1980’s & 90’s: From Synthesizers to Slim Shady

Techno - In the early 1980s, three high school friends in the Detroit suburb of Belleville experimented by mixing disco, dance, and house music.  Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson, or the "Holy Trinity" as they became known, along with Eddie Fowlkes, are considered the founders of Techno, the altogether new sound that emerged from this musical fusion.  Techno began taking hold in the Detroit and Chicago club scenes in the late 1980s and exploded into a worldwide phenomenon when European DJs discovered the unique combination of driving beats and digital effects.  Techno is alive and well in Detroit today and is celebrated each year during Movement held at Hart Plaza each Memorial Day Weekend.

Rap – When the film 8 Mile debuted in 2002, it depicted Detroit as a breeding ground for new musicians and lyrical styles born out of the frustrations of a city in decline. Filmed in Detroit and starring Marshal “Eminem” Mathers in the lead role, the soundtrack debuted at number one on Billboard’s pop chart and Mathers won an Academy Award for Best Original Song for the hit “Lose Yourself”