We pay tribute to the superlative sounds of Carl Craig under his ’69’ alias
To draw a line under the end of another tough year and move forward into 2022, we wanted to kick things off in style and revisit some classic sounds that have been a huge influence.
As you can imagine, there’s been plenty of time for reflection and digging into the crates (both physical and digital) as a welcome distraction from the stresses and strains of the last two years. However, we’re happy to report: we’re still here because we love music … and we love music because we’re still here.
If you’re reading this article, it should come as no real surprise that we’ve an enormous amount of time and love for Carl Craig. In fact, it’s been quite a pleasure to revisit one of our favourite artist’s catalogues during a quiet start to the new year. After all, when you have time, there’s nothing better than chugging your way through parts of a prolific artist’s discography. With little else to do, why wouldn’t you?
From where we’re sat, Carl Craig should need little introduction…
He began recording at the turn of the 90s using a number of aliases to express his innovative take on ambient techno, breakbeat and futuristic electronic jazz-fuelled sounds. A key player in Detroit techno’s second wave alongside Mad Mike Banks, Robert Hood, Jeff Mills and Stacey Pullen who were keen fanatics and followers of the futuristic path set out by originators Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. Craig’s ‘69’ alias is a reference to the year he was born in and is arguably the project that propelled him into the limelight.
When he was just 21, he established his label Planet E and produced prolifically – driven by his constant obsession with drawing on any and all genres of music to reinvent his own take on the sound.
3 decades on, the music is as irresistible as ever… here are our picks:
