Gerald Donald is a Detroit techno producer and artist. With James Stinson he formed the afrofuturist techno duo Drexciya, and he is the main member of Dopplereffekt.
Donald is notoriously silent on himself and even his involvement with various musical projects. In a 2013 interview, when asked about his anonymity and his work with James Stinson and Drexciya, he said, "I will not directly indicate my involvement in any project. I will leave this question open to observer interpretation. The most important thing has always been the music and concept itself. I adhere to this philosophy. People spend way too much time engaging personalities rather than the music that’s accompanying that personality." [1] Frequently referred to as an afrofuturist, he said he "do[es] not wish to specify any particular ethnicity." [1]
With Drexciya, he made techno music on which an afrofuturist mythology was built, involving the Drexciyans, an underwater race, "the descendants of the African women thrown overboard in the transatlantic slave trade." Their songs had marine and maritime themes and titles; live, they appeared only masked. [2]
Another musical project of his is Dopplereffekt, [3] with To Nhan Le Thi, [1] to whom he is married. [4] He is also in electro group Der Zyklus [5] (German lit. "The Cycle").
Arpanet is one of the pseudonyms of Dopplereffekt's Gerald Donald. It was named after both ARPANET ,one of the precursors to the internet. Initially a suspected duo between Drexciya frontmen James Stinson and Gerald Donald, since Stinson's death in 2002, Arpanet is now firmly established as Gerald Donald alone.
Rephlex Records was a record label launched in 1991 in Cornwall by electronic musician Richard D. James and Grant Wilson-Claridge. The label coined the term braindance to describe the output of Aphex Twin and fellow artists.
Gescom is an electronic music project based in the UK with close ties to the electronic duo Autechre.
Electro is a genre of Electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of the Roland TR-808 drum machines, with an immediate origin in early hip hop and funk genres. Records in the genre typically feature heavy electronic sounds, usually without vocals; if vocals are present, they are delivered in a deadpan manner, often through electronic distortion such as vocoding and talkboxing. It palpably deviates from its predecessor boogie by being less vocal-oriented and more focused on electronic beats produced by drum machines.
Gerald Rydel Simpson, better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British record producer and musician. He was an early member of the electronic group 808 State, contributing to their debut LP Newbuild (1988) and hit single "Pacific State" (1989). He also achieved solo success with his 1988 hit single "Voodoo Ray", which became a touchstone of Manchester's acid house scene and reached No. 12 in the UK charts. He embraced breakbeat production in the 1990s, with his 1995 album Black Secret Technology becoming a "much-touted candidate for 'best jungle album ever.'" He also ran the London-based independent record label Juice Box Records from 1991 to 1998.
Underground Resistance are an American musical collective from Detroit, Michigan. Producing primarily Detroit techno since 1990 with a grungy four-track musical aesthetic, they are also renowned for their militant political and anti-corporate ethos.
Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technoculture and speculative fiction, encompassing a range of media and artists with a shared interest in envisioning black futures that stem from Afro-diasporic experiences. While Afrofuturism is most commonly associated with science fiction, it can also encompass other speculative genres such as fantasy, alternate history and magic realism, and can also be found in music.
Drexciya was an American electronic music duo from Detroit, Michigan, consisting of James Stinson (1969–2002) and Gerald Donald.
Dave Angel is an English techno musician. Angel was born in Chelsea, London, England. He is the son of a London-based jazz musician, and the elder brother of rapper Monie Love. He had an unorthodox musical education; his father influenced him deeply, as did his friends and his environment, including the radio. He listened not only to Miles Davis and Charlie Parker, but also to soul music and funk. Even though he was playing instruments at 14 years old, including percussion, his musical development was not easy or straightforward.
Techno Animal was an electronic duo formed in 1990 in London, England by British musicians Justin Broadrick and Kevin Martin. The duo released six LPs beginning with their 1991 debut Ghosts. They blended dub production with dark, beat-oriented ambient music and paranoiac themes.
The "What Time Is Love?" Story is a compilation album by British electronic music duo The KLF, comprising six versions of their techno track "What Time Is Love?".
Pacou is a German techno music producer. He has released albums and EPs on his own label, LL Records, as well as on the Berlin-based Tresor label, Djax-Up-Beats, Konsequent, and Music Man Records. He records under the monikers Pacou and Agent Cooper.
German electronic music is a broad musical genre encompassing specific styles such as Electroclash, trance, krautrock and schranz. It is widely considered to have emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s, becoming increasingly popular in subsequent decades. Originally minimalistic style of electronic music developed into psychedelic and prog rock aspects, techno and electronic dance music. Notable artists include Kraftwerk, Can, Tangerine Dream and Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft. German electronic music contributed to a global transition of electronic music from underground art to an international phenomenon, with festivals such as Love Parade, Winterworld and MayDay gaining prominence alongside raves and clubs.
Dopplereffekt is an electronic music act from Detroit which has been active since 1995, and whose main member is producer/artist Gerald Donald. Another member is To Nhan Le Thi. The group released a compilation album, Gesamtkunstwerk, in 1999, and were inactive until 2003; since then numerous albums have been released.
James Marcel Stinson (1969–2002) was a Detroit techno producer and artist. With Gerald Donald he formed the afrofuturist techno duo Drexciya. He released music under the aliases Shifted Phases, The Other People Place, Transllusion, Lab Rat XL, Abstract Thought, Elecktroids, L.A.M., Jack Peoples and Clarence.
Bochum Welt is the stage name of the Italian electronic musician Gianluigi Di Costanzo. The name Bochum Welt is a combination of the German word for "world" (welt) and the name of the German city Bochum.
Dub techno is a subgenre of electronic music that originated in the early 1990s, blending the repetitive, minimal structures of techno with the echo-laden, spacey production techniques of dub music. It is notable for its deep, atmospheric soundscapes, layers of elaborate basslines, slowly developing musical phrases featuring heavy delay and reverb effects. Vocals are either absent, or inspired by dub and ambient music.
Mike Lévy, known professionally as Gesaffelstein, is a French music programmer, DJ, songwriter and record producer from Lyon. He has worked alongside artists such as the Weeknd, Daft Punk, Kanye West, A$AP Rocky, Electric Youth, Haim, Miss Kittin, The Hacker, Jean-Michel Jarre, Lil Nas X, Charli XCX, and Pharrell Williams.
Mark Broom is a British techno DJ and music producer.
Lifestyles of the Laptop Café is the only studio album by The Other People Place, a recording project by American electronic music producer James Stinson. It was released on September 3, 2001 through Warp. Stinson's identity as the album's producer was not confirmed until after his death in 2002. Largely overlooked at the time of its release, Lifestyles of the Laptop Café has since received retrospective critical acclaim. After being out of print for several years, the album was reissued by Warp in 2017.
DJ Stingray, or Sherard Ingram, is the founder of Urban Tribe and associate of legendary Detroit electro duo Drexciya. As both a DJ and producer, Ingram specializes in futuristic electro, preferring fast tempos and inventive beat patterns to more accessible, club-friendly rhythms. When asked to describe his style of electronic music, he prefers to classify it as Techno.