An intense and heavy-hitting album that pushes the boundaries of experimental electronic music.
A wide range of pulsing rhythms
Derek Michael’s most recent work for Detroit Underground, Tunnels, was released in January 2024. Traveling through familiar territory (quite literally), the tale of Michael’s frequent crossings of the Detroit/Windsor border tunnel strikes a chord with me (as did his Enroute 1 album from 2023), having grown up in Windsor and frequently traveling to Detroit for work, music events, and record stores (Record Time, anyone?). The outcome, 15 tracks covering a wide range of pulsing rhythms, electro, breaks, techno, and trademark blips and bleeps scattered throughout, makes Tunnels an intriguing listen. Field recordings, abstract soundscapes, and extremely powerful bass lines are also exposed on the release; “Blinker (Marshall Applewhite Remix)” is a great example.
You won’t be able to find much breathing room elsewhere, with tunes like “Off Ramp”‘s slow-motion rhythm easing us into its expansive soundscape and “Moving Violation,” an expressive glitch and funk track, slithering about. With powerful electronica, “Traffic Jam” blasts through our speakers, easily carrying us over the ensuing decade. An intense and heavy-hitting album that pushes the boundaries of experimental electronic music.
Tunnels is available on Detroit Underground. [Bandcamp]
