Underground Resistance, Somewhere in Detroit (SID)
Members
Mike Banks, Andre Holland, Billebob, Chuck Gibson, Cornelius Harris, Dan Caballero, Buzz Goree, Frankie Fultz, Gerald Mitchell, Ghetto Tech, ISH, James Pennington, Marc Floyd, Mark Flash, Mark Taylor, Mike Clark, Milton Baldwin, Raphael Merriweathers Jr., Santiago Salazar, De'Sean Jones, Jon Dixon, Esteban Adame
Underground Resistance (commonly abbreviated to UR) is 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.
First formed in 1989 by "Mad" Mike Banks and Jeff Mills, UR related the aesthetics of early Detroit Techno to the social, political, and economic circumstances which followed on from Reagan-era inner-city economic recession, producing uncompromising music geared toward promoting awareness and facilitating political change. In contrast to techno that preceded UR, UR tried to appeal to lower class African Americans in Detroit. UR's tracks created a sense of self-exploration, experimentation and the ability to change yourself and circumstances. Additionally, UR wanted to establish a means of identification beyond traditional lines of race and ethnicity. By targeting lower class African Americans, UR intended to inspire black men to get out of the poverty cycle in the city. Their mission was to return techno music to the underground: underground not meaning experimental and unpopular music, but rather a deliberate effort to create sonic communities on the periphery of mainstream culture as resistance against the socio-economic racial hierarchies. It was about providing new ways for lower class African Americans to form their identities. The Underground Resistance's politics extended to providing alternative identities to inner city African American youth, other than the hyper-masculine, hard and violent identities existing within the city. This was a gendered group, however, and the UR focused their attention on young black men. Another form of UR's rebellion concerns the rejection of the commercialization of techno. This is evident in the messages scratched in UR vinyl, lyrics and sounds expressing economic independence from major record labels.[1][2][3][4]
Jeff Mills was already an established technical DJ who came from a background of "industrial music", which was punchy, rigid, and influenced by European rock n roll with hubs in Belgium and Chicago. Mills was heavily influenced by the sound of groups like Belgium-based Front 242, and formed the group Final Cut in 1989 with Tony Srock for Paragon Records. After a falling out with producer Jerry Capaldi involving unequal power dynamics between the white suburban executives and the Black musicians, Final Cut left the label. Mills also left Final Cut in 1990, after which he joined Banks, whom he knew from early sessions at Paragon. Banks was also working on funk and house-inspired projects with the group "Members of the House." At this time, Robert Hood was going by Robert Noise,[5] and created artwork for the group’s 1987 LP. Banks had also previously been a part of a group called "the Mechanics," which sometimes covered Kraftwerk's songs live, again demonstrating the shift in the popularity of electric music from the house scene in Chicago to white artists and the European market. The goal of Underground Resistance would be to bring these sounds back to the communities that created them.[6]
As Underground Resistance, Banks and Mills tried to get Juan Atkins of The Belleville Three and Cybotron to release their first record on his Metroplex label but he did not end up getting to the record quickly enough. The duo ended up releasing the record themselves, establishing their ethos for independent music releases, describing their sound as a "rumor in the music." The group attempted to merge the sounds of both Final Cut and Members of the House on their first track The Theory, but really came into their sound by the fourth release, Waveform (1991). Their sound was informed by their lived realities as well as the music scene at the time, namely the "Reagan era of inner-city economic recession" that particularly affected Detroit, along with the longstanding racial relations of the country that led to the rise and collapse of the Black Panther Party. Their ethos consists of Afro-futurist and anti-corporate sentiments that center the self-fashioning of their own image and control of their production and distribution.[7][8]
Their move against forces destroying their communities included a rejection of hedonism and the image of techno as drug music. They also have a persona that emphasizes anonymity to push back against the profiling of Black DJs, performing wearing balaclavas and touting the nondescript "UR" logo. This move was meant to work against the idea of the "superstar DJ,"[9] emphasizing the mission of the music as a communal project. This anonymity is emphasized by the legion of artists that cycle through the collective, notably including Gerald Mitchell,[10]DJ Rolando,[11] and James Stinson of Drexciya.[12]
In response to the economic reality of Black Detroiters at the time, Underground Resistance became involved with Submerge, a "supportive economic community" of labels and musicians but also lawyers and financial experts that allowed musicians to experiment with a financial safety net.
