I started playing it. Then on bass. Every Christmas, every birthday. I also have a brother, Aaron, who is a year younger than me. I persuaded Aaron to ask his father to buy a drum kit for Christmas because I really wanted to play drums. And so he had instruments, I had, and I played all the instruments.I ended up recording “Alleys Of Your Mind”.
DERRICK: How old were you?
JUAN: Maybe 16-17.
DERRICK: What impact has this had on your life? Was Rick Davis involved in this? What role did he play in your life?
JUAN: I met Rick Davis in my first of two years at community college. He was a Vietnam War veteran. He was very special with everyone in the class. We went to a music course together. Once, I remember, I was working on a demo in my bedroom, using all the tools that I persuaded my father to buy.And I took the demo with me to class, and everyone went crazy. Rick eventually thawed out. Usually he told stories about himself, what a loner he was, an electronic musician, he did not want to work with anyone, because before that he had unsuccessful attempts to work with other people in groups.
Well, he didn’t think that anyone in the class was serious about music. And after he listened to my demo, he said, listen, why don’t you come to me to jam. I said cool.I came to Rick’s home, to his apartment. His room was like a spaceship. He had all these things – ARP Analog Sequencer, RS 09 Strings, ARP Axxe, he loved all ARP techniques. And we made this track. Actually the first track we did together was called Cosmic Rain Dance. And then we did Alleys of Your Mind.
We released it. And Electrifain Mojo, we have already talked about him, put this track on the air. And that was the defining moment in my life. Because it all came together the moment I heard this tape on the radio for the first time.Mojo was the most important DJ in the city back then. He had some kind of chemistry or something. He was not afraid of any format. No matter what radio station he was, no matter what he did, it was always him. And when I first heard my track on the radio, it was like a door opened for me. I think that if it were not for Mojo, then all our Detroit techno would be completely different.
DERRICK: I wonder if he knows about this, how many DJs owe him their careers, how many life changed he has. At least the way he opened for us the world of completely different sounds, he also put on completely different music on his show, such an open format.
JUAN: Actually it was the first time I heard Kraftwerk. Mojo supplied We Are Robots. When I heard this track, I was as crazy as it sounded like what I did myself. But with them it was more precise, more precise. And I’m like that. Oh-no-no! (HALL LAUGHS)
There was such a veil of secrecy around Mojo himself. No one really knows what he looks like, and on the show he spoke in such a cool voice. He is about my height, maybe a couple of centimeters shorter. But in his voice it seemed that he was two meters tall.
SOMEONE: By the way, I’ve never seen Mojo.
DERRICK: Give the microphone here.
KEVIN: Music for me … I’m from New York in general, moved to Detroit, so I have a special relationship with both cities. When I was driving home, the radio connected me with music, those remixes that were then put on radio shows. I listened to guys like Larry Levan
I had a chance to visit Paradise Garage several times and absorb everything there. It was the first club I have ever been to.I was younger than I was supposed to, and I went there with my brothers, cousins. They just took me with them. The club opened at midnight. For me it was already strange, very different. You go down for a long time into this black hole, there is barely a light burning, music can be heard from afar, but you can’t really hear anything, everything is so mysterious. Now there are perhaps 90% of the gay public. It was absolutely breathtaking for me, I didn’t know what to expect.
I was 17 then. I had no idea what to expect, I was nervous even to be honest.
But I will say one thing. When you enter that room, you see a bunch of people, everyone is dancing, this music, I heard the music from this sound system, I realized that I finally found my world. I forgot about everything that was left behind the doors. And in general, the whole situation, how you go there and enter, and then how we left the club. We left the club and it was already noon the next day, it was light. I had no idea how time flew by, how cool it was.
That’s when it all started. At that moment, I did not know that I would be making music.But I fell under the influence. When Derrick moved to me, we, of course, did not agree on a musical theme, he liked very different music. And what Juan was doing musically at that time, I did not know. In general, I was an athlete. So when Derrick moved to me, I was 16 years old, I was still in school, and he put a cassette for me, it was Mojo, he said, they say, listen here. In general, I found a different kind of music. But that cassette hooked me up. A lot was happening – Derrick moved in with me, I was still preparing for college.And here I am in college, Derrick in Chicago, I play football, I thought I would become some cool football player, that was my goal, for this, I actually went to college in the first place. Derrick and I made contact again, and here he says – listen to this, he tells how this kind of music is becoming more important there. He introduced me to a friend named Art Pain, he became our mutual friend. They played this music on campus, and I came to listen to them.
