Carl Craig Bio
Carl Craig rose to prominence on Derrick May's
Transmat Records imprint, releasing material under names like
Psyche (famed for the pre-trance "Crackdown" epic) and
BFC (notably "Static Friendly"). Originally he had
been inspired by Kraftwerk and early Human League, but after
supporting May as a component of Rhythim Is Rhythim his tastes
broadened, taking a more ethno-centric view of his surroundings.
Following recording sessions for "Strings Of Life '89"
with May he set up his own label, Planet E, before a six-month
sabbatical to England in 1990 (during which time Fragile
released "Galaxy").
Increasingly welcomed across two
continents as a prime mover in the Detroit techno sound, Craig
has issued a plethora of subsequent material. Most notable among
these are his collaboration with Maurizio ("Mind") and
his work as Paperclip People ("Remake Uno"), which
were licensed from Planet E to the Ministry Of Sound's Open
label in the UK.
He signed his 69 moniker to R&S Records in 1994. That name
had first been employed for the epic 1991 12-inch track
"Ladies And Gentleman", which latterly found favour as
a Sound On Sound reissue with DJs like DJ Pierre, Andrew
Weatherall and Amsterdam's Dimitri. In the meantime the duo
remixed "Le Funk Mob" for Planet E, while Craig
offered a new version of "Throw" for Open. Craig has
also performed remix work for prominent artists including the
Orb, Yello and Tori Amos.
He released his debut long-player (on Blanco y
Negro) in 1995, but the follow-up More Songs About Food And
Revolutionary Art offered more compelling evidence of Craig's
superb melodic talent. Craig has subsequently recorded as
Innerzone Orchestra. As Psyche, Craig
released his first single, Elements (Transmat, 1989), and the
seminal Crackdown (Transmat, 1989), later collected with other
early tracks on Elements 1989-1990 (Planet E, 1996).
Neurotic Behavior shows his musical debt to May, Chicken Noodle
Soup sounds like future 69 singles, Please Stand By predates Bug
in the Bassbin. As 69, he released the EPs Four Jazz
Funk Classics (1991) and Sound on Sound (R&S,
1996), that contain experimental techno tracks such as If Mojo
Was AM, Jam the Box, My Machines and Microlovr.
His most ambitious project, Innerzone Orchestra,
was originally only a nickname to release the highly influential
single Bug In The Bassbin (Mo Wax, 1995), but was revived in
2000 for the album Programmed (Planet E, 1999). This time
Craig is truly conducting an orchestra, that includes seasoned
programmers such as Richie Hawtin (Plastikman) and veteran jazz
players such as Paul Randolph on bass, Craig Taborn on piano and
jazz drummer Francisco Mora. Despite the collaborators, the
cubist fusion of Eruption and Basic Math is quintessential Craig
art. The album includes old-time favorites Galaxy, At Les,
Manufactured Memories and Bug In The Bassbin.
Carl Craig finally recorded under his own name
the album Landcruising (Planet E, 1995), and the effect
was to distance himself from the dance floor. The clattering Mind
Of A Machine and Einbahn are basically tributes to his two
biggest influences: Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream. The romantic
and almost ambient A Wonderful Life and One Day Soon are equally
indebted to another strong influence: Ennio Morricone's
soundtracks. And for Landcruising and Science Fiction Craig
turns to his third main influence: 1970s orchestral disco music.
Such a fundamentally retro` album is crowned by Home
Entertainment, a futuristic concerto for electrical objects. The
fusion of past and future that has always been Craig's ideology
achieves here its grandest statement.
The follow-up, More Songs About Food And
Revolutionary Art (Planet E, 1997), indulges in this stately
romantic techno (or "techno soul", as he likes to call
it). From the intense Es.30" to the delicate Dreamland,
from the robotic Butterfly to the hymn-like At Les. Movie
soundtracks are still a major influence (the haunting ambience
of Red Lights and Goodbye World), but the album is obviously
trying to unify jazz and techno. The same kind of fusion is at
the core of the vocal tracks (Attitude).