Detroit and San Francisco are two very different musical capitals, even when it comes to techno. Detroit techno, austere and futuristic, grew out of Black/queer culture, sci-fi escapism, and the repetitive language of automobile factories. San Francisco’s techno, on the other hand, fused an outdoor hippie aesthetic with ecstatic, UK-derived beats that had crowds mass-hallucinating UFOs on Ocean Beach at dawn. Both shared a deep funkiness, however—remember when people of all shapes and colors once danced wildly?—and, in the 1990s at least, embraced an underground vibe.
And the two scenes have remained surprisingly connected, not least by a wave of ’90s Midwest refugees (ahem) fleeing to San Francisco for more temperate weather, better artistic and employment opportunities, and a break from then-rampant Rust Belt racism and homophobia. (When SF got uptight and too pricey in the 2010s, a mini reverse wave of migration to Detroit fueled satirical screeds against artisanal hipster invasion and wheat fields in the city’s neighborhoods.)
These next two weeks see the dance floor connection grow even stronger, as the As You Like It Crew brings some of Detroit’s biggest techno artists—Jeff Mills, Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale, Moodymann, Marcellus Pittman, Mike Servito, Jason Kendig, Carlos Souffront—to the Bay Area for a terrific-looking series of parties and events called Unabridged: Detroit Incoming (Fri/27—March 8). The series bridges both sides of the Bay as well as the Motor City, and includes panels, a classic film (Mills will soundtrack Metropolis!), an afternoon BBQ, a chill mixer, and of course plenty of late-night dancing.
I have to say I’m a bit biased: Everything kicks off this Fri/27 at my bar The Stud, 5:30pm-8:30pm, where I’m hosting a conversation with Hale and former Chicago-based gem the Blessed Madonna about the formative Midwest Queer Underground, before they go on to spin at Public Works, with the Blessed Madonna recreating one of the most indelible DJ sets on the techno internet, going B2B with Servito.
Jeremy Bispo of As You Like It has experienced decades of revelatory moments at Detroit’s annual Movement Festival, known throughout the world as “Techno Christmas,” but his inspiration for the sprawling, holistic Unabridged actually came from attending the Making Time festival in Philadelphia. “The curation and care that was put into Making Time over those three days felt so smart, so real and authentic,” he said. “There was a vulnerability and open-mindedness about how they approached everything. It felt intentional in every aspect. We really had nothing like that, of that size, on the West Coast.
“I’ve also been thinking a lot about how nightlife is shifting, how more people are going to early events, things before 10pm. Not leaving the late-night thing behind, but filling things in during afternoons, having different kinds of places for people to connect in different ways. And then there’s also consideration of all the people who have moved to the East Bay from San Francisco: There isn’t a lot that caters specifically to them.”
All of that went into laying out a plan with his team to stretch the boundaries of what a “festival” here can mean—not just alcohol-oriented club dance floors and wee-hours undergrounds. The “grown folks” feel of Unabridged (who wouldn’t want to grab some backyard BBQ with Detroit House legends Moodymann and Pittman at 7th West in Oakland?) also reflects Detroit’s more laidback approach to showcasing its homegrown sounds, with a focus on affirming community above headlining egos.
Bispo’s pan-metropolis approach is rooted in also experience: The last party at his seminal 2000s underground SF space the Compound was “A Tale of Four Cities,” which spanned Chicago, Detroit, San Francisco, and New York, and paired international talents like Levon Vincent and Trax with locals Nicola Baytala and Rich Korach. Way back in 2012, his Made in Detroit party brought out breaking talents Kyle Hall and Jay Daniels. And As You Like It parties are known for their often ridiculously stacked lineups.
Even the As You Like It team behind the scenes is a who’s who of local club culture: Jeremy Linden, Sarah Megan Ross, Ken Woodard, Mary Croghan, Noah Ben-Eishai, Olivia Basener, Sean Ocean, John Flores, Bradley Katz, Tim Rawls, Gehno Sanchez, and all-around party wiz Kylie-Ayn Kennedy.
“This time, we wanted the resources and time to make space around and within these events to really tell a story, to let the narrative breathe,” Bispo says. “You could just have someone like Jeff Mills, who basically pioneered the genre, parachute into 1015 Folsom and commemorate the 30th anniversary of his Liquid Room set, a recording that got a whole new generation into techno. But at Unabridged he’s also live-soundtracking one of the first famous sci-fi films, Metropolis at Palace of Fine Arts. And then on top of that, he’s taking the time for a public conversation, too.
“So it’s not just these slam-bang, in-and-out marquee events. There’s a 360 feel. You get to see several sides of some of these incredible figures, and they get to really hang out here.”
UNABRIDGED: DETROIT INCOMING Fri/27—March 8, various venues in SF and Oakland. More info and full schedule here.
