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Carl Craig

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other people with the same name, seeCarl Craig (disambiguation).
Carl Craig
Craig DJing in 2010
Background information
Also known as
  • Psyche
  • BFC
  • 69
  • Paperclip People
  • Innerzone Orchestra
Born(1969-05-22)May 22, 1969(age 55)
Detroit,Michigan,U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Producer
  • DJ
Years active1989–present
Labels
Websitecarlcraig.net

Carl Craig(born May 22, 1969) is an American electronic music producer, DJ, and founder of the record labelPlanet E Communications.[4]He is known as a leading figure and pioneer in thesecond waveofDetroit technoartists during the late 1980s and early 1990s.[5][6][7]He has recorded under his given name in addition to a variety of aliases, includingPsyche,BFC,andInnerzone Orchestra.[8]

Craig's early releases were collected on the 1996 compilationElements 1989-1990.He has released several studio albums, beginning withLandcruising(1995). Craig has also remixed a variety of artists includingManuel Göttsching,Maurizio,Theo Parrish,Tori Amos,andDepeche Mode.[3]He was nominated for the 2008Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recordingfor his remix of theJunior Boystrack "Like a Child."[9]He has released collaborative recordings withMoritz von Oswald(2008'sRecomposed) andGreen Velvet(2015'sUnity).

Early life

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Carl Craig was born inDetroit,Michigan,on May 22, 1969.[6]His mother was a teacher's assistant and his father was a post office worker.[7]He attendedCooley High School,where he developed an interest in music.[6]He learned to play guitar and later became interested in club music through his cousin Doug Craig, who worked lighting for Detroit area parties.[6]After hearingDerrick May's radio show onWJLB,Craig began experimenting with recording on a dual-deck cassette player.[6]Craig met someone who knew May and passed along a tape of some of his home studio productions.[6]

Career

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Since 1989, Craig has released many recordings under a large number of aliases, including Psyche, BFC, 69, Paperclip People, and Innerzone Orchestra.[6]Many of these early Psyche and BFC releases were collected on the 1996 compilationElements 1989–1990.[10]Craig founded his own record label calledPlanet E Communicationsin 1991.[7]Since then, it has released records by other artists such asKevin Saunderson,Moodymann,andKenny Larkin.[11]

His first studio album,Landcruising,was released onBlanco y Negro Recordsin 1995.[6]In 1996, he releasedThe Secret Tapes of Doctor Eichunder the Paperclip People moniker.[12]In 1997, he releasedMore Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art.[12]It was placed at number 29 onPitchfork's "50 Best IDM Albums of All Time" list.[13]In 1999, he releasedProgrammedunder the Innerzone Orchestra moniker.[12]

Craig served as co-creator and artistic director for theDetroit Electronic Music Festivalin 2000 and 2001.[14]His subsequent dismissal by festival organizers caused substantial controversy within the Detroit techno community, igniting a high-profile campaign in his favor.[15]In 2001, he filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against festival producer Pop Culture Media.[16]

He released a reworked version ofLandcruising,titledThe Album Formerly Known As...,in 2005.[17]In 2008, he released a collaborative album withMoritz Von Oswald,titledRecomposed,onDeutsche Grammophon.[17]He returned as artistic director for the 2010 Detroit Electronic Music Festival.[18]In 2015, he released a collaborative album withGreen Velvet,titledUnity,on Relief Records.[19]In 2017, he releasedVersusonInFiné.[20]

Craig created a sound installation, titledParty/After-Party,which opened at theDia Beaconart museum in March 2020.[21]The culmination of a five-year-long engagement with Dia Beacon,[22]it was his first foray into the art world.[21]In 2023 the installation was brought to The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles and the exhibition was accompanied by Party/After-Party Sessions, a series of three live concerts that were including DJs and electronic musicians DJ Holographic, Felix Da Housecat, King Britt, Moodymann, Kenny Larkin.[23]

