EPM Podcast 025 - DJ K-1 (AUX 88)
Following Bonzai All Stars EPM now brings you an AUX-hilarating new mix from DJ K-1 (aka Aux 88’s Keith Tucker). Featuring a career defining selection of Keith Tucker’s K-1, Aux 88, Auxmen, Black Tokyo and Optic Nerve productions, unreleased tracks and remixes from Ellen Allien, Arne Weinberg, DIE, Mr. Velcro Fastener, Gosub, Niko Marks and N-ter this is a pure Detroit journey spanning the evolution of the Motor City’s love affair with electro and techno.
Detroit DJs and producers, in their unique ability, strive to progress into the future by putting a little of themselves into each track. This ability allows some to feel a special vibe that produces visions of the future by embracing the past. Keith Tucker, an artist and DJ, has captured this vision in his recordings. As co-founder of AUX-88, and also known as DJ K-1, Alien FM, KT-19941, and his (Alter Ego) futuristic movie score sounds of Optic Nerve he has maintained his unique vision of Motor City electro as viewed through the Motor City funk prism.
In 1985, Tucker, Tommy Hamilton and Tony Horton formed RX-7, a local Detroit techno band. They performed hits by such groups as Cybotron, Kraftwerk, and the Soul Sonic Force as well as unreleased original tracks. The band played at local events in and around the city of Detroit but wanting to pursue personal projects, the band decided to disband a year later. Starting out in Classical Music during his grammar school years, Tucker went on to learn music sequencing. He also pursued a College career in Technical Illustration, Computer Graphics, and Mechanical Engineering. This in turn with a love of Classical Music has helped him to appreciate music as an art form.
Tucker later received a response from Metroplex Records; Juan Atkins’ label, and signed as Frequency. Under this alias, Tucker and Jessie Anderson recorded such tracks as, “Television,” “Frequency Express,” and “New Jack House.” In September 1992, while working on new tracks for Metroplex Records, Tucker received a visit from Tommy Hamilton. They brought their experiences together to form AUX88, and found that their music talents had matured since the early 1980s. Using their Detroit Techno background, the two quickly accumulated a mass of new tracks that had a brand new vibe. This futuristic blend of electro, bass and trance soon became known as ‘Techno Bass’. In 1992 the first single, “Technology,” transmitted by Direct Beat/430 West, immediately over took the Detroit club scene. “When we heard the tune, we knew the guys had made it in Detroit, for Detroit, so that’s where we released it, DETROIT,” exclaimed Lawrence Burden of 430 West Records.
Tucker then decided to pursue his alter ego solo projects Alien FM, Optic Nerve and KT-19941 on PUZZLEBOX Records (co-owned by Tucker and Wanda Dixon). In May of 2000, Detroit was host to the largest free Electronic Music Festival (DEMF) in the world. Tucker brought together old and new artists to form RX-7 again for the festival. And it was here that AUX88, XILE, Black Electric, and Optic Nerve performed on one stage for the first time.
This visionary from Detroit has brought his unique brand of dance music to the awaiting ears of the world since 1990 and now over 20 years later he currently concentrates on his renewed musical kinship with Tommy Hamilton as the reformed, original AUX88 duo a well as new techno incarnation Aux 88 presents Black Tokyo. The electro ‘Mad Scientists’ are back!
Q&A with DJ K-1 (aka Keith Tucker)
1. Please give us a quick walk through your selection. Why did you choose these tracks for the mix?
My choice was of impulse to show a sort of variety and retrospective of just a small piece of our vast amount of music. From our newest material Aux 88 presents Black Tokyo and Mad Scientist and also show not only my Aux 88 work but my individual personas Optic Nerve and K-1. And to show that Aux 88 can still create new kinds of electro like ‘If Am Was FM’ off the Transient Force Ep Electro Slaves. We have always believed that you are informing or teaching. There are still so many people in search of good music and its always great to go to a live gig and hear someone say I never heard of you guys but a friend brought them down to see us. And now they want to find everything we have done, a big task but a great feeling to know you can always get new fans.
2. A lot has been eulogized about the history of Detroit techno but what are your memories of early 80s pre-techno Detroit when a lot of your peers were in their formative years?
My fondest memories of the early days are the pride and dedication each artist in Detroit’s willingness to create something intelligent and dark and thought provoking. While always working hard to create sounds and moods in the music that were at time spiritual. There was a pride amongst everyone I came in contact with to work hard and not just throw something together. For Aux 88 it was motivating to want to learn everything about a synth, drum machine sequencing and concepts. The more time you put in the better you got…..The Bassline! Say no more.
