DJ BONE

CLUBLAND

The term underground gets thrown about like kids toys these days, without meaning, for almost no reason. It has been a long time since dance music could be denoted underground and have that really mean that it was pushing against the trends, forging new ground, remaining true to itself without following a bigger trend. With a recent purchase I was reminded of one artist I truly consider to be underground; evidenced by his longevity (yet relative anonymity) as a DJ and producer, uncompromising ideals and do it yourself spirit.

DJ Bone has been a part of the Detroit scene since… well, for a long time. Influenced like so many other Detroit techno heads by the radio jocks Electrifyin’ Mojo and The Wizard (Jeff Mills), he began Djing some time in the late 1980’s at The Love Club, and it wasn’t long before he had a weekly radio show and was being asked to guest at parties all over the world. A true turntablist artisan, DJ Bone has been one of the few DJ’s who were asked to guest on the late John Peel’s show on the BBC. Although he has been producing and releasing records from around 1994 onwards, DJ Bone is primarily a DJ, and argues that these days there is too much emphasis placed on having a producer profile. He is one of the rare DJ’s you will see who redefine the art form; his arms hands fingers performing a flurry of deft touches tweaks turns.

His preferred recipe for dance floor attack is techno and whether it’s as dry as a Saharan sunset or as lush and funked up as Prince’s bedroom he has a knack for hitting all the right buttons.

Bone’s first release proper was fittingly on Juan Atkins’ Metroplex Records, and featured a double cut groove on one side courtesy of the late great Ron Murphy from NSC (National Sound Corporation). ‘Shut the Lights Off’ from that release is indicative of his entire catalogue; haunting, deeper than an Atlantic trench but with a ardent pad rising from that abyss.

Not all of his releases make for easy listening though, even for hardened heads who may fall asleep to the lull of a Surgeon symphony, Bone’s tracks can be raw, like pieces of jagged steel rubbing against other (in a highly rhythmic fashion). However they can also be mired in the essence of house music with soaring vocals, roots deeply entrenched in gospel.

His own Subject Detroit label bears the majority of his releases, with only a small clutch being released from his ultimate control to other imprints. And likewise very few other producers appear on Bone’s Subject Detroit label, though the few that do are immediately recognisable for sharing the same musical aesthetic as the boss.

After over a year long hiatus from releases Subject Detroit is back in the second half of 2008 with a vengeance and a stocked cupboard of releases. No less than nine twelve inch releases are stacked up, some of them out since August, others waiting in the wings for imminent exposure. Bone is directly responsible for the tracks on five of them, with Stephen Brown, Mister X and Rennie Foster among the contributors. Bone’s Circus World EP is one of the top picks, infallible grooves laced over techno house, jacking yet sublime rhythms and vocal samples to tickle your spine. The Tru Warriors release continues DJ Bone’s African themes displayed elsewhere throughout his discography whilst the Beings of Sound EP sees Bone team up with Stephen Brown, Rennie Foster and Trench for a pan-continental sampler.

DJ Bone - Circus World

*****

The don of now-school Detroit fixes up a freak treat of tech soul funk.

Silverbeat’s Top 5

Deetron ft. Justin Chapman - Let’s Get Over It (Henrik Schwarz remix)

Intrusion - Tswana Dub

(Brendon Moeller’s Beat Pharmacy Dub)

Jamie Jones - 911

Sascha Funke - Mango (DJ Koze’s Pink Moon remix)

Marek Hemmann - Junoka

Silverbeat’s Classic Listening

Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Blank Generation