Over the past few days, I've written a bit about the end of the Belleville Three. The myth, which was created by journalist Neil Rushton in the 1980s, speaks a fabled tale of three black men from the poorest areas of Detroit coming together and changing the world with their new brand of music from the future. It would be an incredible story of rags to riches if it were…
The myth of the Belleville Three had a good life, but now it’s time for the final nail in its coffin to be well and truly hammered down. With Derrick May now having effectively been disgraced, it has brought about the revelation in Detroit that they will now never see the three men who perform under this fictional name together again. Nearly a fortnight ago, I published a not terribly…
For the first few years of its run, the South Park character Kenny McCormick would die in every episode - yet he would return in the next episode alive and well. No explanation was ever provided, and characters on the show would rarely acknowledge the phenomenon - although McCormick’s weekly demise was rarely a shock to the show's regular cast. Eventually, the writers of the show got fed up of…
This blog believes people should choose their friends very carefully. Quite simply, if something seems off about a person, that's because it usually is. And now, we're starting to see the consequences for people who have chosen to stick by Derrick May amidst his current difficulties. For example, I wrote recently about how one of the problems now with booking Derrick May is you can't promote it without running the…
I think Derrick May is trying to troll this blog. Having tried to maintain a masquerade online over the past few months by limiting comments on Instagram and deleting anything which remotely mentioned the allegations against him, he's now taken to making coded references. Why do I say this? I've written quite extensively about Sofia Tsagaraki, Derrick May's girlfriend (or is it still ex? No one's too sure) from Greece.…
Apparently, Juan Atkins is due to do his first gig in a long time next week. On August 19th, he’s due to appear at The Aretha Franklin Amphitheatre in Detroit. According to the listing on Resident Advisor, he’s due to play for five whole hours. And joining him there? No, not Derrick May - the strategy these days is to put him on the flyer, then take his name off…
I pondered whether to write about this one at all. Then I remembered the purpose of this blog - writing the stuff about dance music that others won't - and I quickly changed my mind. So here goes. Last Wednesday, the world found out about the tragic death of Detroit DJ and producer Kelli Hand. Tributes came pouring in over the next hours s and days - but some voices…
I have to start this post by making a confession. I've gone somewhat easy on Juan Atkins over the past few months, mostly because I understand he is in very poor health. You see, I'm not completely heartless, despite the impression I give. Just mostly so. However, he's recently started telling everyone that the past is not important or relevant. This is quite the 360⁰ turn from someone who's spent…
Something must be in Detroit's water at the moment. They’re all arguing like rats in a sack. I've been told about a blazing argument about why Hagi, Carl Craig’s wife, has now agreed to manage Derrick May. A number of names in the city are privately unhappy - although no one has broken cover. Yet... Juan Atkins is currently on Facebook telling us he doesn't care about the past -…
The Belleville Three was meant to be an inspiring story about how three men from Detroit defied the odds to become the legends of techno. A traditional rags to riches sort of tale beloved by tabloid journalists. Or so goes the cover story. In reality, that's all it was. The three men came from relatively well off families and the story was concocted by journalist Neil Rushton and a couple…