As with Public Enemy,[13] there have been intimations that UR's subversively 'militant' approach to music was related to the activities of the Black Panthers in the 1970s. Mills in a 2006 interview responds to that claim: "All the black men you see in America today are the direct result of those actions: all the freedoms we have, as well as the restrictions, refer back to the government and the Black Panthers in the '70s". Mills continues: "So we make music. We make music about who we are and where we’re from. Of course there are going to be links – that's why we had songs with titles like Riot. Because that's indicative of the era we were born in, and the things we remember. As time goes on, naturally I think the messages will get further away from that. It's not a coincidence. There is a reason behind UR and Public Enemy and these people."[14]
Many of UR's earliest output would be the product of various experiments by Banks, Mills, and Hood – both solo and in collaboration. "The Theory" and "Eye Of The Storm" (Sonic EP) were among the two earliest UR tracks to be released in 1990, followed by a stream of EPs and singles including "Riot", "Acid Rain", and "Jupiter Jazz". From Submerge came the Underground Resistance side projects X-101 and X-102. Under the aliases X-101 and X-102, the trio released both EPs such as "Sonic Destroyer" and "Groundzero (The Planet)" and the albums "X-101" and "X-102 Discovers The Rings of Saturn".[15]
When Mills and Hood moved on from the collective in 1992 to achieve international success as solo artists and DJs, Banks continued to lead UR releasing EPs during the mid-1990s such as "Return of Acid Rain", "Message to the Majors", and excursions into Nu Jazz on "Hi-Tech Jazz" as Galaxy 2 Galaxy. Increasingly acclaimed artists such as DJ Rolando, Suburban Knight, and Drexciya also joined the collective.[16]
1992's "Message to the Majors" saw UR in full opposition to the music industry and the commercialization of Techno. In the album notes, the collective writes, "Message to all murderers on the Detroit Police Force -- We'll see you in hell." What's made clear by this oppositional rhetorics is that UR's "commitment to metropolitan politics and the criticism of its racist dimension seem to be at least equally important."[1] In fact, URs discussion of race is an integral and distinguishing aspect of its politics and aesthetics that functions to directly oppose not only real-life systems of white supremacy, but also the media that maintains its prevalence in the mainstream.
1998's "Interstellar Fugitives", the first full album credited to Underground Resistance, saw Mike Banks redefining the collective's sound as "High-Tech Funk", reflecting a shift in emphasis from hard, minimal club Techno to breakbeats, Electro and even occasionally Drum and Bass and down-tempo Hip-Hop.
Their website proclaims the following call to action, encapsulating their attitudes towards the formal music economy:
Isn't it obvious that music and dance are the keys to the universe? So called primitive animals and tribal humans have known this for thousands of years! We urge all brothers and sisters of the underground to create and transmit their tones and frequencies no matter how so called primitive their equipment may be. Transmit these tones and wreak havoc on the programmers!Long live the underground!
In 1999, DJ Rolando released UR's most commercially successful EP, "The Knights of The Jaguar". Legal and conceptual ownership of the track became the subject of a battle between UR and Sony BMG, the details of which are contested.[19]
Sony claimed in subsequent statements that they first tried to contact UR to license the EP for release in Germany, recognizing the potential for a crossover hit.[20][21][22][23] Receiving no response, they instead commissioned and released a trancecover version of the original, "tone-for-tone",[20] which was released as a promo. For their part, UR denies that they ever received a request from Sony to license the track.[24]
Founding member "Mad" Mike denounced the release, arguing that it did not constitute a legitimate cover as it was intended to profit from rather than offer tribute to the group.[24] When confronted, Sony justified its actions by stating they intended to credit Rolando as the composer of the work and grant him royalties on its sale.[20]
Although the group initially suggested they might pursue legal action, they instead conducted a direct action campaign against the label. "Mad" Mike described the strategy as a conceptual rejection of the justice system and its legitimacy.[23][25] Fans were encouraged to boycott the release and contact record stores and the labels themselves with messages of protest.[21][23] Some fans reported vandalizing or destroying copies in record stores.[23]
