Watch the rise. -tp
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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!
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