Carl Craig

1969—

Music producer, recording artist

Music producer and DJ Carl Craig is one of the most important artists in the development of the electronic music genre. Based in Detroit, Michigan, Craig has gained international recognition for breaking new ground in techno music by incorporating jazz, soul, hip-hop, and avant-garde influences. Throughout his career he has issued music under various aliases that correspond with his musical moods, including futuristic house beats under the name Paperclip People, harder edge techno as 69, and experimental jazz works with the Inner-zone Orchestra. According to the Washington Post, "Craig's musical expression has always gone beyond the artistic purity associated with techno." Craig summarized his unique approach in Billboard, saying, "I've always had a concept of dodging boundaries."

Experimented with Electronica

Born in 1969, Craig listened to a variety of music while attending Detroit's famed Cooley High, including Prince, the German avant-garde duo Kraftwerk, Parliament, Led Zeppelin, the Smiths, and the Motown legend Stevie Wonder. Craig played guitar and was exposed to the dance-music scene by a cousin who was doing lighting for parties in the Detroit area. He first became interested in electronic music while listening to Detroit techno pioneer Derrick May's radio show on radio station WJLB. Craig experimented with recording on dual-deck cassette players until he convinced his parents to buy a synthesizer and sequencer. He began studying electronic music, including the work of artists such as Morton Subotnick, Wendy Carlos, and Pauline Oliveros.

In an electronics course, Craig passed along a tape of his homemade productions to a friend of May's. May was interested in Craig's work and invited him to re-record the track "Neurotic Behavior." Craig did not own a drum machine, so the track's original mix was completely beatless, but inspired nonetheless. As Detroit techno music developed a strong following in England and other countries, May invited Craig to join his Rhythim Is Rhythim DJ group on its 1989 European tour. Craig subsequently lent his hand to May's classic "Strings of Life" and the Rhythim Is Rhythim single "The Beginning." While on the tour, he also recorded several of his own tracks at Belgium's R&S Studios, some of which were released on the Crackdown EP that Craig recorded as Psyche on May's Transmat record label.

Craig and partner Damon Booker founded RetroActive Records in 1990. Between shifts at a copy shop, Craig recorded tracks in his parents' basement, and from 1990 to 1991 he released six slick singles on RetroActive under his own name and the monikers BFC and Paperclip People. A falling out with Booker led to RetroActive's demise, but Craig wasted no time establishing his own label, Planet E Communications. Under the Planet E banner, he recorded a deliberately lo-fi and funky EP called 4 Jazz Funk Classics, which he released under the name 69. Craig's work during the rest of 1991 bounced from hip-hop to techno. His 1992 single, "Bug in the Bass Bin," which he recorded as Innerzone Orchestra, was considered an early influence on the British drum ‘n’ bass and jungle genres. DJs and producers played the 33-rpm single at 45-rpms to create a ready-made, high-speed beat. His Paperclip People release "Throw" showcased Craig's disco and funk influences.

Gained Fame Producing Remixes

"In the past, remixing was simply layering some percussion over a track and maybe adding a few samples," Craig said in an interview in Billboard. "Now, it seems as though the art of remixing has morphed into an almost completely new method of songwriting." Craig made his mark as a remixer in 1994 with the music of Tori Amos in a ten-minute rendition of her song "God," and with songs by Maurizio, La Funk Mob, and others. The Amos remix led to Craig's first contract with a major label, and he signed with the Blanco y Negro European imprint of Warner Bros. Records. Land-cruising, Craig's first full-length release, exposed his broad range and vision to a market far wider than he had known before.

As Craig gained recognition more for his broad vision, his work and identity began to drift from his Detroit-techno roots. He became increasingly uncomfortable branding his music as Detroit techno, opting instead to call it "urban" or "soul," if it need be labeled at all, he told the Washington Post. Craig released one of his most important full-length collections, More Songs about Food and Revolutionary Art, on Planet E in 1996.

In 1999 Craig released Innerzone Orchestra's Programmed, and played a number of very well-received dates with what Billboard called the "free jazz meets techno" group. Craig remixed live instrumentation by former Sun Ra drummer Francisco Mora, jazz keyboardist Craig Taborn, and bassist Paul Randolph, and added vocals and digital enhancement. The result, according to Amanda Nowinski in Billboard, was "21st-century jazz whose roots are grounded in the past but technologically enhanced." The release, she continued, "signifies the aesthetic maturity of an artist whose training began in the early days of techno." Citing what experimental artists like Sun Ra, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane did with jazz, Craig told Billboard, "You need to know the history in order to learn and develop the future."

Craig showcased an extensive collection of his remixes from the previous eight years in Designer Music: The Remixes (2000). Craig reworked the music of such artists as R&B's Incognito, Belgian Euro-disco act Telex, Ron Trent, and Italian synth-pop/disco artist Alexander Robotnik "with the discipline of a gene splicer," according to reviewer Pat Blashill in Rolling Stone. The standout piece was "Buena Vida," Craig's rewiring of Detroit techno pioneer Kevin Saunderson's 1988 anthem, "Good Life."

At a Glance …

Born on May 22, 1969, in Detroit, MI; married Hannah Sawtell; children: one. Education: Attended Cooley High School, Detroit, MI.

Career: Music producer and DJ, 1989—; joined Derrick May's Rhythim Is Rhythim DJ group, 1989; co-founded RetroActive label, 1990 (label dissolved); founded Planet E Communications record label, 1991; signed with Blanco Y Negro; organized and served as creative director of Detroit Electronic Music Festival and Ford Focus/Detroit Electronic Music Festival, 2000-01; participated in The Detroit Experiment, a collaboration with jazz artists, 2003; launched Demon Days series of club nights in North American cities.

