Although artists like Derrick May and Juan Atkins may no longer be releasing genre-defining albums, the legacy of Detroit techno has carried on in some unusual places.
Based in "a small cottage in Bolton" in the UK, Mark Stewart is the mastermind behind what might be the most authentically Detroit-sounding non-Detroit artist of recent years, Claro Intelecto.
Over the course of a number of EPs and albums on the legendary Modern Love album, whose owner is a close friend of Stewart's, Claro Intelecto has created a sound tailor made for discerning techno listeners.
Over the course of a number of EPs and albums on the legendary Modern Love album, whose owner is a close friend of Stewart's, Claro Intelecto has created a sound tailor made for discerning techno listeners. Tracks like his breakout single "Peace of Mind" meld elements of classic techno and electro with a minimalism and all-pervading zen calm.
On Metanarrative, perhaps his defining album, Stewart constructed clinical techno rhythms around distant, hazy melodies so beautiful listeners could lose themselves in them for hours. With a self-described huge backlog of unreleased material, it's likely we'll be hearing a lot in the future of Claro Intelecto's neo-Detroit stylings.
