Carl Craig
Encyclopedia
Carl Craig is a Detroit
-based producer of techno music
, and is considered to be one of the most important names in the Detroit second generation of techno producers and DJ
s. According to an article about Craig, "Of this group, Craig was often recognised as being the most artful and the most willing to engage the rapidly growing shape of techno outside Detroit." Carl Craig has approached techno using inspiration from a wide range of music
al genres, including jazz
and soul
.
Carl Craig has released many successful albums under a large number of aliases, such as BFC, Psyche, Paperclip People, 69, Designer Music and Innerzone Orchestra. He also had a hugely successful collaboration album with NYDJ Patrick Picasso.
Using one alias, Innerzone Orchestra, he released perhaps his best-known track "Bug in The Bassbin" in 1992, a track that many regard as being a key influence in the then evolving sound of drum and bass
.
Carl Craig has also created his own record label
called Planet E Communications
, which apart from his own work, has released records by well known techno and house
artists like Kevin Saunderson
, Alton Miller and Moodymann
.
Craig served as co-creator and artistic director for the widely successful Detroit Electronic Music Festival
in 2000 and 2001. His subsequent dismissal by festival organizers caused substantial controversy within the Detroit techno community, igniting a high-profile campaign in his favor. In 2001, Craig filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against festival producer Pop Culture Media. Craig will return as artistic director for the 2010 festival, which is now produced by Paxahau.
Part of what makes Craig's style so unique and separates him from much of the normal "Detroit Techno" sound, including current works, are his remixes of world beat and jazz songs. This has helped spark a new movement of electronic music.
Regarding the many positions he has held in the music industry (artist, producer, DJ, label boss, and more), Craig has said: "I have a bad habit of getting my hands dirty in every little thing, and I really do enjoy it."
He also participated in the collaborations The Detroit Experiment
(2003) and Sun Ra
Dedication: The Myth Lives on (2003)
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
-based producer of techno music
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, and is considered to be one of the most important names in the Detroit second generation of techno producers and DJ
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s. According to an article about Craig, "Of this group, Craig was often recognised as being the most artful and the most willing to engage the rapidly growing shape of techno outside Detroit." Carl Craig has approached techno using inspiration from a wide range of music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al genres, including jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
.
Carl Craig has released many successful albums under a large number of aliases, such as BFC, Psyche, Paperclip People, 69, Designer Music and Innerzone Orchestra. He also had a hugely successful collaboration album with NYDJ Patrick Picasso.
Using one alias, Innerzone Orchestra, he released perhaps his best-known track "Bug in The Bassbin" in 1992, a track that many regard as being a key influence in the then evolving sound of drum and bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
.
Carl Craig has also created his own record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
called Planet E Communications
Planet E Communications
Planet E Communications is an independent electronic music recording label that started in 1991 in Detroit, Michigan. The label is the brainchild of DJ/Producer Carl Craig. Evolving from Craig’s desire to have creative independence from the major label industry, Planet E would manage, in a short...
, which apart from his own work, has released records by well known techno and house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
artists like Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Saunderson is an American electronic music producer. At the age of nine he moved to Belleville, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit where he attended Belleville High School and befriended two students, Derrick May and Juan Atkins...
, Alton Miller and Moodymann
Moodymann
Moodymann also known as Kenny Dixon Jr or KDJ for short, is a Techno/House musician based in Detroit, Michigan.He creates a thoroughly hybrid form of techno/house dance music, jazz, soul, disco and funk via his innovative use of reworked riffs, samples , and grooves taken from...
.
Craig served as co-creator and artistic director for the widely successful Detroit Electronic Music Festival
Detroit Electronic Music Festival
The Detroit Electronic Music Festival , and its successors comprise an annual series of electronic dance music showcases held in Detroit each Memorial Day weekend since 2000...
in 2000 and 2001. His subsequent dismissal by festival organizers caused substantial controversy within the Detroit techno community, igniting a high-profile campaign in his favor. In 2001, Craig filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against festival producer Pop Culture Media. Craig will return as artistic director for the 2010 festival, which is now produced by Paxahau.
Part of what makes Craig's style so unique and separates him from much of the normal "Detroit Techno" sound, including current works, are his remixes of world beat and jazz songs. This has helped spark a new movement of electronic music.
