Interviews Apr 19,2013 _ by Coma

Cutting Teeth _ Interview with Detroit Techno Militia

Last night of their European Tour is in London @ Coma on 5th May. No better time to get some transmissions..

DTM play at Coma’s night in Concrete: 56 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ on 5th May 2013.

Supported by Ben Gibson, Aubery, Doubleffe, Jamie Bissmire, Keino, Larry Cavelle, Myles Serge & Tsanko Dimov.

2 DJ’s – 4 Decks. If you know Detroit Techno Militia then you know that its going to be a full-on night of quality Techno. Flavio caught up with the Lads to find out about their background and influences, the current state of Detroit Techno, European crowds, playing with vinyl and finally, their upcoming gig at Coma on the May Bank Holiday weekend.

You can join the events and find out more about Coma & Detroit Techno Militia here:

Event on Facebook

Event on Resident Advisor

Detroit Techno Militia Soundcloud

Hello guys, I hope you are well. Could you please introduce yourself?

DJ Seoul & T.Linder from the Detroit Techno Militia. Detroit, Michigan USA

So how did you guys meet up?

We met up in the mid- nineties in the early thriving Techno and party scene in Detroit. Both of us were young DJs at that time and were cutting our teeth by performing with a lot of internationally respected DJs and producers of that time in our city. Our friendship began due to the fact that our interests and goals were very similar. This friendship and shared philosophy made it perfect sense for us to collaborate on many projects including the DTM 2X4.

and what influenced your music when you were growing up?

Both of us share a very common upbringing in music. Detroit radio was very good to us and very influential on our style. We were very lucky to have the Electrifying Mojo and The Wizard to listen to during our most formative years. We also had The New Dance Show on the TV which was playing Techno and High Energy dance music regularly. These early influences led to both of us loving and following many genres of music. From Hip Hop and House to Electro, Techno and Industrial music. Detroit children and teenagers (including ourselves) really had a head start when it came to music.

What’s the idea behind the Detroit Techno Militia project and its crew?

The Detroit Techno Militia started as a bunch of individuals who shared a similar philosophy when it comes to the tradition of Techno music. We all share a great deal of respect for Detroit and its rich history, where it comes from, and where we would like to take it. All of our DJs, live artists, and producers continue to push the craft while carrying the tradition of our musical forefathers that helped shape our sound today.

Great, so if you had to describe the Detroit Techno Militia sound in a few words..

The DTM sound tends to be on the more aggressive side of Detroit Techno. We are still playing Detroit tracks, but they are more influenced by the, harder, Industrial music that shaped the Detroit sound. We aren’t afraid or opposed to playing some of the more melodic and soulful Detroit stuff in our sets though.

How is the Techno scene in Detroit nowadays?

The scene is thriving and growing more than ever we believe. With festivals like Movement and Tec-troit being larger and better than ever as well as more club nights and one offs becoming more frequent, we truly believe Detroit is on the rise again and we couldn’t be happier. Some people complain about the commercial music that is creeping in and the Dubstep and Trap music that has been gaining momentum in Detroit, but we think that this helps our scene and our city. It has brought in a ton of new faces and young kids to the clubs and events that we perform at and these kids get a healthy dose of Detroit Techno. With event organizers like Paxahau, SCP Backpacking For Success and Nightsneak constantly pushing themselves to be better. The Techno Scene in Detroit is in great hands and prospering.

With the digital revolution in full mode, you guys seem to not bother with it, sticking with the natural method of DJing, vinyl. Is there a specific reason for you guys sticking with this format?

We talk a lot about the original tradition, the craft, and the art of DJing, and we cherish the purity that comes from improvised DJ sets. Nothing can replace the feeling that you get from digging though your record bag and finding the perfect record on the fly and working it in at the perfect time unexpectedly based on the colour and image on the label. Not to take away from artists using a digital format, it is just the way we prefer to present our interpretation of Detroit Techno.

How does the crowd in Europe differ from the one in the U.S. or other parts of the world?

We love coming over for these tours. The crowds in Europe are a lot different. Most shows we do in the US feature more genres than just Techno and get a more diverse crowd. Shows over here that we perform at get more hardcore Techno fans as well as more people attending. It might just be the shows that we attend, but we find the crowds have more energy over here and really can appreciate Detroit Techno like we do. We will always love doing shows in the US because of its diversity and the energy that brings but we also really love coming overseas and experiencing new cultures and the many great Techno scenes they offer.

Are you guys looking forward to your London debut?

Absolutely! It’s our first time in London and we have been looking forward to this show for many years. Much respect to our main man Flavio and COMA for getting us here for the final gig of our 2013 European Tour.

What can we expect from your 2×4 set?

You can expect us to give it our all. It’s the only way we know how.

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Detroit Techno Militia play at Coma’s night in Concrete: 56 Shoreditch High St, London E1 6JJ on May Bank Holiday Weekend – 5th May 2013.