On Friday, April 24th, 2020 our Detroit and world music community lost a legend in Mike Huckaby.  He was someone that I personally looked up to in a lot of ways and someone I absolutely respected as an artist and a person.  

He influenced so many artists and DJs, not just in Detroit, but around the world.  So much so that I simply cannot put not into words how much of an influence he was to me and many others I personally know. 

On Sunday, April 26th, 2020 I decided to stream a 2-hour set on Twitch of nothing but Mike Huckaby tracks, plus other tracks that were inspired by him and those that I might have had personal stories about.  It was a way of personal healing and remembrance.  Two hours just wasn't enough, however, and I ended up playing for almost five.  

There were quite a few friends that mean the world to me that were logged in and chatting during the entire stream and I can't thank them enough.  We were all able to help each other in the healing process as a group, which is exactly what the stream was bout.  

There have been many tributes for Huck and there will be many more. This is merely my perspective on what he meant to me and the great thing about Huck is there are still many hours of other tributes that will differ greatly than mine. It just goes to show you how large of a reach he had.  

The world will never be the same now that Huck is gone but he will live on through the army of Deep House (and techno) Soldiers he had continued to build throughout his lifetime.  

I also wanted to point out that I had @andytoth master the audio the recording. This is significant because many people might not know that Huck would send his tracks to Andy for the mix downs and mastering.   I couldn't think of a better audio engineer to touch this mix.

Link to archived video stream:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWk2VvZzwbA

Mike Huckaby Tribute Mix by Craig Gonzalez

Zach Koeber is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and DJ from New York.  He uses his training as a saxophonist and clarinetist to create garden beds of sound.

https://instagram.com/subterraneansuspect?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

Hip hop perked the interest of Detroit’s Craig Gonzalez to vinyl at a young age, and underground parties in the 1990s soon catalyzed a lifelong fascination with DJing. Inspired by versatility, his self-taught techniques have grown from weaving rhythmic layers into powerful, personal narratives.

Influenced by the Mike Huckaby’s depth and the hypnotic craft of Donato Dozzy, Gonzalez has honed his own style from a global network of like-minded artists. Family, history, and culture that surrounds electronic music have been key to his deep sensibilities, which translate seamlessly across a dance floor.

https://www.instagram.com/scotia_trax/

scotiabirdsey@gmail.com