Drexciya (february 2002)
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Drexciya
Twenty thousand leagues under the sea
by John Osselaer
Drexciya, the technolectro formation from Detroit, are without a doubt one of the most influential acts in the electronic music scene. In 1992 they emerged for the first time and since then they have developed a true cult following. The basis for this idolization is a highly original musical output and an impenetrable smokescreen masking all information on the group and its activities. Along with the mystery came the cryptic messages and intriguing stories about a utopian underwater world that bears strong resemblance to the mythical Atlantis. This world, its inhabitants and the element water are genuine leitmotivs throughout all releases and over the span of a decade they have sucked legions of fans into the immeasurable depths of the Drexciaya saga. The true identity of the members remains a mystery and interviews are scarce or even non-existent. However, for the release of ‘Harnessed The Storm’ on Tresor, five journalists got official permission to launch their underwater probes to Drexciya’s secret hideout deep underneath sea level. Get ready to step into the Drexciyan cruiser as Technotourist.org explores the Drexciyan underwater world as the final installment in the TT Electrospecial.
September 18, 1989, 3 am
Very little is known about the forces behind Drexciya, although links with Dopplereffekt, Japanese Telecom, Transllusion and The Other People’s Place are undeniable. Let’s prick one bubble by saying that James Stinson is responsible for the two latter projects and also is half of Drexciya. To get a bit of a grip on the mystery we tried to find out how Drexciya first saw the light of day. James: “I got my first taste of techno around 1980-1981. I was a kid riding my bike with a small radio and ‘Alleys Of Your Mind’ by Juan Atkins came on. I stopped my bike to get a better listen. It was the sweetest sound I had ever heard at that time. I was hooked and for the next eight years I would be programmed by some of the best electronic music on the planet by the Electrifying Mojo. When it was time I started hooking up with friends trying different styles until one night I could not sleep, cold sweat, tossing and turning and around 3 am September 18, 1989 I stood up and said ‘Drexciya’. It felt like a tidal wave rushing across my brain. All kinds of ideas were coming out. I could not stop it and I would not stop it. For the next three years we worked hard to perfect Drexciya before we would release it onto the world. Getting into production was not quick. It took a year of experimenting.”
“Our work has to be the best we can come up with at that time.”
Wavejumping
The Drexciyans are true perfectionists. Before releasing a track several others have already been committed to the trashcan. That also explains to a certain extent the long periods of time in between releases. James: “Our work has to be the best we can come up with at that time, hard work, long hours. Sometimes, at the start, we would be up for two days going to a job then work on the music and back to the job. We loved every minute of it. The time gaps between releases are time to experiment and perfect our sound. We try not to pile onto whatever is the hot sound at a given time, I really do not like that. We have to cut a new path. If we are going to be leaders on the cutting edge we can not follow someone else’s current work. That would make us followers and not leaders.”
Drexciya is equally picky when it comes to choosing a label to release their music on. Underground Resistance / Submerge / S.I.D., Warp, Rephlex and Tresor are the privileged labels that were allowed to transmit the Drexciya sound to the world. So how hard is it for the group to find a label worthy of releasing their music? James: “It’s not hard because we can bring a complete project. In the past we let up some and gave others the opportunity to help, but never again. Now we have Dimensional Waves as our production company. We will be giving 97% complete projects to whoever we wavejump to in the future. Wavejumping is not good for everyone, but due to the way we set things up it is good for us. One of the things we look for is: can we meet halfway and if things start going wrong can we work together as a team to get through it. We are very flexible as long as you are straight with me, not doing things around my back. Your word means more to me than a contract, your word tells me if you are a real man or woman. A false word can hurt me more than a contract. And yes, I am looking for more wavejumps for the other groups on Dimensional Waves and for doing remixes our way.”
Harnessed The Storm
Harnessed The Storm is the latest pearl by Drexciya. James: “Harnessed The Storm is an ongoing process that consists of seven storms (albums) released around the world. So far three of the seven storms have hit earth (Drexciya, Transllusion, The Other People’s Place). The next four storms are in a holding pattern.”
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One of the most outstanding contacts the Drexciyans have is the German leading techno label Tresor. They signed the group for their return to the music scene in the form of 1999’s magnificent ‘Neptune’s Lair’ and also were behind Drexciya’s latest offering ‘Harnessed The Storm’ as well as James’ soloproject Transllusion on Tresor’s sublabel Supremat. James: “Tresor is one of those labels I was speaking of. They are easy to work with, they will work with you, meet you half way and their word is good. They won’t smile in your face and say ‘yes’ to everything and then do the opposite. If something is not good they will say so, but they still will try to make it work.”
