Exploring Detroit’s Techno Soul: Inside the Tec-Troit Movement with Moses Malone
June 5, 2024In the gritty heart of Detroit’s electronic music scene, where the beats echo the city’s industrial spirit, lies Tec-Troit – a grassroots underground community of sonic innovation and empowerment.
In this exclusive exposé, IUM delves deep into the roots of Tec-Troit, a festival with a mission far beyond the dancefloor.
Tec-Troit isn’t just another festival; it’s a testament to the enduring legacy as the birthplace of Detroit Techno. Moses Malone, alongside his collaborator and the original founder of Tec-Troit DJ Roach, has crafted a movement that celebrates the city’s rich musical heritage while propelling it into the future. Through candid interviews and behind-the-scenes access, IUM explores how Tec-Troit serves as a vital platform for local artists, bridging the gap between established icons and emerging talents in the underground scene.
From gritty warehouses to the pulsating streets, Malone’s journey reflects the resilience and creativity that define Detroit’s techno soul. With Tec-Troit leading the charge, the beat goes on, echoing the spirit of a city that continues to redefine the global electronic music landscape.
Moses & Roach – Tec-Troit photography Marie Staggat
Mike Mannix: Yo man, great to catch up. So, fill us in on how you came up.
Moses Malone: Nice one Mike! I was born just outside of Detroit; my family was very sports-oriented. Like, the whole family, so that’s kind of what was expected of me. I didn’t really have any music influences; I just liked music in general.
I remember as a child, like maybe five, five or six, finding a box of my dad’s old records, like Beach Boys and Beatles and Dave Clark Five. I was drawn to it for some reason. I loved the nostalgia of it, and my dad didn’t care that I was playing his records.
My mom found a picture of me from then, sitting in front of this chest record player with my Fisher-Price tape recorder and making mixed tapes of like the Beach Boys and the Beatles and Motown. I was doing the same thing I do now but as a child.
“I was playing in bands, then I was hanging out with my older cousin Theo, who we all call DJ Speed. He was about eight years older than me and already a prominent hip-hop DJ in our community in the golden era of hip-hop, the 90s.”
My dad was big into Motown, Temptations and Diana Ross, Supremes and Marvin Gaye. That’s what kind of sucked me into vinyl at a really, really young age. I loved that early R&B/Soul sound and was mesmerized that it came from right up the road.
Then as I got a little bit older, I started playing with electronics; I was really curious. I was extremely intrigued by the working components of electronics. I would start pulling apart radios and try to figure out how the speakers worked.
Mike Mannix: Your dad didn’t show you; you just decided to do it yourself. You were driven that way or?
Moses Malone: I was self-motivated. Yeah. I would buy records and I would buy old stereo equipment and Frankenstein it all together. I didn’t understand wattage or ohms or anything like that, but I figured out that you could daisy chain as many speakers together as you wanted and they would work.
Mike Mannix: That’s what Joey Beltram said as well.
Moses Malone: And so I started ripping out anything that had a speaker in it that I could buy for a buck or two. I would buy it and rip the speaker out then hook it up. I would build these little cardboard speaker boxes.
I had like 30 fucking speakers all through my room. All hooked up to one cabinet stereo. Oh my God. I’d want to be in there all night hanging out. Looking back now and understanding what I did, it probably sounded like shit.
Mike Mannix: Okay, so you eventually got into the hip-hop, so you were into the baggy jeans and leading you then into more of the electronic side of things, turntables what was happening there?
right around the same time I started fucking with electronic shit.”
Moses Malone: I started being a musician right around the same time I started fucking with electronic shit. I started playing trumpet for a couple of years, I really loved jazz. I thought Miles Davis was the coolest thing to ever walk the earth.
But then when I got into junior high and middle school, like sixth grade, I stopped playing and started kind of focusing on music I was really into (Rock, Jazz, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, Alternative, Classical).
Mike Mannix: How did you transition into this? Were you a musical rebel or were you just interested in the music itself? It sparked something in you?
Moses Malone: Well, I never really left any of it. When some sort of music comes into my life, it’s there forever.
Mike Mannix: You’re a rare breed then, Moses.
Moses Malone: There was something that I loved about it at one time and it stays in my heart for the rest of my life.
it stays in my heart for the rest of my life.”
Moses Malone Detroit, photography David Whitt
Mike Mannix: So many people don’t have your musical variety where a lot of them are pigeonholed and they think they have to stay in that same lane.
