Interview with Mike Grant - 11th Hour Technology

Having spent some time absent from the electronic music scene, Mike Grant has re-established himself over the past few years with his stunning House label, Moods & Grooves.

Mike’s musical career began way back at the birth of the Electro and Techno scenes in his home town of Detroit. He first gained recognition alongside school-friend Blake Baxter as a member of Baxter’s DJ collective, the Beat Sound Company, launching a string of club gigs and residencies around the city. Having been also featured on local radio, in 1985 Grant joined ‘Street Beat’, Detroit’s first mix broadcast, playing alongside artists such as Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May, and The Wizard.

However, just as this was all taking off, Grant made the decision to leave Detroit and join the military. Due to this, he was to drop out of the fledgling scene for the next decade, not returning until 1996 with his debut release for Juan Atkins’ Metroplex label, ‘Nature of the Beast’.

Wasting no time, Mike resumed his DJ career immediately, developing a style drawing on the housier side of Detroit – perhaps a brave move at a time when Techno was strictly the order of the day. A couple of years after his return, he set up his own label ‘Moods & Grooves’, continuing his exploration into the deeper, more melodic sides of Techno and House. Having gained heavy critical acclaim with musicians and listeners across the world, this year sees Mike expanding his horizons further by launching two new labels, reflecting the more direct influences in Detroit – Afrosyntrix and End-to-End.

We are very proud to present – Mike Grant.

Mike Grant Well, before "electronic music" there was good old dance music. I met Blake Baxter during high school. He showed me how to mix and put records together. Eddie Fowlkes introduced me to Derrick May, Juan Atkins and blah, blah, blah. The scene really became "electronic" when Juan brought the 808 to the parties (long before Jeff’s 909 and any decks n effects stuff). He played no UFOs (prior to its release) and other tracks while Derrick occasionally scratched on top. I followed suit and took my 909 to the club where I had a residency. It wasn't accepted as well there, they weren’t advanced thinkers.

Mike Grant Prior to that I was really into Jazz music. I can remember my father listening to it when I was younger, but it wasn't until I was a teenager that it caught on with me. I was also into Parliament, Funkadelic, Prince, Cameo, The Fatback Band, Disco, new wave, and R&B music.

11th-hour Why did you detach yourself from music in Detroit just when it was becoming a driving force?

Mike Grant It wasn't a driving force yet when I left. You'd better believe if I had known where it was headed I would have stayed. It was a hobby then and the money was just ok. A lot of guys went to nearby colleges, which allowed them to remain a part of the scene. I wanted to travel and some adventure, so I joined the Army. I have no regrets but I'm playing catch up now.

11th-hour Having spent a long time away from the music scene, what fuelled your desire to add your voice once again?

Mike Grant My desire was fueled by what my friends were telling me and what I saw about them in the press. I'm thinking yeah, I should be there too. A trip to London and Paris with my brother opened my eyes that there was a lot more going on outside the states. During that trip, I saw Jeff Mills playing in London. I was amazed by the turn out of people and their reactions. He was surprised to see me and said, "Hey, what are you doing here?" I told him this is just the beginning.

11th-hour Do you feel to be part of a greater community with the music you create and release, or do you tend to work independently of those around you?

Mike Grant For the most part I work independently, but I would love to work on some projects with other artists. I don't think we do that enough, at least not like in the past. Some do work within their own camps, but that’s it. Every time I look up I see someone in Europe working together, so why not us? Not just as artists, but business partners too. I have a project planned which I hope will promote more interaction called "Cool People," it's a collection of musicians and DJs coming together.

Mike Grant I wanted to start "a" label and that was going to be with a friend. That didn't work out so I went about it on my own. I wanted a label that would put out a variety of material. When I thought of the name Moods and Grooves it was like yeah, that's the one. Sometimes it can be moody and other times groovy...

11th-hour How did you gather the artists for your label, and how much fresh talent do you feel exists at this time?

Mike Grant Fortunately, there's a nice size pool of talent in Detroit. I look here first, then referrals from other people, and artists I’ve met while traveling. There are several unknowns here who are very talented but no one knows of. I'm planning a project to introduce them. I was recently introduced to an artist from Dallas, (Demarkus Lewis) by Boo Williams. His demo was the best I’ve ever heard.

11th-hour Do you think that the Detroit House sound gets as much respect as it deserves world-wide, or do you find that it is over-shadowed by the presence of Detroit Techno?