DERRICK: Wait a minute, don’t forget about the party we threw in your honor.What did you call yourself on it?
KEVIN: My name was Charming Sensation (NRZB) – a charming feeling that is. My mother, we had a very cool house in Belleville. Quite big, almost by the water, and we had a high school graduation party there. Juan played, Derrick played a little too.
DERRICK: Juan played records, I was his assistant.
KEVIN: Right. So, it was some kind of deep space party in my house, which was very cool and progressive at the time.It was like the last time we all saw each other. That was the impression. You know how all impressions are layered. Impressions of meeting this guy, Art Payne, from seeing them put on music together. And this party, all black, not a single white person – it was very progressive for the student campus where I studied. It’s cool that I listened to all this, absorbed it, it all influenced me.
One day Derrick put me in touch with some guys. And after work they allowed me to come to them, I got up at their house at the turntables.I had no idea what I was doing, but I was trying to figure out how it all works. Immediately. I learned to stand behind the turntables every day. As soon as there was an opportunity, someone released the equipment, I was right there. I trained constantly. In general, nifiga did not understand. But I tried. I loved all that music and 12 ” vinyls so much, I had never come across them before, never seen them. This was all so delightful and inspiring. I gave up football, left sports. I have never given up anything in my life, but I gave up football for the sake of music.
As soon as I started, I knew right away that something good would come of it. I didn’t know what, but I loved this business and I didn’t care.
And there is the second part of the story. So I’m already playing music, now I have the equipment, I’m spinning around Derrick and Juan, trying to understand how the drum beats work, how to use all these things, how to play the bass. I didn’t have any musical background at all. I tried to pick up some chords and melodies, combine it all, glue a piece with a piece.Dealt with the equipment. I studied the books a hundred times. He devoted hours to this day after day. College didn’t matter anymore, these were my universities. So something was missing. Like the first song I did was Triangle Love.
It was a collective effort — mine, Eddie Foulkes, Juan, and a guy named Art Force. I needed to put together a track to understand how all these parts work. So basically everyone had a hand in this recording. But the main thing is that I didn’t know how to finish the track.I had all this stuff, bass, drums, vocals. Okay, that’s all there, but how do you make it sound like a real record? It needed someone who knew. And guess who – Mr. Juan Atkins. I said, Juan, I have something good, but I don’t know how to bring it to mind.
DERRICK: Wait, wait, there was also some negotiation process. Let me explain. Kevin is a businessman from the start. He is very romantic about music, we know what he is capable of. But Kevin is a businessman to the core.For him, everything is a kind of deal. So what was the deal then? AKAI 900?
KEVIN: Oh yeah. I had a new sampler, I had no idea what to do with it, but I was terribly happy about it.
JUAN: Keep in mind, he got it for free.
KEVIN: Anyway. We were friends, bosom. And I say, I cannot give it to you. Okay, this is a necessary sacrifice. But I needed to physically see it. I have never seen this happen before, how the recording becomes a phonogram.I was in the studio and I say, Juan, now I can’t be stopped. I released track by track, track by track. And from that moment everything began to happen. There was no turning back.
DERRICK: I’m the moderator here, I don’t have to tell you anything. (LAUGHTER IN THE HALL)
DERRICK MAY: For me, the defining moment in my life was, of course, moving to Belleville. The town that has already been mentioned here. Because otherwise I would never have met Juan and Kevin. My life changed the moment we met.And since then, change has continued to occur. We went in for sports, got into some kind of trouble, made friends with Kevin – we first fought with him in childhood, and after that we became friends. My relationship with Juan, how close we are too. My mother and I moved away then, but later it became clear that she is the most important person in my life. We got distanced because she got married when I was 14 and I didn’t understand, I was a child and I ran away from home. And then I joined these guys, we became brothers.Because I ran away from everything. If not for Juan’s grandmother, then most likely I would have ended up in prison, or died. This is true. I was not myself a criminal teenager. But his grandmother saved my life. I survived. Motherfucker, fuck you. (LOUD LAUGHTER IN THE HALL) (Kevin and Juan exchange a few Fuck You!)
Juan’s grandmother really accepted me as family, and so did Kevin’s mom. They took me to them. They took care of me. We didn’t have to. I was practically a street kid. And the fact that I survived changed my life.I learned a lot from Juan, being under his wing, although it frustrated me very much, but I thought that I was smart, I know how much, that I know everything. Although, of course, he knew nothing. But he would not let me use his records.
