Carl Craig

Carl Craig was born in Detroit, Michigan, on May 22, 1969.{{cite web|url=http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid2=9&fid1=29999&csid1=119|title=Carl Craig - Intergalactic Beats|work=Exclaim!|first=Dimitri|last=Nasrallah|date=March 2008|access-date=August 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420181350/http://www.exclaim.ca/articles/multiarticlesub.aspx?csid2=9&fid1=29999&csid1=119|archive-date=April 20, 2008|url-status=dead}} His mother was a teacher's assistant and his father was a post office worker.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/9274-carl-craig/|title=Carl Craig|work=Pitchfork|first=Larry|last=Fitzmaurice|date=December 4, 2013|access-date=August 8, 2019}} He attended Cooley High School, where he developed an interest in music. He learned to play guitar and later became interested in club music through his cousin Doug Craig, who worked lighting for Detroit area parties. After hearing Derrick May's radio show on WJLB, Craig began experimenting with recording on a dual-deck cassette player. Craig met someone who knew May and passed along a tape of some of his home studio productions.

Since 1989, Craig has released many recordings under a large number of aliases, including Psyche, BFC, 69, Paperclip People, and Innerzone Orchestra. Many of these early Psyche and BFC releases were collected on the 1996 compilation Elements 1989–1990.{{cite web|url=https://www.factmag.com/2012/11/19/planet-e-to-reissue-carl-craigs-juvenilia-collection-elements-1989-1990/|title=Planet E to reissue Carl Craig's juvenilia collection Elements 1989-1990|work=Fact|date=November 19, 2012|access-date=August 22, 2019}} Craig founded his own record label called Planet E Communications in 1991. Since then, it has released records by other artists such as Kevin Saunderson, Moodymann, and Kenny Larkin.{{cite web|url=https://mixmag.net/read/detroit-love-lab-la-takeover-with-carl-craig-and-stacey-pullen-video|title=Detroit Love lab LA takeover with Carl Craig and Stacey Pullen|work=Mixmag|first=Carre|last=Orenstein|date=December 16, 2014|access-date=August 8, 2019}}

His first studio album, Landcruising, was released on Blanco y Negro Records in 1995. In 1996, he released The Secret Tapes of Doctor Eich under the Paperclip People moniker.{{cite web|url=https://www.redbull.com/au-en/5-albums-that-showcase-carl-craigs-versatility|title=5 albums that showcase Carl Craig's versatility|work=Red Bull|author=Cyclone|date=August 15, 2017|access-date=August 17, 2019}} In 1997, he released More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art. It was placed at number 29 on Pitchfork{{'}}s "50 Best IDM Albums of All Time" list.{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/10011-the-50-best-idm-albums-of-all-time/?page=3|title=The 50 Best IDM Albums of All Time (page 3 of 5)|work=Pitchfork|first=Nate|last=Patrin|date=January 24, 2017|access-date=August 17, 2019}} In 1999, he released Programmed under the Innerzone Orchestra moniker.

Craig served as co-creator and artistic director for the Detroit Electronic Music Festival in 2000 and 2001.{{cite web|url=https://mixmag.net/feature/how-well-do-you-know-the-history-of-movement-detroit|title=How well do you know the history of Movement Detroit?|work=Mixmag|first=Carre|last=Orenstein|date=May 19, 2016|access-date=August 8, 2019}} His subsequent dismissal by festival organizers caused substantial controversy within the Detroit techno community, igniting a high-profile campaign in his favor.{{cite web|url=https://www.metrotimes.com/detroit/in-gratitude/Content?oid=2171285|title=In gratitude|work=Metro Times|date=June 6, 2001|access-date=August 8, 2019}} In 2001, he filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit against festival producer Pop Culture Media.{{cite web|url=http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1443707/05142001/craig_carl.jhtml|title=Carl Craig Fires Back At Festival Organizers Who Fired Him|work=VH1|first=Eric|last=Schumacher-Rasmussen|date=May 14, 2001|access-date=November 14, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323222615/http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1443707/05142001/craig_carl.jhtml|archive-date=March 23, 2007}}