Moses Malone: Well, jazz is my all-time favourite. Jazz is my desert island music. I could listen to jazz every day, all day for the rest of my life and be completely content.
Mike Mannix: I find this so fascinating, it’s not just somebody saying, “I got into DJing when I was a kid and I did a mix and I went to a club.” It’s completely fucking different.
”I just wanted to enjoy life and have fun.”
Moses Malone: A couple of things to relate to what you just said. First of all, it wasn’t just with music. It was with friends and friend groups and social circles. I jumped around to whoever I was having fun with at the moment. I’d have a friend group for six months to a year. Then I would move on and gravitate to something else. I just wanted to enjoy life and have fun.
If I look back at it, I would find cool stuff out by having dumb luck. I would meet an artist just by chance then to be able to talk to some of the guys that I’ve looked up to for years just started getting mind-blowing!
Mike Mannix: It’s certainly not dumb luck.
Moses Malone: Talking to guys like Blake Baxter and Mike Banks, all of these great legends in techno I found that this is close to the same story all of them are going to tell you.
Techno wasn’t what sucked them into music. Blake Baxter was super into Goth music and early synth stuff. Mike and most of the UR [Underground Resistance] guys started off playing music in the church. Like playing gospel. It dates back to pre-Motown stuff.
”Mike and most of the UR [Underground Resistance] guys started off playing music in the church.”
I’ve had the privilege of talking with some of the Motown alumni guys. And actually playing some gigs with them. You talk to these guys and they weren’t R&B pop fans.
They were fucking jazz guys. They were playing the Motown stuff because that was paying their bills, so much diverse talent in Detroit that was exported to the world just like Techno was.
Mike Mannix: And exported from Chicago and Detroit to the rest of the world. To be re-imported back before the American kids got into it. That must have been insane for you guys? But we appreciated it in Ireland, the UK and Europe. Like we knew what you were doing. We were like, “Oh this is the shit.”
I’m so grateful that I lived through that early period man. I swear to God. It was a proper revolution in music. Everybody knew when we heard those sounds, future music!
Moses Malone: I think that’s a very good point. I truly believe that. Like out of any generation alive now or that’s ever been alive we were the luckiest ones when it came to music. I think I said it to you when I was in Dublin in the Pawn Shop. I just love music and there is so much out there to enjoy.
Mike Mannix: Music was your destiny man.
Moses Malone: There was no escape from music for me really. I was playing in bands starting at about 13, then I was hanging out with my older cousin, Theo (we all call him DJ Speed). He was about eight years older than me and he was already a prominent hip hop DJ in our community in the golden era of hip hop, the 90s man.
”He was about eight years older than me and he was already a prominent hip hop DJ in our community in the golden era of hip hop, the 90s man.”
I thought he was cool as fuck and I was really getting into watching him perform. I was just carrying his fucking crates and sucking up the knowledge and experience.
He started showing me some stuff, taking me to record stores, showing me how to mix records, how to scratch. Mostly was how to scratch. I played my first club around that age (14-15). I didn’t really have a lot of records, so he would let me play out of the ghetto tech crate. We called it the booty crate. And it was all like DJ Godfather, DJ Slugo, DJ Omega, DJ Funk, all that ghetto tech shit. It was always a hit at hip hop shows.
”I was a white kid that was totally obsessed with fucking records and learning an art…”
Moses Malone Detroit photography Marie Staggat
Mike Mannix: It was all the hip-hop stuff was it?
Moses Malone: Oh yeah. I loved fucking hip-hop. It was great. And I loved DJing it, I loved scratching. I was a white kid that was totally obsessed with fucking records and learning an art that everybody around me looked at me like, “This isn’t your culture.” So it was weird, I was quiet and observant. I was hanging out with a bunch of older people that were going to clubs and I was in fucking junior high. I was always waiting for the moment that someone would call me out and banish me forever, but it never came.
Mike Mannix: You just knew that you liked it. How did you transition from hip hop into where we are today? Was it a pivotal thing or was it a slow process?
“Yeah, well, I was playing a lot of ghetto tech and a lot of this Godfather and Soul. Then I ended up at this abandoned warehouse party in Detroit with my friends when I was 17, around ’97 or ’98. It was a banging party, and I was like, holy fuck.”
Moses Malone: Yeah, so I was playing a lot of ghetto tech and like a lot of this DJ Godfather and such, then I ended up at this abandoned warehouse party in Detroit with my friends when I was 17 or 18, around ’97, ’98. It was a banging fucking party. I was like, holy fuck! This scene is amazing!
What hooked me at first was Godfather was playing. I was like shit, I play his records at hip hop shows, but he’s in this weird techno movement too. It was hard breaking into that scene, but I had some friends that were throwing some cool rave parties.
”You had to fight to get booked because there was so much goddamn talent in Detroit.”
You had to fight to get booked because there was so much goddamn talent in Detroit. I eventually started getting some gigs though.
Mike Mannix: And you battled.
Moses Malone: Also, the fan base was a lot more critical back then too. Like everybody, I’d say like 90% of the people going to the events, if you fucked up, they all heard it.
Tec-Troit Crew
if you fucked up, they all heard it.”
Mike Mannix: Exactly.
Moses Malone: Everybody heard it and then they would tell you that they heard it and the other DJs would call you out on it.
Mike Mannix: How much better was that though?
Moses Malone: It was great.
Mike Mannix: Instead of sounding like two old men, it had merit in that moment?
Moses Malone: That whole era of the mid-90s to the mid-2000s, that rave era in Detroit was unlike anything that this country had ever really experienced.
Detroit was probably in the worst time of its entire history. There was hardly a police force. There were so many abandoned buildings and there was a lot of debauchery.
“I came back to Detroit, but it was still rough. I was like, what the fuck happened? This isn’t what I remembered. Then I went to the Movement Festival and I was like, what the fuck happened to this festival that we loved? It sparked something in me to be like, you know what, fuck it, I’m gonna do it myself.”
Detroit Underground Artwork Mike Moggi Mannix
Mike Mannix: The music was a unifier. Was it?
Moses Malone: It was kind of like a perfect storm of things that could happen to create this community. It’s a community that I still believe in and still trust to this day. Then right in the middle of it, we had DEMF thrown at us (Detroit Electronic Music Festival). It was a free event, it changed Detroit!
Mike Mannix: What year was that, man?
Moses Malone: Around 2000. You know, I think the only thing I can remember that was before that, anywhere in the world, was Love Parade.
Mike Mannix: On that scale, Jesus, that’s mental.
..there were a million people that showed up to Hart Plaza.”
We grew up at this free festival; it was something very special to us. And then they started charging for it, and they weren’t booking Detroit artists!
Mike Mannix: A million.
Moses Malone: Oh my God, if you ever come to Detroit, I’ll try to set you up with a tour of the Techno Museum. They will tell you all about it.
Mike Mannix: Next year, man. I’m there.
Moses Malone: I definitely loved it, but after that, the rave culture died out because one of our news channels did this big exposé where they sent in a bunch of undercovers into the rave scene.
Then all the suburban parents called into the police station and complained. So the police started sending the gang squad in, which were basically militarized police, to break up rave parties.
..the police started sending the gang squad in, which were basically militarized police, to break up rave parties.”
They were beating kids in front of us, beating my boys. I got thrown off the decks by the cops at a party, and we were all getting thrown in jail. They were just shutting them down to the point where the rave culture in Detroit just went non-existent, and the wheels had fallen off.
So I moved out to California and did the DJ thing out there. In San Diego, I was having some issues playing techno but ended up finding a techno community in Tijuana.
That’s a whole story in itself, which I’m gonna tell you some other time. But all in all, it made me miss Detroit. I came back to Detroit, but it was still rough, and the scene had changed. I was like, what the fuck happened? This isn’t what I remembered. Then I went to the Movement Festival and I was like, what the fuck happened to this festival that we loved?
“Tec-Troit is for Detroit, by Detroit, and also for DJs, by DJs. We’re here to support and showcase our local talent.”
Tec-Troit
It sparked something in me to be like, you know what, fuck it, I’m gonna do it myself. So I got a park in my hometown and started throwing this festival called Pine Groove, a free event. We were gonna book a bunch of the biggest fucking electronic artists this town’s ever seen.
Our first year, I had Eddie Foulkes headline. The second year, we had Mike Dearborn, and then the third year was Paul Johnson, and the fourth year was Terry Mullin. And along with all these, some fucking great artists that I met along the way through the years, like Thomas Barnett, Kero, and Acid Pimp—just all these other fucking legends.
I was new back to the area, so I wanted to meet some new crews that I didn’t know. And so I held this DJ contest at this local dive bar that was letting me do whatever I wanted there.