Due to the negative attention directed against the label, Sony voluntarily withdrew the release, citing a desire to avoid further damaging their relationship with the musical underground.[21] The dispute ultimately contributed to the international popularity of the original UR release, which became seen as symbolic of the group's independence and anti-corporate stance.[23]
Recently, the Underground Music Academy (UMA) was launched in May 2023 by the DJ and producer Waajeed, a student and collaborator of Underground Resistance.[27][28] The UMA Bandcamp page[29] defines it as “a Detroit-based community music hub, which aims to build the future leaders of electronic music through its distinctive educational curriculum and mentorship model, rooted in Detroit’s Black electronic music legacy.” The academy offers lessons on DJing and music production, offering scholarships to increase accessibility for marginalized youth. [30]
Discography
Albums
X-101 (1991 – as X-101)
X-102 – Discovers The Rings Of Saturn (1992 – as X-102)
Interstellar Fugitives (1998)
Interstellar Fugitives 2 – Destruction Of Order (2005)
Compilations
Revolution For Change (1991)
A Hi-tech Jazz Compilation (2005 – as Galaxy 2 Galaxy)
Singles/EPs
The Theory (1990 – appeared on the Equinox Chapter One EP)
Sonic EP (1990)
Your Time Is Up (1990 – With Yolanda)
Punisher (1991)
Riot EP (1991)
Waveform E.P. (1991)
The Final Frontier (1991)
Living For The Nite (1991 – With Yolanda)
Elimination/Gamma-Ray (1991)
Nation 2 Nation (1991)
Fuel For The Fire – Attend The Riot (1991)
Sonic Destroyer (1991 – as X-101)
Groundzero / The Rings Of Saturn (1991 – as X-102)
The Seawolf (1992)
Fury (1992)
World 2 World (1992)
Message To The Majors (1992)
Belgian Resistance (1992)
Acid Rain EP (1992)
Panic EP (1992)
Piranha (1992)
Kamikaze (1992)
The Return Of Acid Rain – The Storm Continues (1993)
Acid Rain III – Meteor Shower (1993)
Dark Energy (1994)
Electronic Warfare (1995)
Soundpictures EP (1995)
Electronic Warfare – Designs For Sonic Revolutions (1996)
Ambush (1997)
The Turning Point (1997)
The Infiltraitor (1997)
Codebreaker (1997)
Radioactive Rhythms (1997)
Knights Of The Jaguar EP (1998)
Hardlife (2001)
Millennium To Millennium (2001)
Illuminator (2002)
The Analog Assassin (2002)
Inspiration/Transition (2002)
Actuator (2003)
Transition/Windchime (2003)
Ma Ya Ya (2004)
Interstellar Fugitives 2 – The Destruction Of Order (2006)
Jeff Mills, also known as "theWizard", is an American DJ, record producer, and composer. In the late 1980s Mills founded the techno collective Underground Resistance with fellow Detroit techno producers 'Mad' Mike Banks and Robert Hood but left the group to pursue a career as a solo artist in the early 90s. Mills founded the Chicago based Axis Records in 1992, which is responsible for the release of much of his solo work.
Detroit techno is a type of techno music that generally includes the first techno productions by Detroit-based artists during the 1980s and early 1990s. Prominent Detroit techno artists include Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May, Jeff Mills, Kevin Saunderson, Blake Baxter, Drexciya, Mike Banks, James Pennington and Robert Hood. Artists like Terrence Parker and his lead vocalist, Nicole Gregory, set the tone for Detroit's piano techno house sound.
James Pennington, also known as Suburban Knight, is a DJ and producer with Underground Resistance (UR), an independent record label based in Detroit, United States. Music by Pennington and other UR members was featured in the video game Midnight Club 3: Dub Edition, which is set on the streets of Detroit.
Derrick May, also known as Mayday and Rhythim Is Rhythim, is an American electronic musician from Belleville, Michigan, United States. May is credited with pioneering techno music in the 1980s along with collaborators Juan Atkins and Kevin Saunderson, commonly known as The Belleville Three.
Electronic Warfare is a classic Underground Resistance release, which defined further developments and experiments in electro sound. It was released in double 12" format in 1996 under the catalog number #033.
Minimal techno is a subgenre of techno music. It is characterized by a stripped-down aesthetic that exploits the use of repetition and understated development. Minimal techno is thought to have been originally developed in the early 1990s by Detroit-based producers Robert Hood and Daniel Bell.
Robert Hood is an American electronic music producer and DJ. He is a founding member of the group Underground Resistance as a 'Minister of Information' with Mad Mike Banks and Jeff Mills. He is often considered to be one of the founders of minimal techno. In 1994, Hood founded the minimal techno label M-Plant in Detroit.