Awards: Best Label Award for Planet E and Best Remix Award for "The Climax (Basic Channel Remake)," Musik und Maschine Awards, 2001; honored by the City of Detroit for contributions to music and the Detroit community, 2001; Grammy Award nomination for Best Remix for remix of Junior Boys' "Like a Child," 2008.

Addresses: Office—Planet E Communications, PO Box 27218, Detroit, MI 48207.

Directed Detroit Electronic Music Festival

In 2000 Craig conceived and served as creative director for the first Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF). He used his influence in the music industry to book leading performers in the genre and expected a turnout of about 200,000 to 300,000 fans over the course of three days. His estimate was wrong—more than a million people flooded downtown Detroit over Memorial Day weekend, setting a record as the largest electronic music event in history. Though national and international acts performed, Craig's emphasis was on Detroit talent. The festival "instantly catapulted Motown's techno artists from almost total anonymity in their own hometown to front-page news in the local papers," according to writer Mike Rubin in Rolling Stone. "It was definitely a feeling of vindication for all the Detroit-based artists that have been in the business for the past ten or fifteen years," Craig told Billboard.

The second annual festival in 2001 was even bigger than the first. The world-class artist roster, which included Kid Koala, Mix Master Mike, and De La Soul, still emphasized Detroit talent, with performances by Stacey Pullen, Kenny Larkin, Juan Atkins, and Kevin Saunderson, among many others. In all, eighty artists played on four stages. The crowd grew and downtown hotels were packed full of foreign tourists. Ford Motor Company and Miller Genuine Draft beer, sensing the festival's promotional value, sponsored the event, and it was renamed the Ford Focus/Detroit Electronic Music Festival, much to the chagrin of those fans who lamented the festival's commercialization.

In an abrupt turn, however, festival organizer Carol Marvin fired Craig days before the festival for "very murky reasons," according to Rubin in Rolling Stone. A subsequent outcry and e-mail campaign flooded Marvin's inbox and those of executives at Ford and J. Walter Thompson, Ford's advertising company. Ford responded by claiming it was not "the corporate monster you worry about," according to the Wall Street Journal. Craig struck back by suing Marvin for breach of contract.

Honored by City of Detroit

Despite the controversy, Craig was vindicated to some degree when on the final day of the festival he was honored by Detroit Mayor Dennis W. Archer. Just as the second DEMF was coming to a close, Craig accepted a special commendation from the City of Detroit recognizing his founding role in the festival and in helping raise Detroit's music industry profile. "Craig has endeared himself to an international audience of electronic music lovers with his artistic vision, intellectual curiosity, and his willingness to identify with and promote the work of other artists," the mayor's proclamation read. "He has … enhanced the image of the city of Detroit"

In 2003 Craig collaborated with several of Detroit's best jazz musicians, including trumpeter Marcus Belgrave and percussionist Francisco Mora, on a project called the Detroit Experiment, which led to the release of a recording of the same name. In 2005 Craig was back in the techno limelight with the release of Fabric 25, his contribution to the acclaimed series of recordings curated by the London nightclub Fabric. That year, he also launched a series of club nights called Demon Days, which took place at popular nightclubs in major cities across North America. Demon Days were still taking place as of the fall of 2008. Meanwhile, Craig's prowess as a remixer was recognized by the mainstream music industry with a Grammy nomination for his reworking of the single "Like a Child" by the Junior Boys.

Awards, however, were not a priority for Craig. As he told Code magazine, "It's about making your mark and leaving something behind for the generations to come, so they can expand on the concepts and ideas and take them to the next level." He believed that contemporary music, "especially black music, is just so stagnant. It's so focused on materialism … Chasing money, being greedy … there's just no future in it…. Someone has to stick his neck out and take that chance. The way I see it, if that person isn't me, then who's it gonna be?"

Selected discography

(As Psyche) Crackdown (vinyl EP), Zomba Music/ Transmat, 1990.

(As 69) 4 Jazz Funk Classics (vinyl EP), Planet E, 1991.

Intergalactic Beats, Planet E, 1992.

(As Innerzone Orchestra) Bug in the Bass Bin (vinyl EP), Planet E, 1992.

Landcruising, Blanco Y Negro, 1995.

Stevie Knows, Planet E, 1995.

DJ Kicks, !K7, 1996.

More Songs about Food and Revolutionary Art, SSR, 1996.

(As Paperclip People) The Floor (vinyl EP), Planet E, 1996.

Acid Tunes, Nova Tekk, 1997.

House Party 013: A Planet E Mix, Next Era, 1999.

(As Innerzone Orchestra) Programmed, Planet E, 1999.

Designer Music: The Remixes, Vol. 1, Planet E, 2000.

The Detroit Experiment, Planet E, 2002.

The Album Formerly Known As…, Planet E, 2005.

Fabric 25, Fabric, 2005.

Sessions, Planet E, 2008.

Sources

Periodicals

Billboard, July 17, 1999, p. 29; August 5, 2000, p. 34.

Code, October 2000, p. 28.

Fader, January 19, 2007.

Remix, March 1, 2008.

Rolling Stone, September 28, 2000, p. 60; July 5, 2001, p. 40.

SF Weekly, February 7, 2007.

Wall Street Journal, May 25, 2001, p. B2.

Washington Post, August, 30, 2000, p. C5.

Wire: Adventures in Modern Music, May 2008.

Online

Nasrallah, Dimitri, "Carl Craig: Intergalactic Beats," Exclaim, March 2008, http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid2=9&fid1=29999&csid1=119 (accessed November 20, 2008).

Patel, Joseph, "A History of Carl Craig," Planet E Demon Days, December 2007, http://www.demondays.com/CarlCraig.html (accessed November 20, 2008).

—Brenna Sanchez and Bob Jacobson