I would have DJs come and perform, and then one out of the three DJs I would book for the festival. The very first submission I received was for this guy named DJ Roach [Tec-Troit Festival Founder] in 2014, I think.
…did you see this DJ Roach guy? He’s an Underground Resistance DJ.”
My boy Sol, who plays in Biblical Proportion with me, was like, “Hey dude, did you see this DJ Roach guy? He’s an Underground Resistance DJ.” I was like, “Get the fuck out of here.” I looked him up and I was like, holy shit, he’s a fucking UR DJ. He showed up and brought his wife and this other couple, and we hit it off immediately.
He started playing at my festival regularly. It was a no-brainer because the guy’s a beast on the turntables.
So, we added him to the lineup, and he really liked what my partner Solomon and I were doing with Biblical Proportion. We were one of the only live PA groups really pushing in the scene at that time, so he started booking us too.
For the next four years, while the festivals were going on, we acted as each other’s sounding boards, discussing permits and other details. We were the only two who felt comfortable venting to each other, and through that, we became buddies.
“Despite all the hurdles, we wear our perseverance as a badge of honor. Nothing’s going to stop TechTroit.”
Four years into my festival, I decided to give it up due to issues with the area, the crowd, and the city’s difficulty to work with. However, Raul kept pushing, and I started helping out here and there, just volunteering.
I noticed Raul was taking on a lot by himself. Although he had some help, it was limited in time and capability. I had free time because my festival wasn’t happening anymore, so I began helping more. We went through a transition period, figuring out if the event would be on city or private property.
The city wasn’t always cooperative, so we bounced around a few areas. During this time, we remained friends, played shows together, and I started advocating for Tec-Troit at city meetings.
”Roach and I were getting ready for shows in Italy and Germany, and while in France, we encountered a strike that shut everything down.”
In 2018 or maybe 2017, we decided to do an underground event, avoiding city interference. We did a free underground event called Tec-Troit Underground with a killer lineup. It was our way of saying you can’t stop us. Roach and I were getting ready for shows in Italy and Germany, and while in France, we encountered a strike that shut everything down.
We ended up taking a long train journey through Switzerland and Italy, which turned into a 15-hour trip. During this time, we drank a few beers, and Roach expressed his exhaustion and frustration.
I told him not to give up on Tec-Troit, as it was too important for Detroit. He mentioned not getting the help he needed, so I committed to being his partner. After sobering up, I realized I was 100% committed, and we began working on ideas upon our return. However, COVID hit soon after, putting everything on hold.
We had started collaborating with the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, but the pandemic delayed our plans.
When the pandemic subsided, we resumed working with the Hispanic Center and aimed to make the best event possible. Raul and I share the same values and integrity.
“Working with Raul, I realized how important it is to have someone who shares your values and integrity. He’s not just a partner but a mentor.”
DJ Roach aka Raul Tec-Troit Founder
Raul is not just a partner but a mentor. I often consider how Raul or Solomon would handle situations, as they are the most honorable men I know.
Our working relationship is based on mutual trust and the shared goal of doing what’s best for the festival and community. No amount of money would compromise our integrity or the festival’s reputation.
This year, we became a non-profit, which was a significant goal for us. We brainstormed various ideas to support Detroit’s art community, not just music but all forms of art.
We have an amazing board, ranging from seasoned individuals to newcomers who can carry on the legacy. Tec-Troit is more than just a music festival; it’s a movement dedicated to the community’s well-being. Despite the many hurdles, we are determined to keep pushing forward, ensuring safety and security for everyone involved.
”Tec-Troit is more than just a music festival; it’s a movement dedicated to the community’s well-being
Hurdles are put up in front of you that you have to just jump over, and it’s crazy how much money you have to pay to make everybody safe. It’s all important: security, medical staff, making sure parking is safe.
There are so many things that come into play to ensure that people not only have a good time but are also safe. The more hurdles that get put up, the more hurdles we jump over. Personally, I’m super proud of that. I wear that as a badge. Throw challenges at us, and we’ll figure out a way around them and make it happen. Nothing’s going to stop Tec-Troit.
Mike Mannix: So, that kind of leads us up to today. You’re going to be meeting REOSC soon. So, tell us what we can expect from this year’s Tec-troit festival.
Moses Malone: Well, the best Detroit techno experience that anybody could ask for. We’ve worked really hard on our lineup every year, from the very first year when Roach had the idea to do it.
“We may not have a big budget, but what we lack in resources, we make up for with heart and soul. The artists see it, and they respect us for it.”