Galaxy 2 Galaxy is a live electronic and jazz music collective featuring members of Underground Resistance. The name comes from an EP created by Mike Banks in 1993. Fame in the techno community rose from the release of A High Tech Jazz Compilation in 2005.
DJ Rolando a.k.a. The Aztec Mystic is an American techno DJ and producer from Detroit, Michigan, United States. A former member of Detroit’s famed Underground Resistance from 1994 to 2004, he is best known for his song "Knights of the Jaguar." Rolando parted ways with UR and relocated to Edinburgh in 2004, where he remains an active DJ, frequently appearing at prominent European venues including Tresor and Berghain.
Blake Baxter is an American techno musician, associated with the first wave of Detroit techno. AllMusic called him "perhaps the most underrated figure" of the early Detroit techno scene.
Michael Anthony Banks, better known as "Mad" Mike Banks, is an American record producer. He is the co-founder, along with Jeff Mills, of record label Underground Resistance and was a key player in the "second generation" of Detroit techno.
430 West Records is an independent record label based in Detroit, Michigan, United States, formed in 1990 by Lawrence Burden, Lenny Burden, and Lynell Burden, just months after recording their debut record for Derrick Mays' Transmat label. 430 West was formed as an outlet for the Burden Brothers' own productions. Later it was expanded to be the home for releases by electronic music artists Jay Denham, Terrence Parker, Eddie Fowlkes, Aux 88, Wild Planet, and Gerald Mitchell, among others. In 1998, 430 West also became the musical home for the trio's youngest brothers, Lance Burden and Lorne Burden.
Techno is a genre of electronic dance music which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempos being in the range from 120 to 150 beats per minute (BPM). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often characterized by a repetitive four on the floor beat. Artists may use electronic instruments such as drum machines, sequencers, and synthesizers, as well as digital audio workstations. Drum machines from the 1980s such as Roland's TR-808 and TR-909 are highly prized, and software emulations of such retro instruments are popular.
Waveform Transmission Vol. 2 is an album by American electronic musician and record producer Robert Hood, released under the alias The Vision. Issued in 1993 via Tresor record label, it is the second instalment of the Waveform Transmission series. Featuring a different style from Hood's future releases, the record attributes influences to his collective Underground Resistance and Jeff Mills.
Frankie ‘Bones’ Mitchell is a prominent figure in the development of dance music within the United States. Widely regarded as the "Godfather of American Rave Culture". Throughout the 80s & 90, Frankie played a major role in developing NYC's underground party scene. Bones began his career in the early 1980s, spinning at clubs and parties throughout New York & New Jersey. Bones gained widespread global recognition after organizing the first outdoor dance music party in the US. Storm Rave took place in Williamsburg, Coney Island, & Plumb Beach. Throughout his career, Frankie has produced, remixed, and officially released countless tracks, albums, EP's, and mixtapes. He has also performed at many large scale music festivals around the world such as Love Parade and Insomniac's Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC).Frankie continues to be an influential figure in the community and remains active as a performer, producer, and author represented globally by Southfirst (S1).
Kelley Hand, known professionally as Kelli Hand and K-HAND, was a musician and DJ from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Hand was widely credited with opening the door for Black women's participation in the previously male-dominated techno and electronic music communities during the 1990s and was known as the "First Lady of Detroit techno". A prolific DJ with an "impossibly deep catalogue", Hand continued to produce and perform music up until her death in 2021.
Alan D. Oldham sometimes performing as DJ T-1000, is an American techno DJ, producer, label owner, graphic artist, and painter.
Abdul Qadim Haqq, also known as Haqq and The Ancient, is an American visual artist who was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan.
Santiago Salazar a.k.a. DJ S² is a Chicano DJ in Los Angeles who began his career in the underground dance music scene in the early 1990s. Salazar was invited to Underground Resistance in Detroit by Mike Banks, where he stayed from 2002 to 2006. He released his debut album Chicanismo in 2015 and received positive reviews for subsequent albums and EPs.
Esteban Adame is an East Los Angeles DJ who emerged from the Chicano/Latino rave or party scene in the 1990s. He started DJing at the age of 15. In 2004, he was asked by "Mad" Mike Banks of Underground Resistance to join the music collective in Detroit, Michigan. Banks reportedly was interested when he "found out Chicanos from Southern California were interested in UR records, sensing a common ground between Los Angeles's Latino enclaves and the Black neighborhoods of Detroit." Adame would go on to play piano for the label's electronic jazz band Galaxy 2 Galaxy.
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