Drexciya
Encyclopedia
Drexciya was an electronic music
band from Detroit, Michigan
. The late James Stinson
was the only officially identified member of Drexciya, but it was considered an open secret that he had a partner, Gerald Donald
.
, punctuated with elements of retro, 1980s Detroit Techno
, with occasional excursions into the Ambient
and Industrial
genres. Tracks are mostly centered around the TR-808 drum machine, with bass, melodies, and synth textures ebbing and flowing in time. Anecdotes suggest that Stinson and Donald recorded tracks while playing the instruments live, making use of analog equipment and sequencing methods.
Drexciya combined a faceless, underground, anti-mainstream media stance with mythological, sci-fi narratives, to help heighten the dramatic effect of their music. In this aspect they were similar to artists within and close to the Detroit collective Underground Resistance
.
in 1992.
Their name referred to a myth comparable to Plato
's myth of Atlantis
, which the group revealed in the sleeve notes to their 1997 album The Quest. “Drexciya” was an underwater country populated by the unborn children of pregnant Africa
n women thrown off of slave ship
s that had adapted to breathe underwater in their mother's wombs.
Reports of Drexciya's disbanding in 1997 were contradicted two years later when a new Drexciya track appeared on the Underground Resistance
compilation Interstellar Fugitives, followed by three more Drexciya albums. It appears that these were the solo work of Stinson. Both he and Gerald Donald continued to be prolific in their respective side projects.
Although both members of Drexciya remained completely anonymous throughout their active recording career, James Stinson
, was identified posthumously in 2002. The members of Drexciya have never been photographed, although they have given interviews, throughout one of which they wore Star Trek
masks to conceal their identity.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
band from Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. The late James Stinson
James Stinson
James Marcel Stinson was an electronic music producer from Detroit, Michigan. He is known for his contributions to electro and Detroit techno music....
was the only officially identified member of Drexciya, but it was considered an open secret that he had a partner, Gerald Donald
Gerald Donald
Gerald Donald is a Detroit techno producer and artist. He is most famous for his work as Drexciya with James Stinson. He is prolific and is involved in many groups and artists.- Arpanet :...
.
Style
The majority of Drexciya's releases were in the style of dance-floor-oriented ElectroElectro (music)
Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...
, punctuated with elements of retro, 1980s Detroit Techno
Detroit techno
Detroit techno is an early style of electronic music beginning in the 1980s. Detroit, Michigan has been cited as the birthplace of techno music. Prominent Detroit Techno artists include Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson...
, with occasional excursions into the Ambient
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
and Industrial
Industrial music
Industrial music is a style of experimental music that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s with the founding of Industrial Records by the band Throbbing Gristle, and the creation of the slogan "industrial music for industrial people". In general, the...
genres. Tracks are mostly centered around the TR-808 drum machine, with bass, melodies, and synth textures ebbing and flowing in time. Anecdotes suggest that Stinson and Donald recorded tracks while playing the instruments live, making use of analog equipment and sequencing methods.
Drexciya combined a faceless, underground, anti-mainstream media stance with mythological, sci-fi narratives, to help heighten the dramatic effect of their music. In this aspect they were similar to artists within and close to the Detroit collective Underground Resistance
Underground Resistance
Underground Resistance is a musical collective from Detroit, Michigan, in the United States of America. They are the most militantly political example of modern Detroit Techno, with a grungy, four-track musical aesthetic and a strictly anti-mainstream business strategy...
.
History
Drexciya released their first 12-inch single12-inch single
The 12-inch single is a type of gramophone record that has wider groove spacing compared to other types of records. This allows for louder levels to be cut on the disc by the cutting engineer, which in turn gives a wider dynamic range, and thus better sound quality...
in 1992.
Their name referred to a myth comparable to Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
's myth of Atlantis
Atlantis
Atlantis is a legendary island first mentioned in Plato's dialogues Timaeus and Critias, written about 360 BC....
, which the group revealed in the sleeve notes to their 1997 album The Quest. “Drexciya” was an underwater country populated by the unborn children of pregnant Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
n women thrown off of slave ship
Slave ship
Slave ships were large cargo ships specially converted for the purpose of transporting slaves, especially newly purchased African slaves to Americas....
s that had adapted to breathe underwater in their mother's wombs.
