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Where does the 'Suburban Knight' name come from?
"'The Suburban Knight' comes from not living in the major cities. If you know history a little
bit, all of the guys - from Transmat over Metroplex to KMS, except for UR though - we all went to
school in Belleville, Michigan, the suburbs of Detroit. Nobody really stayed in Detroit. It doesn't
bother me that I was not really in Detroit in the beginning. But Detroit is what our music was based
on, all our radios and all our information came from there. So basically 'Suburban Knight' comes from
being a suburban knight. Nothing more, nothing less. I just thought it was a nice name."
If you consider that from 1986, with 'The Groove' on Transmat, up until now - we've passed the
year 2000 - you only released seven or eight records. Do you consciously put out records only
occasionally?
"My philosophy with the music is to keep it dark and different, because so many records I hear
- not just today but last year too and the year before that - they all sounded alike. I like to
focus on the difference because that's what really gets me. I like the difference, the dark
grooves, the out-of-the-orthodox. For years that's been my whole model. Just try to be different!"
Listening to your music, one quickly gets captured by the overall dark atmosphere. The early
UR releases had more anger in them. Is your approach to music different?
"That's perfect man. I'm down with the cause for UR. Me and the UR guys are pretty much best
friends, but you're the first one to say that my music was dark but not angry. I'm glad to be on
board. Those guys asked me to record for them in 1992. I waited two years and came in in 1994 with
the 'Nocturbulous Behaviour' EP. Really, to me your philosophy is out there in the open. All you
have to do is pick up a record or listen to the stories [Mad] Mike tells or the emails he sends
worldwide. That's the story right there. I'm just a guy trying to push the music. No political
office I want to take. I'm just a cultural guy that can make some shit."
Can you explain the special bond between Detroit and Belgium? For example, Derrick May, Carl
Craig, and yourself are regularly spinning at parties in Belgium.
"I think Belgium is one of the smartest places for a long time now, because you got people like
Renaat from R&S. He stuck his dick out there, and it happened. Derrick May is big as hell, Juan
Atkins is big. The best Juan Atkins album I ever heard was on R&S. Respect for that."
Is the way techno is enjoyed here on the continent different from America?
"Oh yes, it's more of a constant thing. For Detroit to have all these people here, that has to
be a big mega-event, a rave. When I came over to Europe for the first time I was totally amazed. It
wasn't just two-three hundred people in a club, it was thousands. And to see that and to know the
audience knows what records you're spinning, that means so much."
A lot of people don't know that you were involved in making 'Big Fun', together with Kevin
Saunderson.
"I don't feel bad about not really getting recognition for 'Big Fun'. I think my career is
still going on, so I'm thankful for that."
Artists like Jeff Mills and Rob Hood left the UR crew to do their own thing, and someone like
Jeff Mills became a big star, while Mike Banks still does things the same way and stayed low. What
are your feelings about that?
"You know, Jeff Mills is a bad example, 'cause when he came into UR he wanted to be a DJ. That
was the most important thing for him, outside of being a producer. He was a very, very well-known
DJ in Detroit before UR even took off. With UR come rules and regulations: Don't rise to the
occasion, where you're just the flavour of the month. The philosophy basically is: sticking together
and keeping it low, so no one can infiltrate. If you think about it and look back at the history of
UR, quite a few of the guys really took off. Alan Oldham did his own thing, Eddy Fowlkes doing his
own thing, Jeff Mills... They all left for what they really wanted to do. UR is a hard fucking
label to be under. It's more than just putting good tracks out, it's a state of mind you've got to
have. I had more tracks turned down by UR than by any other label in the world. Mike is hard on you.
He's the number one reality check for everybody I know. But it keeps it real."
Isn't that why UR got so much support when Sony and BMG put out illegal copies of 'Knights of the
Jaguar'?
"That's another thing. It goes to show you: So what if a track that's supposed to be
underground grows to be pop or whatever? Congratulations! Because that broke the barriers. It's what
so many people are trying to do, but they're not saying they're trying to do. I want to hear my
records on every station. I think that's an honour. If you're respected enough to be played, cool.
But when someone comes and tries to take my track from under me, fuck that, that's wrong biz."
'Knights of the Jaguar' was released as a CD single that was widely available. That must have
been something new to do.
"We're no brothers you can take some shit from. There was a video as well. That track made us
at the UR camp do something that we hadn't done before. There was a remix. There's never been a
remix of a UR track. 'Knights of the Jaguar' changed a lot; there was a lot of pressure."
I was surprised we could take pictures of you because there's this whole thing about UR and no
press.
"I'm going to say something, and a lot of people are going to be mad about it, but when I came
to UR I didn't have a mask on. When I leave I won't have one. Mike is going to put me on punishment
for that one [laughs]. Hey, I'm just trying to keep it real, like I know how to do it. Without UR
and without Mike Banks sitting me down and taking me into the camp, I wouldn't have seen the second
half of my career, from '94 until now. My first tracks got released from '86 on. Everything I
released was done a year and a half before in a studio. 'Big Fun' as well, it was done in '85, it
came out strong like in '88. That taught me patience. The original guys took the direction they
really wanted to go, and I don't blame them for that, but I couldn't have done it like that. I'm not
a business and dollar guy like those guys. They knew what direction they wanted, and they went for
it. I didn't, really. It wasn't an easy path, not at all. Mike beeped me up a lot of times and let
me know: You've got talent, you should use it. So that's what I'm doing right now."
http://www.kindamuzik.net/interview/the-suburban-knight/the-suburban-knight/473/
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