Interesting links about Detroit...

I guess we could also see this blog as an intro to Detroit for outsiders and for

European artists in residence to come...so I will just post some links to the history of

Detroit Techno and the city in general for people who wants to know more.

For people who are about to come, already here in body or in spririt.

1.

Here a link about the Detroit Electronic Music festival...sometimes called Movement,

at other times it is called something else. I came a bit too late for this one, usually held in the end of may, could maybe be great start for the 9 week air period.

Knowing that for a LOT of Euro people who wants to come here, Techno is one of the great reasons...

This link is nice because it is just one liners and gossip from all the Detroitian Techno legends who with tears in their eyes could for the first time make mom and pop understand what a monster that they have unleashed on the rest of the world. This was the first time, that average people in Detroit could kind of grasp how HUGE techno is outside of Detroit (and USA).

http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?1186

2.

A nice documentary about Techno music (from Detroit).

With a lot of insider gossip and jealousy

which makes you understand a lot about the city and the scene.

Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May got to become best friends after Kevin knocked Derrick May out with a couple of punches!!!!

Funny to see how slick Derrick is, you can kind of understand that someone wants to punch him out, but also very charming of course.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIEbkSpNXGE

(part 1 of 9)

3.

Underground Resistance documentary (10 min),

Where you get a feel for their anger with the world of corruption and decay

but also the love for the music

and the political dedication and general passion...VERY good!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JI4cBPgETnU

4.

A very nice and well produced video documentary about the legendary Richie Hawtins

(aka Plastikman from Windsor, across the river...). Very informative about Detroit techno

and scene...very good!

Also nice is the different vibe of white boy Richie and Mad Mike Banks,

They compliment each other to tell the same story...but different!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc6474KUBV8

5.

Ok French documentary on Detroit Techno, but everyones speaks English...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSX_r0u3uzE

6.

Critically acclaimed docu. about the rise and fall of Detroit by Julian Temple, who also did

a couple of very famous Sex Pistols film...very beautiful!

http://rutube.ru/tracks/3971045.html

7.

Johnny Knoxville (of Jackass fame) tried to go against the grain and NOT do a classical film about Detroit...i.e. "ruin porn", crime, decay and how BAD things are in Detroit.

But an uplifting Detroit LIVES! film...

(by the way "ruin porn" is not what I first thought it was...it means people who are obssessed with taking photos of ruins in Detroit (usually Europeans or defenitely "out of towners",

much despised by the locals, who are quite sensitive about it...and quite sensitive about a LOT of things.

Despite Johnny's good intentions to "do the right thing" it STILL backfired...

The Detroitians were pissed off that most people who were interviewed for this film where "New York Hipster"people with money who just moved in to poor Detroit to escape the high loft rents of Williamsburg.

Oh well...at least Larry Mongo is in the film, he IS from Detroit and never left!

Even people FROM Detroit who lived in New York for two years!!! and then came back are suspect in the eyes of the die hard Detroitians

They're a VERY hard crowd to please...

I am trying to tell people in Detroit to chill out a bit and not be soooo pissed off all the time.

In Amsterdam we also get tons of American tourists coming to smoke pot with a VERY one sided interest in what Holland has to offer. If we would go and be pissed off in Amsterdam the whole time about it, we wouldn't have any energy left!

Detroit people needs to relax and accept that the ruins are unique in the western world and that that is partly the reason why people come here in the first place (and spend money)

so chill out a bit and just go with the flow!

We are all very sorry that we were not born in Detroit and that we weren't here when the car industry broke down, or that we haven't lived here since 1973 or...or...or...

We apologize for ALL that, but we will still come to Detroit to take photos of your ruins.

So BACK OFF!!!!...local angry guy....You're blocking the view of the ruins!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMysMDHdb4