On August 27th, we gathered at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building plaza in Harlem for a very special evening: a free outdoor screening of God Said Give ’Em Drum Machines, the feature documentary. The film was introduced to the audience by David Grandison Jr who produced it alongside Producer Jennifer Washington and the film’s Director Kristian Hill. High winds briefly threatened to blow away the screen early in the evening, but the team held it down, literally, and the winds subsided just in time for the event to begin. Before sunset, DJ Spivey of the legendary Magnificent 7 set the tone with a hip-hop set, and as the film began, something powerful happened: a number of people walking past stopped in their tracks, curious about the story unfolding on screen. Many chose to sit down, stay for the full 92 minutes, and learn about a musical movement they never knew had such deep Afro-American roots and that the creators were electronic innovators and programmers. For the team, that moment alone was profoundly validating.
Free Screenings Entertain and Educate
Techno is often celebrated around the world as a global phenomenon, yet the fact that it was created by Afro-American teens in Detroit remains unknown to many—even within our own communities. Too often, techno is disconnected from its creators, while hip hop, a parallel art form born of the same cultural conditions, is rightly recognized as a source of pride.
Seeing people stop, sit, and stay to watch for over an hour and a half reminded me why we make films like this: to spark curiosity, reclaim history, and celebrate the creativity of our communities. Harlem showed us that night just how powerful that can be. – David Grandison Jr
By offering screenings like this in Harlem—free and accessible—we reclaim that history and give people in the city an opportunity to see themselves reflected in a story of technological innovation that belongs to them. This film, the free educational curriculum and lessons that David designed with the film team, were created for exactly this purpose: to educate, inspire, and reconnect underrepresented urban minorities and young people of color to a unique cultural innovation they should be proud of.
Partnership and Community
The film’s team is especially grateful to the Hip Hop Education Center for spotlighting this film as part of the Made You Look: H2O (Hip Hop Odyssey) series. It’s a perfect fit, because techno—like hip hop—is about resilience, creativity, and innovation in the face of limited resources.
Working alongside organizations like the Hip Hop Education Center, ImageNation, and Maysles Documentary Center demonstrates the power of collaboration. Each of these groups is doing vital grassroots work—empowering young filmmakers, teaching through music, and keeping underrepresented stories alive.
The film’s team is dedicated to partnering with orgs educating young people on this music’s history, while integrating valuable STEAM skills, like programming and media creation using inexpensive tools. Their curricula, created in partnership with the Music Origins Project is called, Detroit Techno 101 is available for free on this site.
Gratitude for Community Org Support
Special thanks to the New York Council on the Arts, the Governor’s Office, and the New York State Legislature for supporting projects like this. Their backing, along with the community energy in Harlem, made this screening possible.
If this movement resonates with you, please support the organizations making it happen:
- Maysles Documentary Center – enabling emerging filmmakers to use filmmaking to amplify and expand under-represented artists and narratives.
- Hip Hop Education Center – empowering individuals and communities—especially underserved and marginalized youth—by driving social change and educational equity through research, curated curricula, collaborative programming, career and leadership development, and the preservation of Hip-Hop’s living history.
- ImageNation – keeping cultural history alive through film, music and storytelling.
- God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines – Support the film as it seeks distribution funds and join the mailing list to find out when it will be available via streaming providers.
Visit their websites and donate to support the causes that you feel are most important. Every donation helps fuel the work of telling stories that matter.