He released a reworked version of Landcruising, titled The Album Formerly Known As..., in 2005. In 2008, he released a collaborative album with Moritz Von Oswald, titled Recomposed, on Deutsche Grammophon.{{cite web|url=https://www.villagevoice.com/2017/07/20/carl-craigs-string-theory-the-detroit-house-pioneer-gets-orchestral/|title=Carl Craig's String Theory: The Detroit House Pioneer Gets Orchestral|work=The Village Voice|first=Milo|last=Miles|date=July 20, 2017|access-date=August 17, 2019}} He returned as artistic director for the 2010 Detroit Electronic Music Festival.{{cite web|url=https://www.xlr8r.com/news/movement-carl-craig-is-back|title=Movement: Carl Craig is Back|work=XLR8R|first=Ken|last=Taylor|date=May 22, 2009|access-date=August 8, 2019}} In 2015, he released a collaborative album with Green Velvet, titled Unity, on Relief Records.{{cite web|url=https://www.residentadvisor.net/news/28882|title=Carl Craig and Green Velvet release surprise collaborative LP|work=Resident Advisor|first=Andrew|last=Ryce|date=March 25, 2015|access-date=August 17, 2019}} In 2017, he released Versus on InFiné.{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/versus/carl-craig|title=Versus by Carl Craig|work=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=August 17, 2019}}

In 2020 Carl created Party/After-Party, an immersive sound and light installation that premiered at Dia:Beacon before moving to MOCA in Los Angeles, finally becoming part of the permanent collections at Dia:Beacon.{{cite web|url=https://www.papermag.com/carl-craig-dia-beaon-2645451204.html|title=Partying in the Basement of Dia Beacon With Carl Craig|work=Paper|first=Jael|last=Goldfine|date=March 12, 2020|access-date=September 14, 2020}}{{Cite web |last=Abascal |first=Lina |date=2023-04-13 |title=Don't expect a 'typical' club experience at techno fixture Carl Craig's new MOCA exhibit |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2023-04-13/carl-craig-detroit-techno-moca-los-angeles-exhibit |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}} The culmination of a five-year-long engagement with Dia:Beacon,{{cite web|url=https://www.electronicbeats.net/carl-craig-dia-beacon-new-york/|title=Why Carl Craig at Dia:Beacon is a Groundbreaking Moment for American Art Institutions|work=Electronic Beats|first=Harley|last=Brown|date=August 10, 2020|access-date=September 14, 2020}} it was his first foray into the art world, fusing the legacies of Detroit techno with minimalist sound art.{{Cite web |title=Carl Craig Brings "Party/After-Party" to MOCA - PAPER Magazine |url=https://www.papermag.com/carl-craig-party-afterparty-moca#rebelltitem3 |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=www.papermag.com |language=en}} Craig described Party/After-Party as an entry point into his own mind and experiences as a techno musician.{{Cite web |date=2023-05-25 |title=CULTURE SHOCK: Crashing The After-Party With Carl Craig |url=https://vmagazine.com/article/culture-shock-crashing-the-after-party-with-carl-craig/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=V Magazine |language=en-US}} Throughout 30 minute long immersive techno soundscapes, using beats never surpassing 100 BPM, viewers were sonically guided from party, to after party, to dawn, experiencing an evening from the perspective of the DJ, and illustrating the distinction between how Craig and the audience spend their nights once the club closes.{{Cite web |title=Carl Craig {{!}} Don't Wait For It |url=https://www.flaunt.com/post/carl-craig-the-critical-mass-issue |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=www.flaunt.com}} In 2023 the installation was brought to The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles, where Insomniac and Secret Project collaborated with Craig to produce the Party/After-Party Sessions, a series of three live concerts accompanying the exhibition, celebrating the legacy of techno music and platforming artists such as DJ Holographic, Felix Da Housecat, King Britt, Moodymann, and Kenny Larkin. {{cite web|url=https://www.moca.org/exhibition/carl-craig-party-after-party |title=Carl Craig: Party/After-Party |website=moca.org |date=2023 |access-date=2024-03-15}}