Style and legacy

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Mixmagcalled Carl Craig "a leading figure inDetroit techno's second generation, "[5]whileExclaim!called him a "central figure" in the genre's second wave.[6]Pitchforkdescribed him as "techno pioneer."[7]He has approached techno using inspiration from a wide range of musical genres, includingsoul,jazz,new wave,industrial,andkrautrock,while his works have spannedambient techno,breakbeat,house,classical,andmodular synthesizer-based stylings.[3]In a 2015 interview, he citedThe Electrifying Mojo,Prince,Kraftwerk,Juan Atkins,andJeff Millsas the major influences on his music.[24]

Craig's 1992 track "Bug in the Bassbin", released under the Innerzone Orchestra moniker, was picked up by DJs such as4hero,Goldie,andJ Majik.[25]In the United Kingdom, DJs started playing the track at 45rpminstead of the intended 33 rpm.[26]According toNow,the track "ended up providing inspiration and in many ways writing the blueprint for whatdrum 'n' basswas to become in England. "[26]

According toVinyl Me, Please,Craig "managed to not only push the boundaries ofDetroit techno,he also introduced an urgency and melodic richness to the sometimes navel-gazing world ofIDM"with releases such asMore Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art(1997).[27]

Discography

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Albums

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  • Landcruising(1995)
  • The Secret Tapes of Doctor Eich(1996)(as Paperclip People)
  • More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art(1997)
  • Programmed(1999)(as Innerzone Orchestra)
  • The Album Formerly Known As...(2005)
  • Recomposed(2008)(withMoritz von Oswald)
  • Unity(2015)(withGreen Velvet)
  • Versus(2017)

Compilations

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  • The Sound of Music(1995)(as 69)
  • Elements 1989-1990(1996)(as Psyche/BFC)
  • Designer Music V1(2000)
  • Abstract Funk Theory(2001)
  • From the Vault: Planet E Classics Collection Vol. 1(2006)
  • The Legendary Adventures of a Filter King(2009)(as 69)

DJ Mixes

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EPs

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  • 4 Jazz Funk Classics(1991)(as 69)
  • Sound on Sound(1993)(as 69)
  • Lite Music(1994)(as 69)
  • The Floor EP(1996)(as Paperclip People)
  • Just Another Day(2004)
  • Paris Live(2007)

Singles

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  • "Crackdown" (1990)(as Psyche)
  • "No More Words" (1991)
  • "Oscillator" (1991)(as Paperclip People)
  • "Jam the Box" (1994)(as 69)
  • "Throw" (1994)(as Paperclip People)
  • "The Climax" (1995)(as Paperclip People)
  • "Science Fiction" (1995)
  • "Bug in the Bass Bin" (1996)(as Innerzone Orchestra)
  • "Floor" (1996)(as Paperclip People)
  • "4 My Peepz" (1998)(as Paperclip People)
  • "People Make The World Go Round" (2000)(as Innerzone Orchestra)
  • "A Wonderful Life" / "As Time Goes By" (2002)
  • "Sparkle" / "Home Entertainment" (2005)
  • "Darkness" / "Angel" (2006)
  • "Sandstorms" (2017)

Awards and nominations

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Award Year of ceremony Nominee / work Category Result Ref(s)
Grammy Awards 2008 Junior Boys"Like a Child (Carl Craig Remix)" Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical Nominated [9][28]