Reports of Drexciya's disbanding in 1997 were contradicted two years later when a new Drexciya track appeared on the Underground Resistance
Underground Resistance
Underground Resistance is a musical collective from Detroit, Michigan, in the United States of America. They are the most militantly political example of modern Detroit Techno, with a grungy, four-track musical aesthetic and a strictly anti-mainstream business strategy...
compilation Interstellar Fugitives, followed by three more Drexciya albums. It appears that these were the solo work of Stinson. Both he and Gerald Donald continued to be prolific in their respective side projects.
Although both members of Drexciya remained completely anonymous throughout their active recording career, James Stinson
James Stinson
James Marcel Stinson was an electronic music producer from Detroit, Michigan. He is known for his contributions to electro and Detroit techno music....
, was identified posthumously in 2002. The members of Drexciya have never been photographed, although they have given interviews, throughout one of which they wore Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
masks to conceal their identity.
Albums
- The Quest (1997), SubmergeSubmergeSubmerge is an Indian dance and clubbing scene founded in 2002 by MTV India VJ Nikhil Chinapa, with DJ Pearl, Chinappa's wife, as a co-founder....
- Neptune's Lair (1999), TresorTresorTresor is an underground techno nightclub and record label. The club was founded in March 1991 in the vaults of the former old Wertheim department store in Mitte, the central part of the former East Berlin, next to the famous Potsdamer Platz, however the history of the club goes back to 1988 when...
- Harnessed the Storm (2002), TresorTresorTresor is an underground techno nightclub and record label. The club was founded in March 1991 in the vaults of the former old Wertheim department store in Mitte, the central part of the former East Berlin, next to the famous Potsdamer Platz, however the history of the club goes back to 1988 when...
- Grava 4 (2002), Clone
EPs / Singles
- "Deep Sea Dweller" (1992), Shockwave Records
- "Drexciya 2: Bubble Metropolis" (1993), Underground ResistanceUnderground ResistanceUnderground Resistance is a musical collective from Detroit, Michigan, in the United States of America. They are the most militantly political example of modern Detroit Techno, with a grungy, four-track musical aesthetic and a strictly anti-mainstream business strategy...
- "Aquatic Invasion" (1994), Underground ResistanceUnderground ResistanceUnderground Resistance is a musical collective from Detroit, Michigan, in the United States of America. They are the most militantly political example of modern Detroit Techno, with a grungy, four-track musical aesthetic and a strictly anti-mainstream business strategy...
- "Drexciya 3: Molecular Enhancement" (1994), Rephlex, Submerge
- "Drexciya 4: The Unknown Aquazone" (1994), Submerge
- "The Journey Home" (1995), Warp RecordsWarp RecordsWarp, commonly referred to as Warp Records, is a pioneering independent British record label, founded in Sheffield in 1989, notable for discovering some of the more enduring artists in electronic music....
- "The Return Of Drexciya" (1996), Underground ResistanceUnderground ResistanceUnderground Resistance is a musical collective from Detroit, Michigan, in the United States of America. They are the most militantly political example of modern Detroit Techno, with a grungy, four-track musical aesthetic and a strictly anti-mainstream business strategy...
- "Uncharted" (1998), Somewhere In Detroit
- "Fusion Flats" (1999), TresorTresorTresor is an underground techno nightclub and record label. The club was founded in March 1991 in the vaults of the former old Wertheim department store in Mitte, the central part of the former East Berlin, next to the famous Potsdamer Platz, however the history of the club goes back to 1988 when...
- "Hydro Doorways" (2000), TresorTresorTresor is an underground techno nightclub and record label. The club was founded in March 1991 in the vaults of the former old Wertheim department store in Mitte, the central part of the former East Berlin, next to the famous Potsdamer Platz, however the history of the club goes back to 1988 when...
- "Digital Tsunami" (2001) TresorTresorTresor is an underground techno nightclub and record label. The club was founded in March 1991 in the vaults of the former old Wertheim department store in Mitte, the central part of the former East Berlin, next to the famous Potsdamer Platz, however the history of the club goes back to 1988 when...
- "Drexciyan R.E.S.T. Principle" (2002), Clone
External links
- Drexciya 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...
. - Artist page with extensive discography at Global Darkness.
- Drexciya @ pHinnWeb.
- The Drexciya Research Lab blog.