HERE BEGINS THE LESSON!
You know I truly appreciate Vince, Matt, and others who acknowledge my
influence on the Detroit House music scene. I am also disappointed that my
efforts and accomplishments along with those of my friends & colleagues here
in Detroit are constantly over looked by most cats on this list when they
speak about DETROIT HOUSE. I don't expect everyone to dig the records that I
make! However, I do want to be acknowledged for my contributions to this
scene which I've helped to create (at the absolute very least). Yes, I can
say that I did (along with Kevin Saunderson, Mike Banks, D-Ha, K-Hand, MK
{Yeah - even though he moved to NYC, he still did that smoking hot remix for
Chez on KMS - so let's keep it real} The Burden Brothers/430west, Derrick
over at Soiree, Shake {which nobody ever mentions on this list in reference
to his HOUSE productions}, Dan Bell, John Acquaviva, Davina, Buzz Bangin'
Goree, Mike "Agent X" Clark, The Preps, Claude Young, Al Ester, Stacey Hale,
Ken Collier, Darryl Shannon, MESU Audio, Ray Wells, Dwayne IN THE MIX
Bradley, Electrifying Mojo, Barry Michaelton Grant who hosted the first late
night mix show in Detroit on WJLB, Gary Chandler now on FM 98 {not Kerry
Chandler from NYC}, Ray Berry, Joe Boyer, Patrice Scott, Cecil Sheppard, Earl
McKinney, Kim James, Karen Mack, DJ Minx, Delano Smith, John Johnson, Tink
Thomas, Gari Romalis, REDFORD HIGH SCHOOL PARTIES, SOUTHFIELD HIGHSCHOOL
PARTIES, HENRY FORD HIGH SCHOOL PARTIES, CASS TECH HIGH SCHOOL PARTIES,
DIRECT DRIVE PARTIES, DEEP SPACE PARTIES, SUPERMAN/LOIS LANE PARTIES, MOTOWN
VARSITY SQUAD, CHAPS, WEEKENDS, SUCCESS, RUMOURS, COLLEAGUES, CHEEKS, CLUB
UBQ, COTTON CLUB, PRIMADONA, TIMES SQUARE, THE SCENE, THE NEW DANCE SHOW, and
several others) all helped to create this DETROIT HOUSE scene as you all know
it today.
There are so many cats on this list who claim to be authorities on OUR HOUSE
SCENE. You cats always ONLY mention KDJ or THEO Parrish like they are the
only two cats here. In contrast, I offer out the following info:
1st - In the year ending 1994 thru early 1995, my label INTANGIBLE RECORDS
was the only DETROIT label CONSISTENTLY releasing HOUSE MUSIC! During that
period, sales were extremely low for most HOUSE Productions from Detroit, so
many labels like 430West, Happy Records & Simply Soul Records (which
eventually merged into HAPPY SOUL), dramatically slowed, or completely
stopped releasing House music. Soiree, Acacia, and others were putting out
HOUSE tracks here and there along with techno releases, but NOBODY could
touch my output of HOUSE Releases.
2nd - My second hit "Love's Got Me High" was released in August of 1995. In
addition to becoming a POP hit in The Netherlands, France, and Germany by
early 1996, it had the most local success during 1995/1996 right along side
"The Chuck Chuck SONG" (Scott's track). In fact, when other Detroit techno &
house artists were fighting to get local radio stations to play their music
(which is why Juan started the short lived "Deep Space Radio" on WGPR), there
were only two local underground records being played in a "class A" rotation
(meaning 8 to 10 spins per day). Guess which records they were? "The Chuck
Chuck Song" and my house classic "Love's Got Me High" (and I've got the
publishing checks to prove it). "Love's Got Me High" was the most requested
track at Northland Roller-skating Rink (that means it was a hit in THE HOOD
y'all). Thus, this record was being sold at local neighborhood record shops
like Damons, Detroit Audio, Chauncey's, Tonya's, Buy Rite (yeah Cliff even
paid me up front if you can believe that), in addition to Recordtime and
Melodies and Memories. The only other labels that I know off who can say the
sell records IN THE HOOD are DIRECT BEAT, ASSAULT RIFFLE, DATABASS, and other
ELECTRO labels! "Love's Got Me High" made so much noise to whereas cats who
had given up on HOUSE from Detroit soon began releasing House productions
again.
