The family name isn't done yet either. Wife Ann is an accomplished vocalist and song writer, who appeared on Octave One's anthemic 'Blackwater', while nephew Kweku and sons Damarii and Dantiez have followed him into DJing and production.
With Dantiez making his debut appearance at Movement on The Made in Detroit stage, we stopped father and son for a sit down.
What's your take on the festival this year? Kevin: “It's another good year. It's evolved. We've had decent weather... until now! It's been very diverse too some of the days, the music styles. I've been involved since the very beginning and I've probably played every year. There might be a year or two I didn't. Originally it was a free festival and it was so surreal to see it happen in the city. You had all kinds of people that had no idea about the music coming down to check it out, so it was a different kind of vibe. But it was still great as a music showcase.”
How was your appearance Dantiez? Who else has impressed you? Dantiez: “First it was nerve-wracking, then the monitors kicked in, my instincts just took over and I did my thing you know. Richie did really good last night. Nina Kraviz, I always enjoy her sets. I'm sure I'll enjoy this guy's set tonight! There are a lot of great artists here. It's really diverse so it can appeal to everyone, which is how ideally it should be.”
Who else is coming up in Detroit? Dantiez: “I've got a few friends that are working their way up real fast. Nick Turk. Straight out of Detroit, huge sound. I've got a buddy whose artist name is Dink, his real name is Patrick Werden. He's been doing it for about eight years now, he's really talented. He's a really great engineer. I've got another buddy, TK, Terrence Kerti. Those guys, besides him [points to dad], inspired me to really start moving forward in my musical career, seeing them playing local festivals. It's one thing growing up seeing my dad do it, but then my friends doing it. It was like, 'OK, I can do this.'”
Kevin, what would you like to have known at the start of your career that you've passed on to Dantiez? Kevin: “I started out a little differently. I had to try and match the beats on
then. When you're in high school you listen to what everyone else listens to. All my buddies listened to hip-hop. In my productions you can hear the hip-hop influence, slash Detroit house and techno. Now it's all merged into one.”
Kevin: “What going on in America now, is that all the high school kids are listening to some form of electronic dance music. So that's changed since he got out of high school. So that's what? Only two or three years.”
I've heard people saying that Detroit is the US equivalent of Berlin – it has cheap rent and lots of space so offers a haven for musicians. Do you think that's true? Kevin: “If the scene was continuous. People are continuing to make music, myself, Derrick May and Carl Craig, even guys like Kyle Hall, Seth, they all travel the world big time. Then this weekend, all the parties come here. It's more like a Miami than a Berlin. It does have a cheap economy and all that, but I don't see that happening here as it's not an all round club environment that's consistent.”
There are a lot of people in t-shirts saying 'Detroit Hustles Harder'. What is it that instills that attitude? Kevin: “People are just blue collar. They work hard and they're focused. It's the city of the motor vehicle so think about a generation of kids and their parents. A lot of kids grew up with their parents working in factories, it was continuous. It's the same thing, you know. The music is continuous too when you listen to it, it's loops that offer great impressions of an inner part of us.”
What's coming next for you guys? Kevin: “Dantiez already has a few tracks out. He's been releasing on KMS and has been helping me with the label.”
Dantiez: “I've got my first vinyl release coming out on Soma. I got a nice little summer tune on KMS which is also being released on vinyl. It's called 'Can't Stop Us' and features vocals from Mike Anderson.”
Kevin: “Then I've got my other son and my nephew. Me and Dantiez have
belt drive turntables! I couldn't figure out how to do that until eventually I learnt to count the BPM in the records. Then I had to get them close to one another, and I knew the pitch wasn't that far off and I just had to fluctuate. But it would have been nice to know that right away. I just tried to give him some history. The new generation, and most of the DJs from our generation now, we use computers, we use CDJs, we use all kinds of technology because its evolved. So you've got to understand what you're doing. I use Traktor, I use CDJs, sometimes Maschine, I use controllers. I play multiple ways from the traditional to the non-traditional.”
What about you Dantiez. What stands out from seeing your dad gaining success as a DJ and producer? Dantiez: “I've got so many memories. I knew what my pops did, I knew he was one of the first. I knew how significant he was, but maybe I didn't appreciate it because I didn't have the right appreciation for the music back
already started working on a track so I'm sure there's going to be some collaborations with us, with them. We're just going to dig deep into the music scene and keep it going.”
One of our favorite projects was Reese. Will you be recording any more tracks in that vein? Were you aware how much Reese influenced drum and bass? Kevin: “I'm sure there's going to be stuff like that. I'm not going to have different aliases. My next record is going to be a Kevin Saunderson record. Inner City, that's a whole different thing. Oh yeah, I was aware of the influence on drum and bass. I used to hang out with Fabio, Grooverider, LTJ Bukem, all them. I was into drum and bass, not to play it as a DJ, but I loved the sound of it and hearing them play. At one point every record had the Reese bass in it, every record you heard! They finally diversified. I was like, 'damn man, c'mon!'”
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