Regarding the many positions he has held in the music industry (artist, producer, DJ, label boss, and more), Craig has said: "I have a bad habit of getting my hands dirty in every little thing, and I really do enjoy it."
Albums
- Carl Craig: Landcruising, 1995
- 69: The Sound of Music, 1995
- Paperclip People: The Secret Tapes of Doctor Eich, 1996
- Carl Craig: More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art, 1997. Compare with Talking HeadsTalking HeadsTalking Heads were an American New Wave and avant-garde band formed in 1975 in New York City and active until 1991. The band comprised David Byrne, Chris Frantz, Tina Weymouth and Jerry Harrison...
' 1978 album More Songs About Buildings and FoodMore Songs about Buildings and FoodMore Songs About Buildings and Food is Talking Heads' second album, the first of a string of three co-produced by Brian Eno. The album was significantly more popular than their first, Talking Heads: 77... - Innerzone Orchestra: Programmed, 1999
- Carl Craig: The Album Formerly Known As…, 2005
- Carl Craig & Moritz von OswaldMoritz Von OswaldMoritz von Oswald , half of both Basic Channel and Maurizio, went on to become one of the most influential producers of techno music in the 1990s. In the 1980s he was percussionist for Palais Schaumburg and The Associates, but would segue into electronic music by the late 80s and early 90s...
: ReComposed, 2008
Selected singles and EPs
- "No More Words" (12"), 1991
- 69: 4 Jazz Funk Greats (12" ep), 1991
- Paperclip People: "Throw" (12"), 1994
- "Science Fiction" (12"), 1995
- Paperclip People: "The Climax" (12"), 1995
- Paperclip People: "Floor" (12"), 1996
- "A Wonderful Life" (12"), 2002
- Just Another Day (12" ep), 2004
- "Sparkle / Home Entertainment" (12"), 2005
- "Darkness / Angel" (12"), 2006
- Paris Live (12"), 2007
DJ-mixes and compilations
- DJ-Kicks: Carl CraigDJ-Kicks: Carl CraigDJ-Kicks: Carl Craig is a DJ album mixed by Carl Craig. It was released on 1996 on the Studio !K7 independent record label as part of the DJ-Kicks series.-Track listing:# Hot Lizard - The Theme...
, 1996 - House Party 013: A Planet E Mix, 1999
- Designer Music Volume One, 2000. A compilation of remixes
- Abstract Funk Theory, 2001
- Onsumothasheeat, 2001
- The Workout, 2002
- Fabric 25Fabric 25Fabric 25 is a DJ mix compilation album by Carl Craig released as part of the Fabric Mix Series.-Track listing:# Ying Yang Twins - Wait - TVT Records – 2:29# Carl Craig - Angel - Planet E – 3:50...
, 2005 - From the Vault: Planet E Classics Collection Vol. 1, 2006
- Sessions, 2008
- BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, 2011
He also participated in the collaborations The Detroit Experiment
The Detroit Experiment
The Detroit Experiment is the self-titled album resulting from a collaborative project including Carl Craig, Bennie Maupin, Marcus Belgrave, Geri Allen, and Regina Carter. The album is a follow-up to Ropeadope Records' earlier album, The Philadelphia Experiment...
(2003) and Sun Ra
Sun Ra
Sun Ra was a prolific jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, poet and philosopher known for his "cosmic philosophy," musical compositions and performances. He was born in Birmingham, Alabama...
Dedication: The Myth Lives on (2003)
See also
- Planet E Communications Carl Craig's Detroit-Based Record label.
- Carl Craig interview, Beatportal Carl Craig interview, Beatportal
- Carl Craig discography at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
. - Carl Craig at BeboBeboBebo is a social networking website launched in July 2005. It is currently owned and operated by Criterion Capital Partners after taking over from AOL in June 2010....
. - DJ-KicksDJ-KicksDJ-Kicks is a series of DJ mix albums, mixed by various artists for the independent record label !K7 Records.-History:...
. - Microsite to his Sessions + free track download.
- Interview with DJ Times, 1999.
- RBMA Radio On Demand - Train Wreck Mix - Carl Craig (Planet E, Detroit).
- Beat Factor interview
- AV Club interview
- Resident Advisor interview
- Little White Earbuds interview