When we decided to become DJs at the age of 17 at Deep Space, Huang said, “Let’s become DJs.” And I said ok, even though I had no idea what it was. And then I began to learn to mix, I thought I could already play at night parties, I’m ready.Well, in the sense of mixing 5-6 records in a row. But that’s all, then I was lost.
I remember our first parties. I was terribly angry with him because he would not let me play, this motherfucker would not let me play. He gave me 10 minutes. Well, maybe 15 minutes and kicked me out. This taught me modesty. He made me carry all the equipment. We had to load all the equipment into the wheelbarrow and unload everything ourselves. There were no assistants, only ourselves. These were the defining moments of my life.
Again, when I was learning to make music, it was very difficult, a whole struggle. Because Juan taught me everything. He did not teach me in the sense that he explained everything to me. But he let me watch him and learn. His philosophy, the way he worked, the techniques he used. You couldn’t watch Juan make music. You could listen to the final recordings, the final result. In the studio, he did not allow anyone to be present, it was impossible to be there, spy on, admire his technique and be amazed at how he succeeds in all this.You could learn from his music when he showed the finished track. One could absorb it by listening to it a thousand times. But you couldn’t sit and watch him make music. No chance.
To this day, I have never seen him write music. Nobody has seen. This is a very special process when you are with someone in the studio. Juan never allowed it. And I learned from him, from his music, listening attentively to him and everything he said. I took these theories and took them to the next level.Only the “new level” didn’t happen overnight. It took years for me to release my first recordings. Years. Not 6 months, not 2 weeks, not a computer program. Years.
I left Juan for a while. Because I was determined to prove to everyone, especially to him, that I can handle it. Therefore, the struggle was intense. And the fact that we were able to remain friends with all these guys. It was not easy at all. Because with almost everyone we had our own contradictions. But these are my brothers. This is true.And we wouldn’t be a family if we didn’t have fights inside. But here we are sitting and continuing the discussion.
Mr Greg Gow: Okay. My path is different from most of those sitting here. I don’t live in Detroit. I’m from Toronto. As a kid, I wanted to play hockey like most Canadians. Over time, I began to understand that this would not happen, and began to go into music. At the time, cassettes were still in widespread use, and there were many late-night radio programs in Toronto. Not like Mojo. But there were definitely a number of their DJs.
In Toronto, the market was more focused on the soulful house. People like Nick Holder ruled radio. And in the end I even got on the radio, had something to do with it. In fact, I even hosted a show on student radio for a while.
Thanks to soulful house, I met guys who went to clubs, they founded Detour. This company organized parties in Toronto and Detroit and was run by Derrick Rotizio and his brother Fred. Derrick, by the way, in the late 90s and early 2000s, was the label manager for Mr. May for a while.They came to parties at EMU (Eastern Michigan University). They were played by Derrick, Rob Hood, Stacy. Most of those sitting here played at their parties in one way or another. And for me it was terribly interesting. First, it was all different from what happened in Toronto. Music, sensations, energy, and soulful elements. It absolutely captivated me. I started DJing, and that’s where it all started.
In terms of production, it took me a long time before anything started, the breakthrough happened about 3 years ago.Mr. May came to Toronto, and I wanted to give him my CD, but I could not make up my mind. My good friend Derrick Ortencio said – just give him this CD. If he likes it, he will say something. I was still hesitant. I handed him a CD with 5 or 6 tracks. And after 3 months he wrote to me, they say, an interesting muzlo, and everything started spinning. The first release came out last October as part of the Transmat relaunch. One track is particularly good. And just to see the guys play this track … Last week Karl Craig flew to Toronto for Thanksgiving, and put my track there.
CARL: Thanksgiving in Canada is completely different.
GREG GOW: Yes, but there is still turkey. In general, an absolutely unreal feeling – to see how one of these guys puts on my track, and I have something to do with it. I’m just happy to be involved in all this.
MAY: I want to ask a question and address it especially to Kevin. I myself can tell, but I want Kevin to describe his impressions. I will say three words. Chicago, Arctur Records and Imports.Do you remember any of this? How many records did you fit into your car or van on the way to Chicago? And how long after the first trip did you find yourself in Chicago again?
