Hell on Halloween
Usually reserved for Devil’s Night, this year Hell comes to Detroit on Halloween. DJ Hell, that is. He’s a charter member of the elite class of world-renowned techno DJs that includes the likes of Dave Clarke, Laurent Garnier, Jeff Mills and Richie Hawtin. Hell is known for his electric and eclectic taste, stemming from and spanning the many prismatic angles of the roots and truths of electronic music. As a DJ, Hell plays much like a Detroit great, bridging genres and eras with ease, slipping from Chicago classics to modern techno to quirky electro and Italian disco with the common thread of dark, funky fun and sexy dance music.
Beginning with his early days as a DJ in the ’80s in Munich and including his recorded output on Disko B, Hell has always had a flair for presenting his taste in what was best about dance music with a casual cool. He plays on absurdity and recontextualization with often humorous results. This personality comes across as much in the way he spins as in the frequent output of his appropriately named record label, International DJ Gigolo, home to the likes of Miss Kitten and the Hacker and David Caretta. With his respect for the blueprints created in the Midwest, Hell has released some of Detroit’s most exciting and rule-breaking artists such as Shake, Jeff Mills and Dopplereffekt. It’s no wonder that when he comes to town it’s a Detroit Gigolo night. Combining with Family and all of its residents, along with the local Gigolos, the night features Traxx, Ectomorph, Paris, Carlos Souffront, Derek Plaslaiko, Echo and Brian Gillespie for a full-scale party. Join the happenings Tuesday, October 31 at Motor (3515 Caniff, Hamtramck, 313 369-0090, www.motordetroit.com).
From Our Minds to Yours
After 10 years or so of existence as a label and about another seven years or so of throwing some of Detroit’s most remembered events, the Plus 8 world tour hits home this Saturday. It will feature sets from almost everyone who helped Plus 8 get on the map including early DJ partner Scott “Go-Go” Gordon and midperiod innovators Born Under a Rhyming Planet (Jamie Hodge, live!) and the Kooky Scientist (Fred Gianelli, live, once of Psychic TV). Also in for a spin will be current M_Nus artist Theorem (Dale Lawrence, live) and M_Nus collaborator Stewart Walker, local groove goddess Magda and the ever-present support of Matt Hawtin and Clark Warner. Early label artist Kenny Larkin and founding fathers Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva will be there as well for what promises to be one of the year’s best parties. The night also boasts three complete sound systems provided by Burst that will take over all three levels of St. Andrew’s Hall and the Shelter (where Richie got his start as a DJ) from 11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28 until 5 o’clock the next morning.
In addition to celebrating the 10th anniversary of Plus 8, this party also commemorates the relaunching of the label and the reissuing of its best records in the Classics series. Coming shortly from Plus 8 is a 12-inch demo version of “Pullover” by Speedy J (one of the major omissions from the party’s lineup), and this version is so hot and raw that I can only hope that this is also a series (and I can finally get my hands on the long version of “Slac”).
More info on FOMTY via 519-259-4322. Even better, visit www.plus8.com. The site is complete with an active tour diary from both Richie and John chronicling their continuing adventures across the globe, including photos and postcards (so you can finally satisfy your quest to see what it’s to be an international DJ gigolo). Tickets available only prior to the event; get ’em at Record Time (262 W. Nine Mile Rd., Ferndale — call 248-336-8463) and all Ticketmaster locations.
Research & Development
Ever since the early ’60s, when Morton Subotnick and the Mills College avant-garde founded the San Francisco Tape Music Center, the Bay Area has been home to some of the most interesting developments in electronic music. Now that technology has moved into laptops, a whole new crew of Bay Area artists are taking that sound into new realms and contexts (dubbed California Glitch-core by the ever-bumbling press). Witness two of this genre’s rising talents, Sutek and Safety Scissors of Belief Systems, giving you their sound and vision at Motor, Thursday, Nov. 2, with local guests Crizo & Aubrey Hoermann of Odic Force and the ubiquitous Mr. Clark Warner. Check out the Motor Web site for more info.
Pitch’d is MT’s biweekly column devoted to Detroit’s BPM musiculture. E-mail to [email protected]
