London’s ICA to host Detroit techno exhibition

Originally published on FACT

Juan Atkins, Underground Resistance and The Electrifying Mojo are all covered in the exhibition.

London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts will host an exhibition on the evolution of Detroit’s techno scene later this summer.

As RA reports, Detroit: Techno City will chart the timeline of the genre from its origins in the 1970s through to the early ’90s.

As well as covering local DJs and radio hosts such as Ken Collier and The Electrifying Mojo who pre-dated techno’s inception, it covers how producers including Juan Atkins, Blake Baxter, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson pioneered the style using technology like Roland’s TR-808 and 909 drum machines.

The exhibition also looks at how techno travelled to Europe and introduced a second wave of producers, including Richie Hawtin, Carl Craig and Kenny Larkin. It concludes with a room focusing on Detroit collective Underground Resistance and how they challenged the mainstream music industry.

Detroit: Techno City runs from July 27 to September 25, and will be accompanied by a programme of shows featuring Detroit artists to be broadcast online by NTS Radio.

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