KEVIN: I’d say 20 boxes. 50 records each. We took the records as soon as they were made. Arctur were the manufacturer. We received them as soon as they were ready. They took them, stuffed them into the luggage of me, Juan or Derrick and rushed to Chicago.
If necessary, we rented a car. The road to Chicago took 4.5 hours, maximum 5 hours.It was important to take the records there, deliver them to the DJs at the show. We delivered them to distributors, everyone. It was like a ritual. As soon as the record came out, I was ready to go. And we did just that. It was really cool. Especially if I myself have a track that came out on a disc, I am ready to distribute it right away in order to get a reaction. It was especially crazy when, after several such trips, at the entrance to Chicago, the sounds of radio stations WBMX, JCI, and so on began to cut through on the radio waves. And we heard the coolest show
by Steve, nicknamed “Silk” – he played the tapes that we brought them.And then they began to put our own music there. Derrick, Juana, mine. It was incredibly inspiring.
MAY: There was no prejudice about music. Nobody cared about this. The guys from Chicago didn’t care about us Detroit and vice versa. The music was good and that’s the main thing. The relationship was built entirely around music. Nobody ever got involved in politics or business. Kevin is being shy, of course, but I’ll tell you.
We had about 10 thousand records with us in a wheelbarrow or in a van or whatever we were driving there.We came to Chicago and received money the same day. And a week later we were back in Chicago and again brought 10 thousand records. And so it went on for 2 or 3 years. We sold 50-60-70 thousand copies of each item. So when I hear that someone’s track has been downloaded 1000 times and it’s a cool result, it’s just funny for me. What the fuck is this? (ALL LAUGHING) We only printed 1000 records as a promo.
Well, here we are. This is the state of the industry today. I personally think the media has turned dance music into something elitist and snobbish.To such an extent that the consumer no longer cares about anyone. He was simply removed from the process. Like, you know what, dear consumer, we don’t need you, we don’t want you to buy anything, you’re not cool, don’t come to the shops.
Plus everything in the record stores was too pretentious from the very beginning. The dude behind the counter always behaved like a complete asshole. As if he’s not even selling records to everyone yet. He wanted to sell only to DJs, those who understand music. And if some person came who did not really understand much about music, they treated him like shit on a stick.And such a person still had to try to buy something. He came for the music, and they mixed him with shit. He was cheated, and he just wanted to buy music. You know this – the music sounded great on the headphones in the store, and then you come home, and this record sounds really lame – yeah, everyone understands what I mean. (CONFIDENTIAL LAUGHTER IN THE HALL) And this has been happening in dance music for years. All these show-off out of the blue. And, of course, DJs who behaved like prima donnas. All this has brought dance music to the point that it is no longer considered an art that real creators create.
It is generally illogical that a maximum of 1-2-3 thousand copies are bought in the download records. Music has become much more convenient, but less sold. Anyone would like to comment on this?
STACEY: Do you remember Derrick, we were together in Europe when it was my first trip and went to the record stores. For hours they disappeared there. Before entering the store, they used to give a craft package, like, these are the freshest records that came out. And this is wildly lacking – the opportunity to be in the store, chat with the dude who orders the records, and tells you, these records will help you blow up the dance floor.This is the opportunity to come to the store to feel involved in the DJ community. Of course, there were also guys who mowed down the DJs, they just wanted to have the same records as real DJs. And now everything is digital, digital, there is no community. This world does not even include consumers, just a narrow-profile DJ world.
DERRICK: I have nothing against downloading music. Personally, this is inconvenient for me, but globally I do not mind. But I am seriously concerned that dance music has suffered so badly.
STACEY: Well it has to do with technology. I don’t understand why some dude who bought a computer for Christmas by accident is already playing in some big club in January. At a time when people like me, who have honed their skills, cannot secure a performance on a good stage. If you are a girl in a short skirt with a good figure, you do not know how to mix, you do not know anything except Lady Gaga and Katy, how is her Perry, you put on a couple of remixes and that’s it, secured yourself sets in excellent clubs.So you don’t need to be an artist now, you can press a button and the Computer Beatmatch will do everything for you.