References

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  1. ^Jacobs, Mick (May 30, 2019)."Detroit Love: An Interview with Electronic Music Pioneer Carl Craig".PopMatters.RetrievedJuly 23,2019.
  2. ^Matos, Michaelangelo (April 20, 2018)."Detroit techno legend Carl Craig discusses his remi xing rebirth and DJ roots".City Pages.RetrievedJuly 23,2019.
  3. ^abcdefBush, John."Carl Craig - Biography".AllMusic.RetrievedNovember 6,2015.
  4. ^Toland, Justin (February 8, 2011)."Carl Craig: once upon a time in Detroit (page 2 of 3)".Fact.RetrievedAugust 8,2019.
  5. ^abHinton, Patrick (September 29, 2017)."The 10 best 90s techno albums".Mixmag.RetrievedAugust 19,2019.
  6. ^abcdefghiNasrallah, Dimitri (March 2008)."Carl Craig - Intergalactic Beats".Exclaim!.Archived fromthe originalon April 20, 2008.RetrievedAugust 8,2019.
  7. ^abcdFitzmaurice, Larry (December 4, 2013)."Carl Craig".Pitchfork.RetrievedAugust 8,2019.
  8. ^Lhooq, Michelle (July 28, 2016)."Carl Craig Took Me on a Tour of Detroit's Most Sacred Techno Landmarks".Vice.RetrievedAugust 8,2019.
  9. ^ab"Carl Craig and Justice nominated for Grammys".Resident Advisor.December 10, 2007.RetrievedAugust 18,2019.
  10. ^"Planet E to reissue Carl Craig's juvenilia collection Elements 1989-1990".Fact.November 19, 2012.RetrievedAugust 22,2019.
  11. ^Orenstein, Carre (December 16, 2014)."Detroit Love lab LA takeover with Carl Craig and Stacey Pullen".Mixmag.RetrievedAugust 8,2019.
  12. ^abcCyclone (August 15, 2017)."5 albums that showcase Carl Craig's versatility".Red Bull.RetrievedAugust 17,2019.
  13. ^Patrin, Nate (January 24, 2017)."The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time (page 3 of 5)".Pitchfork.RetrievedAugust 17,2019.
  14. ^Orenstein, Carre (May 19, 2016)."How well do you know the history of Movement Detroit?".Mixmag.RetrievedAugust 8,2019.
  15. ^"In gratitude".Metro Times.June 6, 2001.RetrievedAugust 8,2019.
  16. ^Schumacher-Rasmussen, Eric (May 14, 2001)."Carl Craig Fires Back At Festival Organizers Who Fired Him".VH1.Archived fromthe originalon March 23, 2007.RetrievedNovember 14,2006.
  17. ^abMiles, Milo (July 20, 2017)."Carl Craig's String Theory: The Detroit House Pioneer Gets Orchestral".The Village Voice.RetrievedAugust 17,2019.
  18. ^Taylor, Ken (May 22, 2009)."Movement: Carl Craig is Back".XLR8R.RetrievedAugust 8,2019.
  19. ^Ryce, Andrew (March 25, 2015)."Carl Craig and Green Velvet release surprise collaborative LP".Resident Advisor.RetrievedAugust 17,2019.
  20. ^"Versus by Carl Craig".Metacritic.CBS Interactive.RetrievedAugust 17,2019.
  21. ^abGoldfine, Jael (March 12, 2020)."Partying in the Basement of Dia Beacon With Carl Craig".Paper.RetrievedSeptember 14,2020.
  22. ^Brown, Harley (August 10, 2020)."Why Carl Craig at Dia:Beacon is a Groundbreaking Moment for American Art Institutions".Electronic Beats.RetrievedSeptember 14,2020.
  23. ^"Carl Craig: Party/After-Party".moca.org.2023.Retrieved2024-03-15.
  24. ^"Watch Carl Craig discuss Detroit, Prince and his biggest influences".Fact.February 19, 2015.RetrievedAugust 8,2019.
  25. ^Parker, Tristan (November 2, 2009)."Carl Craig and Innerzone Orchestra".Clash.RetrievedAugust 22,2019.
  26. ^abBoles, Benjamin (January 23, 2003)."Carl Craig".Now.RetrievedAugust 22,2019.
  27. ^McKenna, Niall."A Carl Craig Primer".Vinyl Me, Please.Retrieved13 April2021.
  28. ^Breihan, Tom (January 11, 2008)."Carl Craig's Hard-Earned Mastery".The Village Voice.RetrievedAugust 22,2019.
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