Pre trip gear check.
The Detroit Sound Project Team, traveled with Derrick May to WIRE 12 event at Yokohama Arena in Tokyo, Japan (Fall 2012). This was a defining experience because it allowed us to test the power of social media to help us crowdfund our film and the resolve of the team to take the team abroad to shoot for our upcoming film called, God Said Give Em Drum Machines.
DERRICK MAY headlined the line-up alongside ROBERT HOOD another Detroit Techno ambassador. Together they led the lineup offering Japan Detroit’s unique brand of sonic exposure. ROBERT HOOD had just released his third album which is an in-depth exploration of the Detroit condition.
Robert said in a recent interview with Resident Advisor, that increasing awareness of Detroit’s condition could only be good for the city; “The situation in Detroit is making people uncomfortable but that’s a good thing if we look at it in the right perspective,” he says. “It’s a shaking up and realization of the condition that Detroit has been in for so long. As it was a long and slow process people became immune to what was happening, almost asleep at the wheel. This once progressive city is now half gone. To make a new future, Detroit needs to look deep within to be able to see a new vision and thrive once more. As long as there is a seed, there is hope.”
Robert said in a recent interview with Resident Advisor, that increasing awareness of Detroit’s condition could only be good for the city; “The situation in Detroit is making people uncomfortable but that’s a good thing if we look at it in the right perspective,” he says. “It’s a shaking up and realization of the condition that Detroit has been in for so long. As it was a long and slow process people became immune to what was happening, almost asleep at the wheel. This once progressive city is now half gone. To make a new future, Detroit needs to look deep within to be able to see a new vision and thrive once more. As long as there is a seed, there is hope.”An international roster of top Techno and House talent were a part of the event. JESPER DAHLBÄCK from Sweden and FRANK MULLER techno from Germany, who plays rigid drum lines that alternate from a Disco / New Wave but are said to add a mix of German and Detroit Techno to his mixing style. The line up also had representation from old-school German artists like the dark and eclectic DJ HELL, and KEN ISHII, a well-known Japan native, who’s most recent tracks delve into a mix of German-ish house and funky techno grooves. Visuals were provided by VJ DOMMUNE VIDEO SYNDICATE…
Here is the full Lineup: Derrick May, Butch, Frank Muller Aka Beroshima, Gary Beck, Robert Hood, Dusty Kid, Format:B, Portable aka Bodycode, DJ Sodeyama, DJ Tasaka, Fumiya Tanaka, Ken Ishii, Takkyu Ishino, A.Mochi, Device Girls, DJ Hell, Jesper Dahlbäck, Y.Sunahara.
The objective of this shoot was to document Derrick May’s lifestyle and what life is like for a super DJ on the road… Shoots like this allow the team to contrast the appeal of Detroit DJ’s in other countries with the US audience.
Thanks to the help of our friends and family who helped us successfully crowdfund this trip.
This location can be experienced in Virtual Reality with VR Headsets.
To view, location using a mobile friendly Virtual Reality Headset like Google Cardboard. Open link via the Google Maps app and DOUBLE CLICK the big button on the bottom right of the Google StreetView interface. Instructions vary depending on the device.