SOMEONE: I am personally biased towards this. You can blame technology, but I use technology myself. (EVERYBODY STARTS HIM: “WHAT IS THE TRUE ???”) Now we are discussing that 1000 races at the track – and it is a hit, about how Stacy talks about the first trip to London and he was given a bag of records, people and then fed the trends. And house was the first trend to be deliberately catered for.The very first trend that started serving was acid house. Everybody released such tracks. I took a Roland tb-303, and a low 4 tribe, and now the acid house is ready. It wasn’t just DJ Pierre and the guys in Chicago who put out these crazy tracks. You could print 5,000 copies and you’re done. And the record stores were full of substandard music. The point was to ride the trend. And I think it all got confused when the guy at the record store didn’t say, “Dude, this is a terrible record, I won’t take it,” and 5000 records cost you $ 500, and it was good for everyone.And then it flooded the market, it happened all the time when some fashionable style took over the market. This was the case with drum and bass. Everyone began to do it. Then there was dubsteb. After him there will be something else. There is too much music on the Internet, we stopped buying music, because it is not always of high quality, and who needs to sit and read credits, who did what there. It has become a file that means too little. This is single use music. Everything turns into some kind of mess.
Unfortunately, only records with a huge promo behind them are sold in large quantities.
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Summary table of characteristics of strollers McLaren
This table of characteristics of McLaren strollers will help you to choose the stroller that you need.
Newborn safety system ™
When the seat is fully reclined to accommodate newborn babies (for Quest, Techno XT, Techno XLR models), the Newborn Safety System ™ can be used, the newborn mesh can be rolled out from under the seat, creating a cozy cocoon for the baby.
Expansion hood with additional sun visor
The updated expandable hood with integrated sun visor reliably protects little passengers from precipitation and UPF 50+ ultraviolet radiation.
Hood viewing window
Extra-large hood includes a magnetised window so you can keep an eye on your precious little one.
Storage pocket
Easy access to small storage pocket, directly on the back of the hood
Pull-out two-position ergonomic handles
The Maclaren stroller’s retractable two-position ergonomic handles are carefully designed so parents can easily adjust the height of the handles, allowing themselves to walk upright and comfortably without kicking the back of the frame.Our two-position retractable handles are adjustable at the touch of a button.
One-handed reclining backrest
5-point seat belt
The five-point harness, linked by an exclusive two-way buckle, is securely fastened to an aluminum frame that makes every Maclaren the safest stroller ever.
Extendable 2-position footrest
The extendable footrest offers functions such as extended berths or comfortable leg support when walking.Raise the edge of the seat, pull out the supports and rest your child’s legs.
Damping 4-wheel suspension
All Maclaren strollers have all-wheel suspension designed for easy steering and super comfortable ride.
Carrying handle or strap
Need to move your stroller? This can be done alone. The lightweight, foldable Maclaren stroller includes a convenient carry handle on the side of the frame for the Techno XLR and Techno XT models, or a shoulder strap for the rest of the lighter models.
Large shopping basket
Removable and Washable Seats
Oh dear … did we spill something? Don’t worry, every Maclaren seat can be easily removed and machine washed – an extremely useful feature not found on many other strollers. We recommend machine wash in cold water and spin on a delicate cycle to dry.
Higher seat on models from 2018
The raised seat increases legroom, creates distance from hot pavement and provides a better view.
New aerodynamic frame in models from 2018
The redesigned frame creates a more spacious seating position.
New cable brake pads
The lightweight single-lever brake lever locks and unlocks both rear wheels securely.
Single front wheels from 2018
Single front wheels are more flexible.The lightweight touch-sensitive swivel lock provides a stable ride on rough terrain and withstands fast movements and sudden bumps on rough roads. Front aerodynamic, tubeless wheel design reduces rotational friction and stress for a smooth, quiet ride.
20-second habit that will keep the spine healthy for many years – Techno HUNDRED
It should be admitted that not everyone knows what an important function is assigned to the spine in the human body.First of all, it is worth realizing that the spine is the main supporting structure of our body, which is constantly exposed to stress, writes smiruponitke.info.
How often do we forget that our spine requires just as much attention as the rest of our body. The payback for this is displacement of intervertebral discs, hernias, osteochondrosis, pinching of nerve roots, etc. As a result, we are accompanied by constant pain in its various parts, the quality of life is changing. Meanwhile, there is one very simple exercise that will help keep your spine healthy for years to come.
Every day, while lying in bed, make a good habit of stretching your spine at night:
1) raise your hands up towards your body, not towards the ceiling;
2) then bend the ankle i.e. take on both feet and straighten your knees;
3) tighten the buttocks, i.e. strain them;
4) pull in the lower abdomen and firmly press the lower back to the bed;
5) Now, while maintaining this position, stretch your arms up and your heels down, stretching the spine in two directions.