3. How did you and Tommy ‘Tom Tom’ Hamilton first get together?
We met at a local High School Talent Show and various local parties. I was djing with a mobile rig and djing for a hip hop group. The dance group Tom was with loved to dance to fast electro tracks and we and a few others talked about creating our own music which led to us joining Diamond entertainment and me and Tom along with Anthony Horton (Aka Blak Tony) were asked to create and be the backing band for the whole company. We performed backing music for the various groups in the company like dancers & r&b and hip hop music. For example we did tracks from Run DMC, Janet Jackson, The Time, Cybotron and Freestyle. We got such a great response so then we decided to create our own group within Diamond entertainment called RX-7. We started recreating all the hottest electro tracks live without a sequencer. Only armed with a drum machine and four Casio CZ synths.
4. Where did you get your first DJ break and did you hold any residences in Detroit?
I can’t say I ever really got a break, I was a mobile DJ doing local parties all over Detroit including colleges, High School Proms and New York style street block parties. I did have a two week stint at a local skating ring but I hated playing the same records over and over.
5. If you hadn’t discovered music, what would you be doing now?
Well I was in college taking engineering courses and I worked at General Motors for a long time with a great future and computer driven job, but I really loved making music. If not for the music I’m sure I would have become an auto design engineer.
6. Can you recall the first time you got on a plane out of Detroit to play an international gig? How did you feel?
It was the winter of 1995 Mayday in Frankfurt and Direct Beat got the gig; I was very nervous but happy to go. But at the time I would much rather it had been an Aux 88 Live show. But I was thankful for the opportunity and loyalty from the Burden Brothers gave to Aux 88 and making sure one of us where going to be going over because there where others guys on the label like Will Webb who did not get to go. I felt bad about that but Tom, Anthony, BJ and the Burden Brothers assured me that Aux 88 and I earned that right. Next thing I know Im on a Northwest flight sitting with Lawrence Burden and the legendary Ken Collier. It was a big honor and opportunity and I was a bit over-whelmed.
7. With a host of recent remixes from the likes of Ellen Allien, Niko Marks, Arne Weinberg and LFO’s Gez Varley Puzzlebox seems to be on a roll at the moment. What are your future plans for both the label and Aux?
Well we are constantly evolving. We will be pushing the boundaries of electro with the Mad Scientist persona and pushing our techno music for the Black Tokyo to new heights as well as the live shows - visually and sonically. My plan with Puzzlebox Records was always about quality not quantity. I’m so busy with Aux 88 and Black Tokyo I don’t have time to put artists on the label and im just fine with that. I was told by Mike Banks once to concentrate on our music. Over the years me and Tom have created so much music that we don’t have to work on music all the time. We now concentrate a few months out of the year to take our time and create music and plan for the year. It is so much fun to work on music when you have no pressure and are not rushed because you have a concept and plan. The new Black Tokyo is stellar and the unreleased Mad Scientist coming in 2012 has two big names added for a special one time release. There is a special planned media project and Detroit Aux 88 electro funk project. We will never abandon our electro roots but we will embrace our techno side….as we have always with Optic Nerve, Alien FM, Auxmen, Mikronox, Black Tokyo, Sight Beyond Sight, KT-19941, Mad Scientist and many more personas we have taken on.
8. How does your recent ‘Black Tokyo’ album project differ from a normal Aux 88 release?
Black Tokyo is and has become one of our favourite projects we have ever done. It’s our more mature techno side and is a departure from our usual Aux 88 electro funk. Black Tokyo is our melding of two beautiful cultures: the precision of Japan and the darkness and beauty of the Detroit techno sound. The two Japanese females Erika and Ice Truck each bring their ideas, culture and vision to the project in so many ways with visuals, vocals, beauty and calmness from their culture. The project Black Tokyo is growing into a beast of a live show. We have not abandoned electro nor will we ever, it’s a sign of our growth. We are currently working on music for Ice Truck’s solo project and its very different - hot dance tracks. Erika has just had her first child little Noemi. So me and Tom are proud Uncles…She will be back touring some shows and handling spoken word and visuals.
9. You and Tommy have worked together for what must be, on and off for 20 years now. So how do you work in the studio? And what’s his worst habit? ;O)
Hmmmm good question. Well we have two studios, Alpha Flight and Optic Studios so we don’t always have to see each other or be in the same studio. We can now send each other files and info through the Aux 88 server. That alone helps us to not get on each other’s nerves and still keep some excitement and help push each other. If I had say what his worst habit is it would be that sometimes he blocks himself out from the world when he is working and I have to send out the bat signal to contact him when he is in his studio…But in the end we always have something to pass onto each other or get us excited on a track.
10. Please give us your top 5 pre-techno classics:
1. Kraftwerk - We Are The Robots
2. Eurythymics - Here Comes The Rain
3. Cybotron - El Salvador
4. Man Parrish - Boogie Down Bronx
5. A Number of Names - Shari Vari
www.optic-universe.com
www.aux88.com
