Future Generations: Kevin Saunderson’s e-Dancer alias is now a father-son project

How did the idea to revive the e-Dancer moniker come about, and why did it feel right to do it together?

Kevin Saunderson: We re-released the original album Heavenly first [with Heavenly Revisited in 2017]. We added a few minor things – some extra drums, rolls, kind of updated it a bit, and then we went from that to getting some strings and making it an orchestra type of thing. I felt like that album was really complete and I had done what I needed to do. Then I was in the studio with Dantiez, listening particularly to one of his songs that had this deep, dark Reese bass, and I was joking with him: ‘Man, that sounds like me’. I thought let’s just partner up. You can continue my legacy, you’re a part of me, you sound like me in many ways, but you are more advanced with all the plug-ins and stuff. The younger generation moves a lot quicker than I moved back in the day.

Dantiez: I thought, yeah, let’s do it. I’m inspired by different sounds, but e-Dancer especially had a big impact on my sound in general and shaped my musical path. I grew up listening to songs like Banjo in the studio and in the car when I was like ten years old. So it obviously rubbed off on me ­– that deep, big Reese bass is a staple in a lot of my productions, but also electronic music in general.

With the new music, how much of the energy of the 90s are you channeling with it, compared with more modern sounds and techniques?

KS: I try to bridge some of it. Like [opening track] Melodica is connected to World of Deep [from Heavenly]. I often use some of the same sounds – I might resample them and add elements, but the bass is the real staple of the darkness, so in most cases we kept a lot of that and Dantiez would infuse new elements that helped to modernise it.

Like what?

D: I wanted to keep the original essence and darkness of the e-Dancer vibe, and update it with my own twist. Using more modern plug-ins and drum samples, not all analogue. That’s the basis of it, I didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. It’s pretty seamless; I’ll start five, six ideas that might be in the general e-Dancer direction and then develop those a bit, get a nice layout going and then I’ll pass it over to pops and see if he likes it. If he thinks it’s an e-Dancer vibe then he’ll continue the production from there.

Can we go back to 1998, when Heavenly was originally released? There was hardship and unrest in the city at the time – what was going through your mind when you made it?

KS: Because I’d had all this success with Inner City, I wanted to do a project that felt special and connected me to techno completely. My peers like Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Carl Craig and people were having success, especially Derrick and Juan, who I grew up with through junior high and made music with. They were like: ‘Oh man, you’re commercial now!’ And I was like, ‘I’m everything – I’m musical, I’m deep, I’m darkness’. I never had the vision to tour and do pop shows, I just wanted to make great music, whether it’s songs or underground, so e-Dancer gave me an opportunity to get to what I felt like I wanted to do as well.

You made a joint track with DJ Minx, Detroit. It pays homage to electronic music pioneers and the dance music culture of the city – Juan Atkins, 909s, K-Hand – can you talk through the process of making the track, and why you felt it was important?

KS: Minx and I had been talking about doing a track, but Dantiez kick-started it, and I came in and heard it. Then Minx came into the studio, and I told her, ‘You know what? This is what I’m hearing, we need to create something that represents Detroit and pays homage to it.’ Minx wrote some of the verses, Dantiez started the music, and I added the bass later on and it came together.

Without Detroit, we wouldn’t be here talking about techno. There were electronic acts that made electronic music and used synthesisers, like Kraftwerk, but nobody had the perspective to give it a name and come up with a sound that made the world dance – that connected the dots of electronic tools and the DJ. We were the first, and of course, it inspired many other DJs and producers from the UK and around the world, and just like house music, the genres spread and the technology made a huge impact on the world.

D: I thought it was a very special collaboration, and an important message as well. An educational message. It’s awesome when you can write a record that means something to you and has a message as well. A lot of those people mentioned, I spent time around in my childhood and they’ve all inspired me to this day, and helped me get to where I’m at in my career. So if I can pay that forward and write a piece of music and then pass that onto someone else then it’s a good feeling.

