Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Comedowntech


DJ Slugo - I'm a Hoe ("Screwed") ( from Disco D - Ghettotech for Slow People 2006)

I've always been confused as to why Disco D decided to pull down the beats-per-minute on these tracks from his Midwest peers, but Slugo at the wrong speed is well, even heavier. The quirkier Ghettotech synths are pretty confusing as well. So the Jewish kid from Ann Arbor not only helped pioneer Midwest booty music, worked with Dancehall artists, and had a black belt in Karate, but he was also a codeine fiend. Somebody needs to write a book on him and his incredibly productive, unfortunately short life.

One more Disco D fact: He helped bring those clear rolling papers to the States.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wrote about him in my master's thesis... he was the quintessential outsider in Detroit bass music -- not black, not urban, not from Detroit. Yet he was one of the most successful artists in that scene, no doubt related to his privilege (not to understate his talent), and that still rubs some people the wrong way. He coined the term "ghettotech" which was used to market (and exoticize) Detroit music abroad. And as soon as he could he left the D (and ghettotech) behind to work in the major label world, the frustrations and vicissitudes of which contributed to his depression at the end of his life.

I heard that he and Diplo had beef over who would "break" funk carioca in the states, but that could be apocryphal.

Dave Quam said...

Yeah he kind of rubbed me the wrong way at first even, probably before I actually heard much of his music heh. Ghettotech is a weird world. Another rumor I heard was that D was making booty music before he himself actually got laid! I dunno if that is true ether though. That Diplo rumor makes sense, I mean Disco was pretty involved with Brazil back around that time with his label down there. This "ghettotech for slow people" comp came out on that label actually.

Anonymous said...

He started DJing booty shit at raves when he was 15 or something, so I believe the virgin story. His productions were never my favorites, but he did have skills and his death was tragic, so I won't hate.

JP said...

presumably you read this..
http://wayneandwax.com/?p=205