Dj Bone interview (bring some hate)

trak660 · Post by **trak660** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 1:42 am

Please don't turn this into a racial issue. That kind of talk has no place in the techno scene.

Shepherd_of_Anu · Post by **Shepherd_of_Anu** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 6:10 am

Damn sound thieving foreigners.

SmSh: So, in other interviews you talk a lot about international DJs… DJs from Europe, wherever, biting on the early Detroit Techno sound and repackaging it. Is that something you still see happening today in a major way?

DJ Bone: Yeah, major way. They might not want to admit it. Well, they piggyback and as soon as they felt they were at the pinnacle, they drop it -- drop the association. Everyone was describing their sh!t, “it’s Detroit-esque”, it’s “Detroit-lite”, it’s “Detroit-inspired”. But as soon as they got to the point where they thought they were the sh!t, then they dropped it: “I’m my own person, I like to sound different...”

Bullshit.

That’s the same mthrfckr who was coming to Detroit and taking notes, watching people, know what I mean? fck that.

And it might come across as harsh when I say it but it’s been like that...

SmSh: Have you heard of Motor City Drum Ensemble?

DJ Bone: Yes.

SmSh: I think it’s like a dude from Stuttgart but he’s got the 70’s afro-chic packaging..

DJ Bone: Oh yeah... I’m really upset with that. On the record, I was so upset when I met Terry Lee Brown Jr. Have you heard of him?

SmSh: No.

DJ Bone: He was doing house music. I think he’s out of Germany, I don’t know, somewhere in Europe. His logo is this black guy, right, with big lips and a short little afro... it wasn’t a caricature that offended me, it was just somebody that looked kinda soulful, and everybody who bought his record thought that the picture was him.

That’s him, you know. I met him in London and I just went off. They introduced me and it was some tall white guy from Germany.

SmSh: Looking like one of the dudes in Kraftwerk?

DJ Bone: So, straight up, I was like why the fck do you have this black guy on your records -- they couldn’t believe I said that -- but that’s just wrong...

SmSh: What did he say?

DJ Bone: He said that he didn’t want to be judged on what he looked like, “it’s about the music”, whatever... yeah, but then put the music out there, don’t put a fake-ass face out there. Go ahead and be faceless.

But I think people use Detroit -- they may not see it this way, a lot of people say, “we use it as inspiration” -- but explain to me why 80% of techno that’s coming out right now, they’re using the sounds that we used 20 years ago.

Seems like you can't win with this guy. If you don't associate yourself with Detroit Techno then your just a mthrfckr who is copying their styles.

Of course if you packaging appears to have images associated with those soulful black origins of Detroit Techno then you had better watch out cause Bones is going to off on you. Maybe it was this Motor City Drum Ensemble's way of giving props to the origin of the music.

The bottom line is that unless you are from the Detroit area (on the American side of the border) and you grew up going to parties where a select group of about a half dozen DJ's played then you will never have a true grasp of the music nor will you ever be able to reach that kind of level. And whatever success you do have... well its probably because you are some commercial sell out.

I wonder how far and wide a particular style of music must spread and for how long must it be played before it doesn't have to be associated with a particular city or small group of people.

trak660 · Post by **trak660** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:14 am

I've never been to Detroit, but that does not change what your posts say. You're supposed to be a moderator on here. WTF?

miroslav · Post by **miroslav** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:27 am

Um... newsflash: There has ALWAYS been a ton of imitation in all music, not just electronic music. Even in Detroit back in the day. Here's how it has worked with human beings since the beginning of time: you always have a sea of people doing somewhat similar stuff, punctuated by a few who then periodically change things by quantum leaps. This is how the process works. For one thing, most people generally learn first by imitating. For another, creative peoples' output may oftentimes very well be influenced by a baseline perception of what they perceive as "the norm" around them at a certain point in time (i.e., what "the imitators" are doing).

Trying to stop the imitators would be like trying to tell everybody that they can't play the guitar unless they are geniuses at it who have something truly original to add (per your definition, of course). Now how many potentially excellent guitarists who could have perhaps added something to the instrumental art down the road do you think would have been lost through such a heavy-handed approach?

I know that's not a realistic example; my point is that the aggregate creative process is just fine and it sure as hell doesn't need the help of any self appointed holier-than-thou "imitation police" on here or anywhere else. It can adapt and take care of itself just fine, because truly creative people know how to adapt. If you're concerned about it, then stop complaining about "imitators" and focus on the originality of what you're doing.

patrick bateman · Post by **patrick bateman** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:56 am

Why did you delete your post, John?
It is the truth that the detroit guys hated richie for coming to detroit and stealing everything, as you wrote this was in a movie and several interviews over the years...

Post by **John Clees** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 8:58 am

lets say they were extremely sensitive to that fact...

Atheory · Post by **Atheory** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 9:41 am

for the record, i'm still pissed at richie for being so white.

Shepherd_of_Anu · Post by **Shepherd_of_Anu** » Tue Aug 04, 2009 1:20 pm

Has anyone read any interviews lately that are upbeat, positive and don't contain any bitching? If they are out there I never stumble across them.