Of course, the name thing seems like a tired joke at first. A “Motor City Drum Ensemble” consisting of exactly one person and no drums? hehe. And yet there is much more to this supposed deception than just an old joke. One could almost say: as good as everything that artistically defined and defines this wonderfully own turntable.
On the one hand, there is the ensemble, which in the case of Danilo Plessow does not consist of other people, but consists of a multitude of analogue equipment that he uses as a DJ and producer at work. And on the other hand the Motor City, with which Plessow refers to his own roots in the Mercedes-Benz city of Stuttgart – but at the same time to the Motor City in which a good part of his musical inspiration lies: Detroit in the US state of Michigan.
A city, then, whose name is closely linked to the history of the Ford group, but which also stands for an enormous musical heritage. As the place where the soul, funk and disco label Motown Records was founded in 1959 anyway. But also as the home of a virile jazz scene and as the birthplace of Detroit techno, which, as a bold and cool fusion of funk and house elements, paved the way for the great techno hype of the nineties years before.
Accordingly, one shouldn’t imagine this Motor City drum ensemble as an undertaking in which a nice Motown oldie is thrown into the techno set from time to time. But rather as one that actually tries to trace the genesis of electronic music.
As a DJ, Plessow is one of those rare species that still plays vinyl and prefers to search for rarities in well-stocked record shops than on the internet. The result is a fund that only a few can boast of this breadth. You can trace him, for example, through the dramaturgically famous sets that Plessow recorded for the well-known mix series “DJ-Kicks” and “Fabric”, or in the form of a festival appearance as part of the Boiler Room series, where he Right at the beginning, the crowd around him beamed back to the disco era. Of course, the best way to celebrate this high mass of soulfulness is to dance at one of his DJ sets, like the one that’s coming up at Blitz.
Motor City Drum Ensemble, Friday, March 31, doors open at 11 p.m. Blitz Club, Museum Island 1