Recluses
Even in their hometown Detroit the members of Drexciya are known as very withdrawn and mysterious. They isolate themselves from the outside world to absorb as little influences as possible. A number of our questions on Detroit, the way Europe developed the techno sound and about the current political climate in the US whooshed right passed the bow of the Drexciyan cruiser like non-activated torpedoes. James: “I have a weird way of doing things and one of my ways is not to look at what is going on in the music world. For me this (way of working) is good, for others it might not be. All of the things you just asked me are toxins to my way of producing. If I want Drexciya and all that I do, then I must stay away. That way when I relocate to Atlanta (TT: Atlantis? ;-) this summer you will not hear a change. The mystery is fun for the Drexiyens (fans of Drexciya). At times I don’t have a lot to say so I don’t do interviews until I have something to say. Plus, we are working all the time so those two reasons are why we don’t do all the time.”
In 1997 fans worldwide cried their hearts out when The Quest was announced as the final chapter in the Drexciya story. Immediately rumors about a split began circulating. Two years later the group would make a triumphant return with the sublime Neptune’s Lair on Tresor. James: There was never a split and we did not plan to stop. We pulled back, put a mystery out that we were done just to see what going to happen, but at the same time we were redoing our production plans. Remember it took two to three years before we came out so we shut down and started over draining the tanks in 1999.”
“In Africa we have a dimensional jump hole.”
Welcome To Drexciya
Knowing that Drexciya has been even more mysterious about their mythical underwater world, the hardest part of our mission was still ahead of us. James: “It (the inspiration for the underwater world) came from deep inside my mind. God gave me this vision and I’m building on it bringing it to life for the whole world to see.” Yet it isn’t really hard to place these ideas about a utopian world. The electronic music that emerged from Detroit has often been characterized by a sort of escapism. For many of the Afro-American techno musicians space was fascinating because at least there they would be able to escape the hardship and racism they often faced in Detroit. Underground Resistance also grasped back to the mythical Aztec empire where the Knights Of The Jaguar took revenge on those who had caused injustice and suffering. Can we still learn from these mythical civilizations? James: “Yes! Work together, love each other and slow down. Look at your life deeper. You might not like what you see so change it. We move too fast and cannot see warning signs. We do not mind paying the heavy prices of consequences of our actions until we can’t pay no more. Take chances.”
We touch upon a sensitive issue when we link the historical drama of the slavery to the music of Drexciya. According to the legend the Drexciyan underwater people are descendants of pregnant slaves thrown overboard during their transatlantic deportation. James: “Some of the things of slavery will tell more when the time comes. Stay tuned! I can only tell you a little bit now. After the storm is over I will tell the story. What I can tell you is that in Africa we have a dimensional jump hole. Tell you more later.” James reassures us that there is peace among the different species in the underwater world and that they all live as one. In the future, we will get to know these many peoples and understand their differences and similarities in more detail.
Drexciyan DJs and Mona Lisa
Time to start wrapping up with some more earthly matters. We have a final go at the trying to find out where the guys get the inspiration for their creations. Where does this dark and sometimes aggressive energy come from? James: “It comes from within our soul, from tapping into our subconscious during meditation. If that aggressive mode comes out, then that is what it will be.” Another extraordinary fact about Drexciya is that, unlike the majority of artists, they record their tracks live. James: “By recording live you capture a moment in time that can never be done again. It’s a piece of art, like the Mona Lisa, never meant to be remixed. There is no disadvantage for us making music this way.” A question that is closely linked to this is whether we’ll ever see Drexciya live. James: “Yes, you will. As soon as we line up with the stars, we will stay tuned. We are going to send out a Drexciyan DJ first to secure the land.” Keep your diving goggles close at hand because the Drexciya saga is far from over!
“Water is the cutting edge of creativity. We approach our music the same way.”
Water
Water is undeniably the main theme throughout the music of Drexciya. James: “Water is life. Life started on this planet and other planets due to water. It is the cutting edge of creativity and innovation. You have billions of different species in the seas, oceans, lakes ponds and streams across the world. Millions of species still have not been discovered by man so is that the cutting edge of creativity or what? We approach our music the same way.”
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Dedication
It seems that over the years the original message of techno got lost a bit, with some worthy exceptions such as Drexciya, Underground Resistance and some others still focusing on having their music carry a message. We asked James’ opinion on ‘don’t make me think too much’-music. James: “It’s just a phase passing through. Over time producers will slow back down and put in some work. The foundation of techno will never go away as long as the troopers stay dedicated to what they do and love.”
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Links
Underground Resistance
Submerge
Warp
Rephlex
Tresor
Many thanks to Jason ‘Iridite’ Brunton for checking my English. |