Mike Grant I feel that anything comes out of Detroit is going to be overshadowed by its techno past. Some artists are not easily labeled making house with a techno feel or techno with a house feel (like Carl Craig, Kelly Hand, KDJ, and myself). People forget the first Transmat records (and some of URs) sounded like house (maybe on steroids though). We’ve had well respected producers involved here, Ron Trent and Chez Damier, Mark Kitchen, Members Of The House, and Alton Miller. The respect Detroit House gets today is summed up by two names, KDJ and Theo. On one hand it helps but on the other people tend to ignore everyone else. For example, I can put out a release by one of them and I’ll have people who don’t normally call me trying to get the release. The following release I won’t hear from them.

11th-hour Do you think that there is a common musical ground between those producing the more House sounds of Detroit, compared with the Techno releases?

Mike Grant I think the common musical ground lies with the techno artist as they work together on projects more then house artists. At the same time that means there’s more diversity of material with house artists.

11th-hour Why do you think that in general there is so little musical output from Detroit at the moment?

Mike Grant There aren’t as many people dedicated to music as before. Most of the guys who started this now have families and other responsibilities. Other people who were into music have moved on and listen to whatever’s on the radio. Referring to a previous question, there was more of a community when things first started, guys really helped each other out (as evidenced on the label credits). Today, it's difficult to juggle DJ schedules, tours, and family. Alan Oldham, in his sometimes cynical way, says Detroit Techno is dead. I like to think it’s hibernating.

11th-hour On the last Moods 'n Grooves release you wrote, 'Each record you buy gets me one step closer to leaving corporate America.' How would you say that your surroundings and environment influence your music, and where would you move to in order to change this influence?

Mike Grant What I meant by that was as the label becomes more successful I’d no longer need to keep a day job. A nice fat steady check every two weeks is hard to give up. I work from home so I’m able to take care of label activities during the day. It can be restrictive sometimes when I want to travel. Corporate America and the military have been helpful to when it comes to running a business by providing discipline and sense of responsibility. Once I do leave I would be able to increase my musical production with the extra time. Currently, my musical influences are found in different areas of the city.

11th-hour From the point of view of someone who has grown up with Detroit Electronic Music since its birth, do you think that it is misperceived by those living elsewhere in the world?

Mike Grant No doubt. It's mainly due to the press coverage of only 3-6 persons opinion or view. I love Juan, Derrick, and Kevin like brothers but damn, when are magazines and promoters going to realize there are other people in Detroit? They have taken up 14 of our 15 minutes… People (who never lived here) also wonder how someone could leave Detroit. Well, after a while you just outgrow things. I love this city but after 31 years there’s not much more I can do. After seeing what’s in other cities I sometimes get disappointed.

11th-hour How do you view the continual rise and spread of the Internet? Do you think that it will have a positive effect on music in general?

Mike Grant The Internet allows me more immediate access to consumers and them to me. Instead of waiting for the next issue of your favorite magazine you can perform a search and are provided a plethora of information on artists, DJs, labels, clubs, magazines, raves and festivals. I think its effect has already been positively felt.

Mike Grant For one, I'd like to play longer sets. Back in the day, you would do a five-hour set and bring the equipment too. The more time I have, the more time there is to express myself. I have a variety of musical tastes and one or two hours just isn't long enough to show them. I’m thinking of incorporating live percussion, musician, or vocalist in the set not just to playing over” the records but “within” the set. The trick there would be to have someone pay for that extra person to travel.

Mike Grant I'm trying to locate unknown talents, more Cool People projects to showcase Detroit talents, and more full-length projects (sometimes CD only for listening or vinyl for dancing). There's also a "big" project in the works, but I can't speak about it don’t want someone to steal the idea. You'll know what I was talking about when it happens. I'd also like to see some of the material scored in a film or a commercial (appropriately of course).

11th-hour Do you have plans for any other musical projects / labels in the future?

Mike Grant I've already started two other labels, End to End (techno) and Afrosyntrix (Electro & more). There are those who say electro too is dead, but I can't see that when stopping by the Detroit clubs or cabarets. Afrosyntrix concentrates on what's going on here locally. Regarding projects, I’m looking for more acoustic ventures.

11th-hour What are your thoughts on the state of the worldwide music scene at this time, and what would you like to see change in days to come?

Mike Grant I think commercial music is a riding the back of innovative underground music and hype continues to overshadow good talent (but not always). I would love to see the truth come out or rather the cream rise to the top... I'm also tired of seeing the exploitation of black music and the use of black culture to sell products. Kenny Dixon put it best yet people act like they don't know or can't see it. For example, a few of French artist have used images of black children for what seems to be “street” credibility. The term “ghetto” is so overused these days yet those who say it don’t know the origins and wouldn’t last 20 minutes there. I can't understand why Norman Feller felt he had to use a South African cartoon character and black name to try and be something he's not. If you make good music it doesn't matter what your skin color is. I never saw Kevin Yost try to be black even though people thought he was based on the influence heard in his music.