Mena Lynn Malone 

vocalist - DJ - producer 

Portland Oregon USA, Earth 

I am a House Gangster / Great Lakes Audio / Grin Music / Ficus Tree Music / Native Soul / Caliber Records / Caboose Records / llama Farm Recordings / Doin' Work Records 

"this is how I Jam"

Listen to Melodica now: https://found.ee/EDancer-Melodica

Bookings: ed@arcade-talent.com 
Management: phil@onehouse.com

Platinum-selling recording artist, label boss, festival promoter, true innovator in the pantheon of popular music, cultural champion, cracking DJ: there’s a lot to be said about Kevin Saunderson.

His influence runs deep, through both adopted hometown of Detroit, and music culture as a whole: as one of the Belleville Three, the high school trio which also includes Juan Atkins and Derrick May, he irreparably changed the face of electronic music; with Inner City, he gave it some of its most memorable tunes. 

The genesis of today’s enormous techno scene can be retraced straight to Kevin, Derrick and Juan, as their formative experiments on rudimentary hardware sketched a blueprint for a genre that was yet to exist. By absorbing Kraftwerk, cutting-edge funk, local radio stalwart The Electrifying Mojo’s electicism, and all manner of new synthesiser and drum machine-led pop music, the Belleville Three broke new ground as musicians and DJs in the 80s. 

Saunderson’s comparatively late start as a producer – kicking off in ’87 under the moniker of Kreem, with E-Dancer and Reese two of the more well-known names to follow – inadvertently gifted him a headstart. With the eruption of house music a few hours down the I-94 in Chicago, Saunderson married Detroit’s raw sound to more tactile, pop-leaning sensibilities. Inner City was born, and global success followed.

Between “Big Fun”, “Good Life”, debut album Paradise and a number of follow-up singles, Inner City (Saunderson and vocalist Paris Grey) amassed 12 UK top 40 hits and over six million records sold worldwide during their peak. A dancefloor-dominating remix by Luciano in 2008, and a globetrotting reunion tour in 2012, underscores the longevity of Inner City’s classic sound. 

His nickname of ‘The Elevator’ is apt: for his role in transporting Detroit’s new sound to a wider audience; as anyone who has seen him perform live can attest, his high-energy, high-spirit and high-impact DJ sets; and for spending the past 35 years of his life progressing the culture he helped create. 

Operating in tandem to his golden run as a producer in the late 80s and early 90s, Saunderson’s own KMS record label – a remarkable 30 years strong in 2017 – has chronicled the early footsteps of R-Tyme, Blake Baxter, MK, Chez Damier, Derrick Carter, Bicep and even Saunderson’s son and regular DJ partner Dantiez more recently. 

A special 12” series in 2008 called History Elevate, released in tandem with fellow polymath Carl Craig’s Planet E label, brought contemporary names like Mathew Jonson, Simian Mobile Disco and Loco Dice into the fold, proving his nous for fostering relationships with each new wave to come through techno’s gates. 25th anniversary compilations and numerous reissues have followed suit. 

Saunderson has a behind-the-scenes role to play, too: he is intertwined with the history of Detroit’s flagship Movement (formerly Detroit Electronic Music Festival / Fuse-In). Having produced the event in the mid-2000s, the last handful of years have seen repeated invites from Movement to display his ORIGINS showcase at the festival, bringing acts like Delano Smith, Phuture and DJ Minx under his curatorial umbrella. 

And of course, with a stacked international touring schedule over the decades, playing in nearly every country and at nearly every festival or club worth mention, he has not stopped pushing the feeling of techno on and on. 

The Groove That Won’t Stop, indeed.

Hailing from eastern Washington, Eric Allen found his love and passion for electronic music in The early to mid 90s. Quickly realizing Spokane's nightlife scene didn't have much to offer he made the move west. Once in Seattle he became part of The Lost Boys and dove into the electronic music scene and hasn't stopped. His styles range from deep and funky, to dark and techy. Currently holding residencies at Flammable, Studio 4/4, Lost, and In The Red to name a few.

"Call It Techno" was the blueprint track which was written on June 4, 1989.  It was at the forefront of European Rave Culture and became a well known track in the U.K. & Germany.  The documentary "We Call It Techno" explains it right from the beginning and from that came the second & third Love Parade themes being named "The Future Is Ours" off the XL/Citibeat LP by Musto & Bones.  And "My House Is Your House" from the Break Boys which was Frankie Bones aka on Fourth Floor Records in 1990.

Frankie became the American Pioneer of Rave Culture on both coasts in 1990, playing Techno as a movement.  The Peace, Love, Unity Movement which in 1993 became PLUR after a fight broke out at an event in The Bronx which had Richie Hawtin as it's headliner.

And the rest is history.  If words can paint the picture here, the first 5 Soundcloud links will describe a DJ who has a journey of a lifetime & still is active in 2024.  The music that comes from the heart & soul of the Brooklyn Underground.

James Riggin is following