Thursday Sept. 23rd @ Vessel
With DJs: Carl Craig, Rooz
** To RSVP for FREE b4 11pm & $10 after reduced entry guestlist email: Rooz [at] DJRooz [dot] com
** 2x1 Drinks before 11pm with password: CARL
Dont miss this rare chance to see Carl Craig up close and personal in the intimate setting of Vessel on the crisp Function1 sound system. Usually Carl would be behind a big stage at a 1000+ capacity venue and you would have to fight your way to the front to get a glance at him. Carl Craig is a "big deal" in todays underground electronic music industry. His productions hit top of the charts and in 2008 he was nominated for a Grammy. Grab $10 presale ticekets as its a steal
Carl Craig is not only an underground electronic music legend, but he is currently one of the most in demand artists on the planet right now. Its amazing how Carl continues to stay relevant in the industry since the 1980's. With frequent gigs at Club Space in Ibiza's infamous We Love parties this summer to headlining with Luciano at his Vagabundos party at Pacha Ibiza. Not to mention headlining some of the worlds most talked about festival's this summer.
About Carl Craig
Carl Craig is described as a creative visionary, an electronic music icon, an esteemed Grammy-nominated composer, a world-class DJ and an ambassador for his native Detroit. Yet, the common thread that runs through Craig’s broad musical canon and creative projects is a resounding fascination with futurism. The 41-year old producer has cultivated a unique path as an artist, entrepreneur and civic leader, guided by his tendency toward forward thinking.
“My livelihood is making music that I can perform, whether I’m doing orchestral production or modular strangeness or generating club music. I don’t restrict myself to being something,” said Craig. “I defined myself by being who I am. The ultimate self respect is when you say you’re going to do something and you go and do it to the best of your ability.”
When it comes to envisioning the future, Craig draws squarely from logical progression of the past, which includes a poignant influence from the ’60s non-traditional recordings of Wendy Carlos. He took up the Moog in college, a pursuit that continues to play out in his more contemporary solo projects such as No Boundaries, in which he explores the parameters of modular synthesis. “I’ve always been really interested in big synthesizers,” Craig said. “I’ve always been into that aspect of something that looked strange. My dream has always been to have access to modular synthesis. I’ve made that dream a reality.”
Craig released his first track in 1989 on Virgin UK, with releases following shortly after on Derrick May’s Transmat and Fragile record labels. Craig launched the Planet E record label in 1991 and released groundbreaking hits such as the “4 Jazz Funk Classics” under the production name 69, a continuum of his interest in analog synthesizers paired with breakbeats. His widely-influential cut “Bug in the Bassbin” first appeared as an Innerzone Orchestra release on a 1992 Planet E compilation, which is largely credited as the spark that inspired the drum‘n’bass movement. In typical Carl Craig fashion, “Bug in the Bassbin” grew into several formats including a 1996 jazz mix featuring Francisco Mora and Rodney Whitaker. Craig’s prolific nature is reflected in the many recording names he has used — Innerzone Orchestra, 69, BFC, Psyche, Paperclip People and Tres Demented. Under a rotating cast of titles he has consistently churned out a succession of full length albums, mix CDs, EPs and singles including “Throw” (1994), “Landcruising” (1995), “More Songs About Food and Revolutiony Art” (1997) “Programmed” (1999), “The Detroit Experiment” (2002), “The Workout” (2002), “Just Another Day” (2004),“Fabric 25” (2005), “The Album Formerly Known As” (2007), “Paris Live” (2007), the career retrospective double CD “Sessions” (2008), “The Legendary Adventures of a Filter King” (2009) and “Recomposed” (2009).
Outside of his Planet E recordings, Craig is a sought-after remix master who has released remixes of Hot Chip, LCD Soundsystem, Tori Amos and the Grammy nominated Junior Boys cut “Like a Child.” “It’s been proven that the remix is a valid art form,” Craig said. “When I take on a project, the ultimate goal is that it becomes my record. In many cases I take out the kick drum and I’m actually recomposing the track and the time that I spend reflects how personal it becomes.”
Craig’s strong interest in collaboration extends to recent performances with Shape, a trio including Craig, Moritz Von Oswald and Francesco Tristano. Also active is his latest incarnation of Innerzone Orchestra appearing internationally and featuring accomplished keyboardists Mike Banks, Kelvin Sholar and Tristano. He has also recently performed and recorded with Les Siècles Orchestra in Paris – an ongoing project that will form a new album in the future. Additionally he has also taken part in Narod Niki, a collective jam band with Ricardo Villalobos, Luciano, Richie Hawtin, Zip and others. Other collaborative work, often behind the scenes, has also taken place. In 2009, mixed an album for Etienne Jaumet and produced the album “Rebirth” for legendary Detroit Jazz collective Tribe, a continuation of his exploration of jazz that started with Innerzone Orchestra and continued on The Detroit Experiment album.
When not in the studio, Craig has spent much of the past two decades traveling the world as a coveted DJ and live performer. “Touring has always been the most important aspect of the music industry for artists. There will always be that desire for human interaction.” He’s involved this year in a special tour – the D25 tour – celebrating twenty-five years of Detroit Techno. He has also recently performed live soundtracks to films, first in Amsterdam then in NYC, where he performed to an Andy Warhol film at the Unsound Festival New York.
2011 will mark the 20th anniversary of Planet E. Craig’s imprint is now entering a new fertile stage, releasing more singles in 2010 than it has in many previous years. Planet E is also serving as a distributor for labels from fellow Detroit techno icons Derrick May's Transmat and Stacey Pullen's Black Flag as well as DJ Deep’s Deeply Rooted. “The reality of the business is that you have to change. That’s a very difficult process, especially as an independent. The days of going to record stores are nearly in the past. I made a conscious decision a few years ago to invest what I do. It’s turning it around and putting it into the studio and the label for my music to develop. We’re fighters around here. We fight to find new ways of selling. We do manufacture vinyl and there are people who want it. We’re fighting to keep it alive in music that we have a vision for.”
Craig’s commitment to the future is closely tied with his commitment to his home in Detroit, where he relishes an interest in cars an acquiring vintage electronic gear for his home and studio. “My commitment to the city is like a commitment to your family. You have a place that is home and you want to make home compare to anywhere else. I’ve been here all my life and I’ve seen great things happen elsewhere, why not be involved in making my home great?” After founding the Detroit Electronic Music Festival in 2000 he has renewed his roll as Artistic Director of the 10th Anniversary Movement Festival taking place in May 2010.
Craig works with youth in the Detroit community, coordinating music education class through his non-profit 501-C3 Carl Craig Foundation. “The concept is to find ways to re-educate kids about what’s interesting musically that you can’t get on the radio.” The foundation has partnered with other non-profits to set up music scholarships.
When Craig explains his philosophy, his wry sense of humor seeps into his explanations of far-reaching concepts that merge worlds together. “I have a very special career. When I feel that I’m tired of going on the road I can go in the studio. When I’m tired of concentrating on the studio I can go on the road. I can work with concert pianists, jazz musicians or rock guys. Very few people have that range of interests. Very few people juggle a career that they choose specifically.” No one else can pull it all together quite like Carl Craig.