What was it like growing up with Kevin as a father?

D: It was something else – it was so great. He was always there, even when he was travelling on the weekends. He’d be back on the Monday or Tuesday and take me to school, or football or basketball practice. And I would always be in the studio or around the studio as well. He would bring us to the studio at the Book Tower in Detroit. We used to go down there and I’d just be hanging out, running around, being a kid. But every now and then I would stop and see what they were doing in the production room, and try to play some keys. He inspired me a lot, I took some piano lessons and was in the drum line in middle school – it all stemmed from him and my mother as well, it’s a musical family.

And Kevin, what have you learnt from your son as he’s come into his own as a producer and DJ in recent years?

KS: Well, I learned that he’s a lot like me – his work ethic never stops, and that’s what made me allow him to touch the equipment and tools in the studio. He engages with a lot of technology, he’s a futurist like me, but he’s just a next-level futurist as he’s younger. So if I’ve got a question about a plugin or something, I’ll ask him. He moves really quick, and I see him messing around with the synthesisers creating sounds, but the same music and sounds that inspired me, inspire him – there’s just more of it.

Robert Hood has teamed up with his daughter for Floorplan – is there a sense in Detroit that it’s time to pass the baton to the younger generation?

KS: It’s a natural progression. I don’t know how Rob and his daughter got involved in making music, and how she connected with it, but I know with Dantiez and his brother [Damarii] it is completely organic. It came out of the blue and once the spotlight was on, it’s like ‘go put the work in’, because it’s not like because you’re my kids, you’re automatically going to get a free ride. I’m sure it’s the same with Rob, and I know Juan Atkins’ daughter is doing stuff with him as well, and on her own. We call ourselves ‘the first family of techno’, because we’re probably the first ones doing it – it’s his mother, Dantiez, his brother Damarii, and I think generations to follow. We all have a legacy and they’re developing their own legacy and pathway through music.

Who else should we be looking out for in the next generation of Detroit?

D: We got JMT, who’s one of the youngest at 22, 23 and has a couple of releases on [Kevin Saunderson’s] KMS Records. Our label manager Noah aka TekNoNo – he has a group with RN ISMO called Invite Only. There’s a ton of artists emerging from the city at the moment.

What should fans expect from the e-Dancer live set?

KS: Mainly we’ve been playing live as Inner City – we’ve got a singer and we’ve got that down to a tee – but we’re looking forward to our e-Dancer set. The first one is coming up next weekend, and then the next one is at MUTEK Montreal. We are going to bring some computers and synths on stage, some drum machines, and do our thing. It’s going to be different to having a singer – when there’s a singer there’s certain things you can’t do while they’re singing. There’s no rules when we’re on stage as e-Dancer, we can just vibe off the crowd, the energy of our music and have some happy mistakes too.

D: Yeah, they are going to be the first two shows of the relaunched e-Dancer. We’re definitely going to bring some special sets for that, and also look out for new music because we’re still cooking, still in the studio – stay tuned.

And lastly Kevin, you’re re-opening Paragon in New York – can you talk about the thinking behind that?

KS: I played there maybe six times, and each time I noticed that it just got better. The last six months before it had to shut down, they had lines round the block. When I played, it was as if somebody had turned on the switch and all these young kids just started coming out. A lot of them probably didn’t know about me as well, so I was attracted to the venue. When they told me that they were closing down, I was like: “Really?” I got talking to one of the owners and some of the partners, and some of the people investing felt that they had to pull back.

So I’ve gotten involved. I believe in this spot. I’m from Brooklyn originally, and I feel like it’s a necessity to New York. I feel like it’s the right thing to do to help revitalise the club. A few things have changed and there’s been some alterations that’s going to improve the club, and I’m going to play four to six times a year. I might bring some of my friends and create some special events there, but make sure it just stays underground while helping new talent. It’s the past, present and that future – that’s what it’s all about.