In 2021 Craig collaborated with Daniel Lee, then Creative Director of the Italian couture house Bottega Veneta, on their Salon O3 show- creating Runway, a multi-floor experience at the Michigan Building Theater in Detroit, featuring site-specific sonic sculptures and light installations.{{Cite web |date=2021-10-25 |title=Moodymann soundtracks Bottega Veneta fashion show in Detroit |url=https://djmag.com/news/moodymann-soundtracks-bottega-veneta-fashion-show-detroit |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=DJ Mag |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Westall |first=Mark |date=2023-03-09 |title=Moca presents Carl Craig: Party/After Party |url=https://fadmagazine.com/2023/03/09/moca-presents-carl-craig-party-after-party/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=FAD Magazine |language=en-GB}}

Craig is the subject of a 2024 documentary titled ‘Desire, the Carl Craig Story’, directed by Jean-Cosme Delaloye, which had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York in June 2024. {{Cite web |last=Graham |first=Adam |title=Carl Craig on Movement, his new documentary and aging like Leonard Cohen |url=https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/music/2024/05/22/carl-craig-on-movement-his-new-documentary-aging-like-leonard-cohen/73684620007/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=The Detroit News |language=en-US}} Delaloye began shooting Craig at the Movement Festival in 2022, with the 90-minute feature following him all over the world, concluding in Los Angeles, where Craig inaugurated his Party/After Party multi-sensory exhibition at MOCA in April 2023.{{Cite web |last=Ramachandran |first=Naman |date=2024-02-13 |title=Detroit Techno Music Producer Carl Craig Doc 'Desire,' From 'Harley' Director Jean-Cosme Delaloye, Wraps Production (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/global/detroit-techno-carl-craig-doc-desire-1235909068/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=New documentary looking at life and career of Carl Craig to hit UK cinemas this spring |url=https://mixmag.net/read/new-documentary-life-career-detroit-techno-carl-craig-cinemas-uk-spring-news |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Mixmag}} The documentary is the story of Craig’s life, from his high school years, through his time coming up in Detroit in the wake of techno pioneers Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson and Juan Atkins, and as an artist devoted to perfecting his sound, with the story of Detroit’s decline and recovery as the backdrop. The film features insights from his family, and contributions from prominent DJs and Producers, including Laurent Garnier, DJ Minx, Moodymann and Gilles Peterson.{{Cite web |title=Desire: The Carl Craig Story |url=https://www.glasgowfilm.org/movie/desire-the-carl-craig-story/ |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=Glasgow Film Theatre}}

Mixmag called Carl Craig "a leading figure in Detroit techno's second generation,"{{cite web|url=https://mixmag.net/feature/the-10-best-90s-techno-albums|title=The 10 best 90s techno albums|work=Mixmag|first=Patrick|last=Hinton|date=September 29, 2017|access-date=August 19, 2019}} while Exclaim! called him a "central figure" in the genre's second wave. Pitchfork described him as "techno pioneer." He has approached techno using inspiration from a wide range of musical genres, including soul, jazz, new wave, industrial, and krautrock, while his works have spanned ambient techno, breakbeat, house, classical, and modular synthesizer-based stylings.{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/carl-craig-mn0000174035/biography|title=Carl Craig - Biography|website=AllMusic|first=John|last=Bush|access-date=November 6, 2015}} In a 2015 interview, he cited The Electrifying Mojo, Prince, Kraftwerk, Juan Atkins, and Jeff Mills as the major influences on his music.{{cite web|url=https://www.factmag.com/2015/02/19/watch-carl-craig-discuss-detroit-prince-biggest-influences/|title=Watch Carl Craig discuss Detroit, Prince and his biggest influences|work=Fact|date=February 19, 2015|access-date=August 8, 2019}}

Landcrusing is described as "synth-heavy, atmospheric techno that draws influences from beyond Detroit, yet unmistakably belongs to it. It also functions as a homage to Craig’s hometown—after all, it was conceived as a soundtrack for driving around its streets."{{Cite web |date=2015-07-14 |title=The 99 Greatest Dance Albums of All Time |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-99-greatest-dance-albums-of-all-time/ |access-date=2025-06-09 |website=VICE |language=en-US}}

