Jeff Mills, along with Robert Hood, Carl
Craig, and Joey Beltram, is one of the biggest American names
in techno. Championed for his music's relentless pursuit of
hardness and his stripped-down, almost industrial DJ sets,
Mills is the latest in a long line of Detroit-bred talent
to take on an international reputation. A founding member
of noted Motor City institution Underground Resistance, Mills
helped build the artist roster and label ideology (as well
as much of its back catalog) with partners "Mad"
Mike Banks and Robert "Noise" Hood before moving
to New York in 1992 to pursue more vigorously his solo and
DJ career (with a resident spot at the legendary Limelight
and a recording contract with the noted German label Tresor).
(Although rumors of bad blood between the early UR crew have
been denied by all involved, Mills' decision to split was
apparently total, with Banks all but repudiating his involvement
with Mills and Mills distancing himself from the continuing
political militancy of Banks and the UR organization.)
Mills' UR-related releases (including "The Punisher"
and "Seawolf") are stripped-down and erratic, fusing
elements of hardcore acid and industrial techno to the sparse
Detroit aesthetic. Not surprisingly, his post-UR sound hasn't
eased a bit, although UR's penchant for the four-track has
been replaced by higher-quality production.
Prior to his involvement in UR, Mills was a DJ at Detroit
public radio station WDET (he was also studying architecture
at the time), spinning everything from Meat Beat Manifesto
and Nine Inch Nails to Chicago house and underground Detroit
techno. He began producing in the mid-'80s, working with Tony
Srock on the project the Final Cut.
Mills met Banks through a local garage group Members of the
House, who Banks was working with in the late '80s. Mills
remixed a track on a Members 12-inch, and his and Banks' shared
love for Chicago soul and the harder edge of Detroit techno
blossomed into Underground Resistance as a combined business
and creative enterprise. The pair, along with Robert Hood,
recorded several EPs and singles together, including tracks
such as "Waveform," and "Sonic," before
Mills defected to New York in 1992 to pursue a residency at
the Limelight club and a solo career recording for Tresor
and his own label, Axis. Mills' discography includes two full-length
volumes of Waveform Transmissions for Tresor, a live album
and rarities collection for the British label React, and the
first album in a new contract with Sony Japan, as well as
a handful of 12-inch EPs on Axis and several collaborations
with Robert Hood on his M-Plant label. In 2000, Mills took
more memorable action by scoring a new soundtrack for Fritz
Lang's 1926 film Metropolis, screened around the world at
venues including the Museum of Music in Paris, London's Royal
Albert Hall, and the Vienna International Film Festival.
Artist's Web Links
Jeff Mills @ WIRE
Jeff Mills @ Liquid Room 1995
Jeff Mills @ Synergy 2009
| Minimal & Detroit
Techno Compilations :: Jeff
Mills
