IDM Mailing Archive

Watch the rise. -tp ------- Forwarded Message Date: Sat, 23 Sep 1995 16:28:24 +0700 From: planete@mich.com Subject: richie hawtin's barn party/detroit scene Do Ravers Dream Of Plastik Sheep? August 18th, 1995 F**k. Or more appropriately, "Fuk." Spelling preference notwithstanding, things have taken a sudden downward turn. Richie Hawtin, only two songs into his first proper set in the area for over six months, has been joined behind the decks by one of Windsor's Finest (a.k.a. "The Man"). Johnny Law can't be upset by the music - Even a cop couldn't deny the beauty of the jazzed-up drums 'n' bass track Richie opened up with, or the heavy Acid blast that he dropped right behind it, the kind that Sabres of Paradise pilfer Rock songs to find. No, it seems that the problem is the mile-plus line of cars that are parked along Essex Road, just outside of Windsor (and I can vouch for the distance - I had to walk a good 20 minutes from my ride to the rustic barn that housed the gig). This virtual Technopalooza (sorry 'bout the tired suffix) has attracted far more vibe-hungry kids than even the Plus-8 posse anticipated. Richie and the cop have a quick conference, as the thousand-plus kids that have gathered for this FREE outdoor celebration start to boo and feel some serious buzz-kill. A verdict is reached, and Sam Fotias climbs on top of a speaker stack to hand it down - As long as the cars on the main road are moved onto the site, everything is good to go. So as half of us race through a chest-high beanfield to save our cars from being towed, Rich fires up the sound to a deafening roar of joy, and proceeds to rock the night until well into the sunrise of Sunday morning. This was a night that the Detroit scene needed in a serious way, if only as a morale boost. With things being so sketchy ever since Motown's "finest" decided that underground parties were no longer to be tolerated, party-life has been lame (at best) around town (it's hard to have a good time when one eye's on the door). Everyone knows the details on that whole stupid situation (and probably has a mug shot to prove it), so I'll spare you the gory details. Even private parties like Dean's "Hardware 2" end up getting jacked by a couple (as in two) blood-thirsty Keystone cops. But thanks to true believers like Richie, Carl Craig, Submerge, and the real-deal massive that is the Detroit Hardcore collective, the scene is in good hands. But now it's time for the true litmus test. Can the Detroit underground overcome the internal segregation that cripples what is still the only scene that really matters? Richie Hawtin has always been at the forefront of this situation, doing things such as having diverse DJ line-ups at his parties (i.e. choosing Disco/House master Alton Miller to warm up the kids in the barn in Windsor), and by playing sets that incorporate good music of all kinds. It's time that the bullshit categorization of "House" vs. "Techno" vs. "Jungle" vs whatever needs to be eliminated once and for all. "That's what started the whole underground movement," DJ Claude Young said to me a few weeks back. "We were a bunch of people sick of the segregation that was going on in the clubs. In the underground, we could all come together and hear all different kinds of good music. I don't know what happened, but that all changed." So it's up to us now. The time has come to get over ourselves and get real. So that's my spiel for now. If it sounds kinda pedestrian, that's cuz it was originally slated for ORBIT magazine. But I feel that there are still some issues in the piece worth throwing out there. Please comment. Also, anyone that goes to the +8 party in Toronto this weekend, drop a line and let me know how it went. Thanks. Peace out, Scott ps - see you in e. lansing tonight! ------- End of Forwarded Message