MEMCO x GSGEDM x 48 Frames Trifecta Series
Brought to Ann Arbor through an unprecedented collaboration between student groups MEMCO (Michigan Electronic Music Collective) and 48 Frames in collaboration with God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines (GSGEDM), a trifecta of events encompassing visual, audible, and interpersonal storytelling explored the legendary and underrepresented history of Techno as a Black Detroit born art form and social movement. An exclusive high-fidelity screening of GSGEDM, a Detroit made documentary 12 years in the making, followed by a panel discussion with some of the very originators of the Detroit electronic music scene, concluded by Impulse ROOTS ~ a DJ event celebrating the true roots of techno and house.
Trifecta Recording
Watch and listen to the recap of the panel here.
This panel discussion and Q+A session featured Detroit legends Stacey "Hotwaxx" Hale, John "Jammin" Collins, Delano Smith, DJ Etta, and Eric Jackson in conversation at the Ann Arbor District Library on March 22nd, 2024.
MARCH 22ND
MARCH 22ND
The Screening — 3:30pm - 5:45pm
A reception and exclusive screening of the recently completed ~ 12 years in the making ~ and not publicly accessible groundbreaking documentary God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines (GSGEDM).
Starring Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Blake Baxter, Eddie Fowlkes, Santonio Echols, and Mike Huckaby
The story behind one of Detroit’s great contributions to world culture: Techno, the electronic music phenomenon created by Black artists in the 1980s that transformed dance music internationally and blossomed into the multi-billion dollar industry of EDM today.
MARCH 22ND
MARCH 22ND
The Panel — 5:45pm - 7:30pm
A follow up panel discussion and Q+A session featuring Detroit legends Stacey "Hotwaxx" Hale, Delano Smith, and John Collins as well as DJ Etta and GSGEDM producer Eric Jackson.
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For as long as there is music and those who faithfully dance, there will always be a need for the Godmother of House Music, DJ Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale. Detroit’s 1st female of house music plays dance floor bangers and orchestral melodies with live music fusions. Hotwaxx Hale is the 1st female DJ who played house music on the radio in Detroit in the late 80s, and continues as a DJ to play a major role in curating the soundtrack of our lives for several decades. Thriving in the city that started techno, she somehow maintains a perfect flow by tastefully blending house and techno with funk, hip hop and Motown soul, which is why she continues to have a diverse, multi-aged devoted following. With past and current involvements all over the map, Hotwaxx Hale currently has residences at Spotlite Detroit as Housecats w/ Jenny LaFemme and Lacasa Cigar Lounge. Hotwaxx currently produces & hosts three radio shows, has international acclaim and has performances in London, Ibiza, France, Mexico, Berlin, Amsterdam, Toronto, and across the USA, and her passion for music spills over into education for the youth and adults as well, involved in and leading many projects namely Girls Rock Detroit, working with Spin Inc. Detroit, and Sheometry Arts and Music Festival.
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Of the original crop of Detroit DJs, Delano Smith is one of the few still dedicated to the craft. Reflecting on house and techno without his influence would reveal a very different musical landscape today. Coming up when the world was just discovering the impact a DJ could have, Delano traversed his way to the top in a tough scene full of talent. Although dance music post The Belleville Three and Underground Resistance is well documented, the context that set the tone for them to emerge is less so. At a time described as the Wild West by some, when party culture was taking its first tentative steps, Delano honed his skills under the guidance of the late, great Ken Collier. With initial sets fusing soul, disco and early electronic sounds, Delano planted seeds in the minds of Detroit’s subsequent generations. Those dancing to his sets in the late 70s and early 80s would later become ambassadors of a scene with worldwide appeal. Now, Delano stands shoulder to shoulder with the figureheads he once educated, writing a brand new chapter for house and techno. Delano’s story is long and intriguing, first taking to the decks in friends’ basements, these weekend sessions turned into the dance hall parties that paved the way for Delano’s residencies at clubs across Detroit. Championing permutations of the post-Disco era, a sound described by the D’s luminaries as “progressive” before house and techno were officially coined, Delano began to receive bookings beyond his home state, eventually touring what would become a familiar axis between the US and Europe.
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John “Jammin” Collins is one of the Detroit electronic music community’s most familiar faces, and not simply because of his very public role as tour guide at Submerge’s Exhibit 3000, the world’s only techno museum. For nearly four decades he’s been a constant presence on the decks at Motor City clubs, most famously during his days as resident DJ at the legendary Detroit nightspot Cheeks, as well as gigs at the Warehouse, the Parabox, and Times Square. He’s also a longtime radio mix-show veteran dating back to the early 1990s on WJLB FM 98 (where he picked up his “Jammin” nickname from on-air personality “Captain” Kris McClendon) and later WDRQ FM 93.1 to his show “Live From Detroit: John Collins Presents The Soul of Detroit,” which streamed online at Red Bull Radio. He’s been a player behind the scenes as well: he worked with Joy Santiago at the Moshi Company, the very first techno booking agency, that later evolved into Premier Entertainment. He founded the Detroit Regional Music Conference in 1994, a homegrown version of New York’s New Music Seminar and Miami’s Winter Music Conference, and oversaw it during its five-year existence. In the early 2000s he joined the administrative staff at Submerge as a booking agent and manager, where he’s still a key member of the organization.
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DJ Etta's sets take a free form approach, basking in unabashed joyfulness untethered to genre. Her selections range from naughty boogie disco to enveloping house to classic, golden era hip-hop, mixed with a cohesive grace and effortless musicality.
MARCH 23RD
MARCH 23RD
Impulse: ROOTS — 9:00pm - 2:00am
Presented as the final installment of our Black history trifecta, this Impulse event celebrates the true roots of electronic music. We're featuring an all-Black lineup of MEMCO DJs alongside Detroit-based headliner DJ Etta. Show up and show out!
Full Lineup:
Setacita 9pm
Robby Cache 10pm
DJ Etta 11pm
Naphtha 1am
Club Above 215 N Main / March 23rd / 9PM - 2AM
$5 for students, $10 for non-students
About us
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The Michigan Electronic Music Collective (MEMCO) is a entirely student-run collective of DJ's, producers, visual artists, engineers, and event-goers that provides a platform in Ann Arbor for electronic music and its subgenres; an opportunity and space for members to express themselves through electronic music, immersion in the history of electronic music as a revolutionary Black local genre pioneered in Detroit and Chicago, and also a space for members to learn technical skills, form community. artforms, and much more. Originally formed in 2005 in response to a felt disconnect between the students of Ann Arbor and the rich history of electronic music that exists in Michigan, MEMCO (previously MEDMA) is proud to continue this legacy and evolve through the combined work and creativity of the hundreds of past and current members.
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48 Frames is a film group dedicated to supporting BIPOC creatives from a variety of artistic mediums with financial infrastructure, marketing, distribution, and personnel. 48 Frames will develop a handpicked number of projects per year, prioritizing experimental, animated, documentary, science fiction, fantasy, horror, period pieces, and non-narrative works.
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Historically, economically, and artistically, Detroit has had to fight for survival. And it's had to fight even harder for recognition. The spirit of that fight is epitomized by GOD SAID GIVE 'EM DRUM MACHINES, a documentary which traces the birth of techno music to its unlikely origins in the D. GOD SAID GIVE 'EM DRUM MACHINES fells the tale of the young visionaries who made that breakthrough happen. Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Blake Baxter, Eddie Fowlkes, and Santonio Echols were the vanguard of a new musical style they dubbed "techno," which would soon become the most celebrated and profitable genre in the world. And yet their names are largely unknown to most fans of that very genre.