A tribute to Drexciya

A tribute to Drexciya

16 January, 2012 | 5.02AM

• Written by: Beatportal
• Filed under: Music News: catz 'n dogz, clone, drexciya, ghostly, marcel dettmann, mark pritchard, mike huckaby, peter van hoesen, sandwell district

When we learned that Rotterdam’s Clone Classic Cuts was reissuing the back catalogue of Detroit’s mysterious electro outfit Drexciya, we knew it was the occasion to do something a little bit different. The material that the group recorded between 1992 and 2002 has proved a pivotal influence in so many areas of electronic music, and the mythology they created continues to loom large. Shunning the spotlight, they preserved their anonymity while weaving a comic-book-worthy tale about a race of underwater mutants out to avenge the horrors of slavery. Journey Of The Deep Sea Dweller I, the first in a four-part series, proves that their stealth cruiser is still water-tight and armed to the teeth. Showboating DJs, beware: Drexciya’s music remains the real deal.

In tribute to Drexciya’s legacy, we reached out to a handful of artists who were influenced by the group. Read on for musings, favorites and a whole lotta YouTube links courtesy Mike Huckaby, Mark Pritchard, Marcel Dettmann, Peter Van Hoesen, Catz ‘n Dogz, Ghostly International founder Sam Valenti IV, and Sandwell District’s Function.

Mike Huckaby:

Upon selecting the final tracks for the Tresor 20th anniversary mix, I was extremely delighted to know that quite a hefty selection of Drexciya material was available for the mix.

Every track I wanted to use for the Tresor mix was not available, but Drexciya’s material created a smooth transition that allowed me to tell a broader story within the mix that spans over the 20 years of Tresor’s history. This allowed me to include electro within the mix, instead of hard, pounding tracks for an hour. Tracks like Drexciya’s ”Devil Ray Cove” and “Under Sea Disturbances” were perfect for that.

“Devil Ray Cove” from Neptune’s Lair [Tresor, 1999]

“Under Sea Disturbances” from Harnessed The Storm [Tresor, 2002]

Mark Pritchard (Global Communication, Link, Harmonic 313, Africa Hitech):

“Aqua Worm Hole” from Bubble Metropolis [Underground Resistance, 1993]

Beautifully melodic and funky and raw. This was the first record I purchased from them; sounds as fresh today as the day I bought it.

“Take Your Mind” from Drexciya 4 [Submerge, 1994]

Amazing doublepack this, full of killer music. This one really stands out for me, - love the 8 bit computer game quality of the drums. Kind of sounds like some European new wave from the ‘80s, but funkier.

“Danger Bay” from Bubble Metropolis [Underground Resistance, 1993]

Fierce electro music. I suppose that it;s the analogue synth sounds that really grab you with their music—so much character. Love the random ending as well.

I had to have everything on UR/Submerge Records. The music had a mysterious quality—the artwork, track names, everything. Electronic music owes a lot to what those guys did and still do.

Marcel Dettmann:

In the ‘70s it was Kraftwerk with their computer and robots… In the ‘90s it was Drexciya and their aqua-zone stuff. I remember my very first Drexciya record was Bubble Metropolis… I think I bought it around 1993/94 at Hard Wax…

I love the whole concept—all this mysterious sci-fi mixed up with Atlantis…

“Hydro Theory” from The Journey Home [Warp, 1995]

“Positron Island” from Bubble Metropolis [Underground Resistance, 1993]

“Living on the Edge” from Drexciya 4 [Submerge, 1994]

Peter Van Hoesen:

The first time I heard a Drexciya track was at one of Brussels’ many underground techno events in the mid-’90s. U.S. techno and electro were big amongst Brussels’ techno jocks. We played every record fast, sometimes arriving at 145BPM without anyone thinking we overdid it. At one of these nights, Drexciya appeared in the form of this massive, pitched-up electro tune—shrieking synth lines carried along by a gurgling bassline and sizzling 808 percussion. It was musical love at first sight for me. After asking around, I arrived home with the track’s title, ”Wavejumper." A visit to the record store a few days later provided me with the “Aquatic Invasion” 12” - my first Drexciya record. It’s still a very important piece of my collection. Years later, when researching slower BPMs, I again came accross Drexciya via the track ”Habitat ‘O’ Negative” from the Neptune’s Lair album. When playing longer sets I still tend to include this track at the beginning—it’s such a quirky, mysterious tune that creates the perfect tension—as is the case with nearly all of Drexciya’s tracks.

“Wavejumper” from Aquatic Invasion EP [Underground Resistance, 1995]

“Habitat ‘O’ Negative” from Neptune’s Lair [Tresor, 1999]

“Organic Hydropoly Spores” from Neptune’s Lair [Tresor, 1999]

Catz ‘n Dogz:

It’s really hard to choose, we have a lot of favorite tracks… Drexciya had a big influence on us—this mysterious project from Detroit is a big inspiration for us and for many people we know. One of the most important groups, with its unique, electro-Detroit-soul-808 style.

“Andreaen Sand Dunes” from Neptune’s Lair [Tresor, 1999]

“Organic Hydropoly Spores” from Neptune’s Lair [Tresor, 1999]

“Triangular Hydrogen Strain” from Neptune’s Lair [Tresor, 1999]

Sam Valenti IV (founder, Ghostly International):

Though I had heard their music before on Detroit radio, I was knowingly introduced to the music Drexciya by BMG of Ectomorph and Interdimensional Transmissions in the late ‘90s.

The extended canon of their projects, especially Dopplereffekt, Der Zyklus, Japanese Telecom and The Other People Place were more known to me then.

The mythology/facelessness of the group made sense, but the more of their aliases I heard, I started hearing the personalities behind the project. The musical voice of Gerald Donald, to me, is that sly humor, and the legacy of James Stinson (RIP) is that steely, remote cool. It’s just magic together, the perfect apex of “night drive” music. Their music trades in the suspense/calm duality, which is the benchmark of great Detroit electronic music.

I’m very glad Clone is reissuing these releases—I think with great new music like Kuedo and Space Dimensional Controller coming out, that references Drexciya in many ways, it makes perfect sense.

Some side project faves:

Transllusion – “Unordinary Realities” [2001, Supremat]

Just magic stuff.

Glass Domain – “Interlock” [1991, Pornophonic Sound Discs]

Shows Gerald’s wit.  This EP is bonkers, but this song just works.

L.A.M. - “Toxic TV” [1991, Hardwax]

Total stomper. James T. Cotton plays this a lot I believe, it hits hardest heard loud.

David Sumner aka Function (Sandwell District):

What can I say about Drexciya that hasn’t already been said before through their music, imagery or otherwise?

Comic book fantasy…
Underground Resistance...Drexciya...Frankie Fultz…
Exploring the unreal...the unknown...the depths…
Music...imagery...terror…
Deep sea dwellers…

Pre-Drexciya, Drexciya -
L.A.M. - Balance of Terror EP [Hardwax Records, 1992 / Clone 2003]

Push the boundaries....
Explore the limits of what is expected…
Sonic…

Inspired by Kraftwerk…
Yet still pushing…
Before the information age became the normal…

Mysterion…
The faceless unknown…
Endless…

Creating imagery not matched since....

UR...Drexciyan Wavejumpers...magic…
You didn’t know they looked like…
You couldn’t know what they looked like…
They wouldn’t let you…
Cryptic transmissions…

“Deep Sea Aquatic Invasion"…
“Depressurization"…
”Sea Quake”… “Nautilus 12"…
“You Don’t Know"…

“Hydrocubes"…

“Rubick’s Cube"…

“Aquabahn"….

“Balance of Terror"…
Out…

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