3rd - Most cats throughout the world never even heard of Kenny Dixion Jr
until I re-release his original "EMOTIONAL CONTENT" along with my remix on
Intangible (INT-509). And don't lie and say you were on his shit before that
because he only sold a maximum of 300 units of each of his first couple
releases before that (most of which never made it to Europe). I was the one
who promoted his TRIBUTE To Marvin Gaye record which became his first widely
known release from his KDJ label. The licensing offers which he received for
that record came in from labels like Deconstruction and MCA in the UK because
I sent his promos out to my friends at these labels as a favor to Kenny. They
didn't know shit about Kenny before that!!!!! In fact, several cats refused
to believe he was from Detroit and swore he was from NYC. But real ones know
about Kenny's days as a Dj for local Detroit rapper K-Stone! BUT JUST TO BE
CLEAR ON THIS SHIT . . . I am not saying that I MADE KDJ who he is today!!!!
GOD is the one who put Kenny out there for the world to embrace! Kenny is a
friend of mine who I respect greatly. His talent is magnificent of course!
But let's keep it real, the distributors reordered those early KDJ releases
after the buzz created
by "Emotional Content" on Intangible. Ask Kenny yourself and he'll tell you
that I helped him tremendously back then (if he'll even talk to you that
is)!!!!!
4th - Many of you cats are still calling Inner City's "Big Fun" a techno
record!!!!!!!!
Although it sounded much different from what was happening in Chi-town, it
was clearly a house track for us, but you cats couldn't relate to the shit,
so you generalized it and called it Techno just because it was on the famed
DETROIT TECHNO album, and because a KOOL KAT in England told you it was a
techno record (no disrespect to Neil Rushton intended). I mean damn, how many
Techno records have you ever heard run 122 beats per minute with a massive
chord inversion and vocals straight out of an inner city Church choir???
5th - I, TERRENCE PARKER, represent DETROIT HOUSE music in my DJ sets more
than any other DJ from Detroit - period!!! I DJ in more places throughout the
world on a regular basis than any other HOUSE DJ in or from DETROIT, and it's
been that way at least since 1996!!!!!! I dare anyone to name any other HOUSE
DJ from Detroit that DJs out as much as I do and plays local artist in their
sets as much as I do. I'm not talking about techno DJs who play house in
their DJ sets, so don't get it twisted! And I don't mean cats who only play
HOUSE records produced by their friends either!!!! There are a couple of cats
who I don't get along with on a personal level, but I still play their
records because they make some smoking hot tracks - for me it's always about
the music first!
6th - Although we love and respect KDJ and Theo, we also have love for Scott
Grooves, DJ Jacq, Dwayne Jenson, Mike Huckaby, Alton Miller, Mike Grant,
K-Hand, Norma Jean Bell, DJ Marquis, Mike Clark, Norm Talley, Disco D (yeah -
he's got some HOUSE on Ghost INT.), Shake, Mike Banks, D-ha, Member Of The
House, Jennifer Williams, Ann Saunderson (Kevin's wife has a beautiful voice
and half y'all fools aint even up on the classics she's made), Darlene Lewis,
Donnie Mark, Brian & Marty Bonds, Chez Damier, DJ Tone, Clarence Kendricks Jr
(son of Eddie Kendricks), Santonio Echols & Dwayne Evans, Art Forest, Unit 2,
Gerald Mitchell, Davina (now signed with LOUD RECORDS - U Go Girl), Rick
Wade, Rick Wilhite, Naquil, Aaron Carl, Van Renn, Bridgett Grace, Derrick
Jamerson (son of famed Motown Legend James Jamerson - check your Bruce
Lee/Enter the Dragon sound track), Yolanda Reynolds, Robyn Lynn, Walt Jones
and Dave Peoples of Vigilante Cartel, 430West's Never On Sunday & Sight
Beyond Sight, TrackMaster Lou Robinson, and Blake Baxter just to name a few
(and I could name more if I go thumbing through the Detroit House section of
my record collection)!!!!!
All of these people helped to create the DETROIT HOUSE SCENE, but I never see
anyone mention these cats. It's always KDJ & Theo. You cats need to realize
that someone had to go into the forest of music, chop down the trees of
ignorance, and make way so that others could gather the wood to produce and
build
DETROIT HOUSE MUSIC!
Yeah - I said it, and I'll stand by it!
TP
In a message dated 2/12/2000 7:44:53 PM Eastern Standard Time,
[EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
<< I'm suprised Tom didn't mention Terrence Parker.
Check out Intangible Records - or his website
http://www.metrotimes.com/metropolis/sonic/artistprofile.asp?id=5869
My favorite TP tracks are "Your Love", "Jessica" and "Love's Got Me High".
But there are sooo many other good ones...
Peace,
Vince >>