The lineup has always been jam-packed with Detroit icons and newcomers who deserve a chance on stage. This year is no different, but it is a little special. We have some great acts we’ve wanted to book for years.
Claude Young was a big one that I pushed for. Everyone wanted him, and after a few hangout sessions with Claude in the past couple of years, he agreed to come out of retirement to play Tec-Troit.
He’s doing that because it’s Detroit, for Detroit, and he wants to give his hometown one last show before he officially stops playing out. He’s turned down other events but made an exception for us, which makes us feel special.
Claude knows who we are, our values, and that we’re not in this to make a buck. Sure, making money would be nice, but that’s not our driving force.
We’ve said two key things about the event: Tec-Troit is for Detroit by Detroit, and Tec-Troit is for DJs by DJs, for producers by producers. Everyone participating in this, like Latex Girl or Detroit Bureau of Sound (board members), are Detroit artists.
None of us would let our friends get on stage if they didn’t feel valued. We don’t have the big budget for lavish backstage amenities, but the artists appreciate our efforts because we’re putting our heart and soul into it.
..how lucky we are to work with the greatest musicians and artists in the world—not just because they’re talented but because they’re easy to work with.”
I told Raul a few weeks ago about how lucky we are to work with the greatest musicians and artists in the world—not just because they’re talented but because they’re easy to work with.
They just want the show to happen, and that’s what Detroit’s all about. Let’s put as much great Detroit techno on that stage and give the best show possible so people can just come out and dance.
..that’s what Detroit’s all about. Let’s put as much great Detroit techno on that stage and give the best show possible so people can just come out and dance.”
We have a great lineup, from newcomers we believe deserve a chance to be seen on stage to legends like Claude Young, Los Hermanos, DJ 3000, and DJ Godfather.
These are names that resonate when you talk about Detroit techno. We’re giving this experience to as many people as we can to make our little corner of the world for the weekend the most fun it can be.
Mike Mannix: Can you comment on the new Irish connection that’s emerged between yourself, REOSC, and us in the last year? What do you think about that?
Moses Malone: My brethren, the motherland! I love it. We’ve met people from all over the world and worked with them. Our friends in Mexico City, like the Vocoder crew and DJ Drex, are passionate about what we’re doing.
“The connections we’ve made internationally, especially with Dublin Ireland, show that Detroit techno has a universal appeal. We’re excited for what the future holds.”
Drivetrain, Moses, REOSC, IUM
We’ve talked with friends in Germany and Italy about shows there, but I never thought Ireland would be on the list of the techno family. REOSC came over, and we met him. He was already putting out some banging techno.
When Drivetrain suggested I come to Dublin with him, I jumped at the chance. I had a great time meeting you, Syl Black, Rustal, Dao and everyone. Playing back-to-back with Syl at the Pawn Shop was amazing. The love Dublin had for what we’re doing in Detroit was moving.
”When I run into REOSC, the first thing I’ll do is give him a big hug, and then we’ll sit down and talk about how we can bring a bit of Detroit to Ireland. The future looks bright.”
Mike Moggi Mannix & REOSC
I’m excited about building these connections. When I run into REOSC, the first thing I’ll do is give him a big hug, and then we’ll sit down and talk about how we can bring a bit of Detroit to Ireland. The future looks bright.
Mike Mannix: That’s brilliant, man. Thanks for talking to us, man. We will be out in Detroit for next year’s Tec-troit.
Moses Malone: Anytime, brother. Talk soon. Peace.
In closing, Moses paints a vivid picture of the journey and evolution of Tec-Troit, a testament to the dedication and passion of its organizers. From humble beginnings, overcoming countless challenges, to becoming a respected institution within the Detroit techno scene, Tec-Troit’s story is one of resilience and community spirit. The festival’s commitment to showcasing local talent, fostering new artists, and maintaining the integrity of Detroit techno is evident throughout the narrative. The organizers’ relentless efforts and the support of the artists and community have been crucial to the festival’s success.
The festival’s growth is also marked by its expanding international connections, particularly with Ireland. This burgeoning relationship underscores the universal appeal of Detroit techno and the shared values between these distant communities. Moses reveals his experiences in Dublin and the mutual respect and enthusiasm between the two scenes highlight the potential for future collaborations. The exchange of ideas and support between Detroit and Dublin enriches both communities, further solidifying Tec-Troit’s position as a global player in the techno world.
Tec-Troit Logo