Craig's 1992 track "Bug in the Bassbin", released under the Innerzone Orchestra moniker, was picked up by DJs such as 4hero, Goldie, and J Majik.{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/features/carl-craig-and-innerzone-orchestra|title=Carl Craig and Innerzone Orchestra|work=Clash|first=Tristan|last=Parker|date=November 2, 2009|access-date=August 22, 2019}} In the United Kingdom, DJs started playing the track at 45 rpm instead of the intended 33 rpm. According to Now, the track "ended up providing inspiration and in many ways writing the blueprint for what drum 'n' bass was to become in England."{{cite web|url=https://nowtoronto.com/news/carl-craig/|title=Carl Craig|work=Now|first=Benjamin|last=Boles|date=January 23, 2003|access-date=August 22, 2019}}

According to Vinyl Me, Please, Craig "managed to not only push the boundaries of Detroit techno, he also introduced an urgency and melodic richness to the sometimes navel-gazing world of IDM" with releases such as More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art (1997).{{cite web |last1=McKenna |first1=Niall |title=A Carl Craig Primer |url=https://magazine.vinylmeplease.com/magazine/carl-craig-primer/ |website=Vinyl Me, Please |access-date=13 April 2021}}

Some consider Landcruising to be among the greatest dance music albums of all time.

• Landcruising (1995)
• The Secret Tapes of Doctor Eich (1996) {{small|(as Paperclip People)}}
• More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art (1997)
• Programmed (1999) {{small|(as Innerzone Orchestra)}}
• The Album Formerly Known As... (2005)
• Recomposed (2008) {{small|(with Moritz von Oswald)}}
• Unity (2015) {{small|(with Green Velvet)}}
• Versus (2017)

• The Sound of Music (1995) {{small|(as 69)}}
• Elements 1989-1990 (1996) {{small|(as Psyche/BFC)}}
• Designer Music V1 (2000)
• Abstract Funk Theory (2001)
• From the Vault: Planet E Classics Collection Vol. 1 (2006)
• The Legendary Adventures of a Filter King (2009) {{small|(as 69)}}

• DJ-Kicks: Carl Craig (1996)
• House Party 013: A Planet E Mix (1999)
• Onsumothasheeat (2001)
• The Workout (2002)
• Fabric 25 (2005)
• The Kings of Techno (2006) {{small|(with Laurent Garnier)}}
• Sessions (2008)
• Masterpiece (2013)
• Detroit Love (2019)

• 4 Jazz Funk Classics (1991) {{small|(as 69)}}
• Sound on Sound (1993) {{small|(as 69)}}
• Lite Music (1994) {{small|(as 69)}}
• The Floor EP (1996) {{small|(as Paperclip People)}}
• Just Another Day (2004)
• Paris Live (2007)

• "Crackdown" (1990) {{small|(as Psyche)}}
• "No More Words" (1991)
• "Oscillator" (1991) {{small|(as Paperclip People)}}
• "Jam the Box" (1994) {{small|(as 69)}}
• "Throw" (1994) {{small|(as Paperclip People)}}
• "The Climax" (1995) {{small|(as Paperclip People)}}
• "Science Fiction" (1995)
• "Bug in the Bass Bin" (1996) {{small|(as Innerzone Orchestra)}}
• "Floor" (1996) {{small|(as Paperclip People)}}
• "4 My Peepz" (1998) {{small|(as Paperclip People)}}
• "People Make The World Go Round" (2000) {{small|(as Innerzone Orchestra)}}
• "A Wonderful Life" / "As Time Goes By" (2002)
• "Sparkle" / "Home Entertainment" (2005)
• "Darkness" / "Angel" (2006)
• "Sandstorms" (2017)

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Carl Craig}}

• {{Official website|carlcraig.net}}
• {{Discogs artist|Carl Craig}}

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Category:1969 births

Category:Living people

Category:African-American DJs

Category:American electronic musicians

Category:American house musicians

Category:American techno musicians

Category:DJs from Detroit

Category:Detroit techno

Category:Universal Motown Records artists

Category:American electronic dance music DJs