There are DJs who grab bigger headlines, and producers who invite more press. In the ebb and flow of what’s popular in electronic music, there are those who attract larger followings or whose names are on more bloggers’ fingertips at any given moment in time. But no artist in the genre commands as much respect, from fans and peers alike, as consistently and influentially as Detroit-based DJ and producer, Carl Craig. As an artist, a label-owner and club DJ, he is one of the few who has literally shaped the sound of modern electronic music, with an inventive career that has spanned 18 years. Sessions is a culmination of Craig’s status as a techno icon, and it is both a look backwards at his role as one of the genre’s pioneers and a look forward as one of its stylish visionaries. Sessions fuses new tracks exclusive to this release, alternate mixes of classic Craig tracks from the past two decades (authored under his many aliases: Paperclip People, 69, Innerzone Orchestra, Tres Demented), and several recent remixes of other artists’ songs that have quickly become new dance-floor classics. Even the most devoted fans will find surprises on this release, while new ones will be taken in with Craig’s mastery of beats, rhythms and soulful provocations. His new music is moored in his Detroit roots and echoes of his youthful exploration, forming a continuous cycle of energy with his past work. Sessions is a manifestation of that idea, and that is heard as new tracks seamlessly mix with old, generations of rhythms in constant conversation. Craig came of age in the mid-1980s as part of techno’s ‘second generation’, learning from the trio of pioneers credited with the genre’s invention: Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson. His musical history begins as a teenager living in Detroit, being fully aware of the Motor City’s cultural heritage, a blue-collar city with often restricted, blue-collar ideals. “I don’t want to paint a horrible picture of Detroit because it is my home and is beautiful to me", he says. "But Detroit is not a cosmopolitan place and in a lot of ways, we were very aware of that absence of ambition growing up." That awareness reflected in Detroit’s new sound: techno. There was an echoed irony to the imaginative, future-forward sounds coming from such a dilapidated urban center. As Craig explains, "The music embodied this idea of hope for the future; we could only look ahead." Craig was reared in a musical incubator that was a mixture of old and new, black and white. Against the background of Detroit's rich, magical history of soul music, most markedly with Motown and George Clinton, Craig developed a deep love of the music of Prince, new wave and early west coast hip-hop. In 1986, his cousin co-wrote a song with Juan Atkins, “Technicolor,” under the name Channel One, and that was Craig's introduction to the world of synthesizers. Craig's curiosity for how techno was made took flight and drove his early artistic development, first under the names Psyche, BFC and 69 (“Rushed” and “Psychobeat” are included on Sessions).
Craig soon went on to form his first record label, Retroactive, which was home to his early releases, including the first Paperclip People single, “Oscillator”, the original version of which is included on Sessions. It clearly introduced that moniker as his dance-floor project, and its complex layers and penetrating beat rendered Carl Craig as a techno wizard.
Eventually Craig would give birth to a new label, Planet E Communications. It would become one of the more significant independent labels in electronic music history, aided by Craig’s own releases and a roster of other influential recordings, from artists like Moodymann, Recloose, Alton Miller, Kevin Saunderson and others.
In 1992, using the name Innerzone Orchestra, Craig released the single, “Bug in the Bass Bin”, on Planet E (an exclusive version of the song is included in Sessions). It not only remains one of his most groundbreaking singles but also is widely regarded as a progenitor to the drum ‘n bass subgenre that developed out of the UK in the mid-1990s.
This was the beginning of a prolific run for Craig, his label and his impact. In 1994 he would resurrect the Paperclip People moniker for a string of 12"s over the next few years that absolutely destroyed the clubs (like the song, "Throw”). He would try his hand at a more expansive format – the full-length album, and release the CDs, Landcruising and More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art, both of which opted for a more techno-soul style, a statement by Craig that music made from machines could also still move people emotionally.
A parallel history to Craig's role as a producer and DJ is that of his role as a remixer. Throughout his career, Craig has authored over a hundred remixes, for a wide range of artists all over the world. For Craig, the "remix" is a chance to reinterpret a song from the ground up.
Sessions includes several of Craig’s recent remixes, including those he has produced for dub collective Rhythm & Sound (“Poor People Must Work”), Beanfield (“Tides”), Theo Parrish (“Falling Up”), X-Press 2 (“Kill 100”), Delia & Gavin (“Revelee”) and, most notably, Junior Boys (“Like A Child”). In 2007, the latter track was nominated for a Grammy, perhaps the most forward-thinking honour the establishment has bestowed and confirmation of Craig’s ability to find himself mentioned in any musical conversation.
Craig’s urge for innovation continues to push forward, and some of his latest collaborations can be heard on Sessions, like “The Melody,” a song by Luxemburger composer Francesco Tristano that Craig remixed. In turn, Tristano has come to work with Craig to do classical musical interpretations of some of Craig’s tracks.
For Carl Craig, the lines between electronic and organic, past and future, black and white – everything has been blurred. (Written by Joseph Patel)
Tracklisting of finished CD will differ slightly. Won’t feature Cesaria Evora - “Angola”, but instead include Psyche -“From Beyond”, plus the Carl Craig tracks “Angel” and “At Les”. Carl Craig