detroit techno records

VA – From The Basement With Love [DTRV010]

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Straight from the heart of Detroit, this new compilation hits the right spot. From driving Electro cuts, Urban Detroit vibes to more straightforward Techno. This is a direct line from the city that invented techno with some of the artists who continue to keep its soul alive. Across two slabs of black wax, some of the torchbearers of Detroit gather in one place: Suburban Knight, Body Mechanic, Erotek, Ray 7, The BS Project, Detroit Electronic Authority, Spade The Specialist, and more. Curated straight out of the Detroit Basement, this compilation captures the true spirit of a city that never stopped creating. Playful tracks that stay true to the Detroit soul and not jumping on the formulaic European big room modification bandwagon.

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VA – From The Basement With Love [DTRV010]

2024 Best albums

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From the debut album of cold wave/new wave acts of Konstant, La Nuit Je Mens and Oliver Decrow, to the electro art of veterans Anthony Rother, Dark Vektor, E.R.P. and Legowelt; from the roughness of Filmmaker, Gesloten Cirkel and Howard Thomas to the melodic synthscapes of Steve Moore; from the jacking house of Paranoid London and Timothy J. Fairplay to arpeggiated madness of Rodion & Fabrizio Mammarella, here are our favorite 20 albums from 2024, compiled in chronological order.

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2024 Best albums

Body Mechanic – Electrosoul LP [DTR002/DTR003]

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Body Mechanic has been turning out definitive Motor City techno on solid labels like Cryovac, and GASS for several years. This time out he lands-on Detroit Techno and serves up, well, some electro. It’s classic 313 tackle though – heavy on the kicks, snappy snares and filthy dirty basslines that make you want to move. Ghoulish vocals add extra grit to the opener and from there ‘Dance’ gets more playful with jittery drum funk and scratching, ‘Beautiful Bum’ has a gorgeously tender and reflective vibe thanks to the minor chords and smooth electro rhythms, ‘Magic (feat Tay) ‘ slips into a deep and soulful house groove and ‘Househead’ is jacked up, loopy and well swung amongst several more timeless cuts.

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Body Mechanic – Electrosoul LP [DTR002/DTR003]

Suburban Knight – Listening Systems [DTR004.5]

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James Pennington is a true Motor City original who will forever be etched into the legendary city’s musical history. Under his revered Suburban Knight alias he crafted the powerful single ‘Listening Systems’ in 2021, initially limited to a spotter-taunting 200 copies, but now repressed – and relax, record buyers everywhere. It’s a deep, warm, driving techno cut stripped back to the bare essentials with a smoky vocal whisper adding the intimacy to a kicking rhythm that is dubbed out and soft around the edges but not lacking in impact. Perfect music for mind, body and head that needs to be played nice and loud.

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Suburban Knight – Listening Systems [DTR004.5]

Suburban Knight – Suburban Knight [DTRV004]

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SUBURBAN KNIGHT - Suburban Knight

James Pennington is the Detroit techno talent who records as the Suburban Knight and has done since the middle of the eighties. He’s got plenty of mini-classics to his name such as ‘The Groove’ and ‘Art of Stalking’ and now he is back with what amounts to his first solo record in over a decade having previously worked with Inner City and Underground Resistance. Here he offers scintillatingly soulful techno on ‘Inner City’, which comes with a deeper and more quickened 207737 edit. Reverse the record and you’ll find ‘Species’, an intergalactic techno trip on bumping beats. ‘Intel Bombs’ (feat Ray 7) closes out with intense drum work and turbocharged stabs.

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Suburban Knight – Suburban Knight [DTRV004]