Detroit Techno Militia DJs & Producers are dedicated to preserving the legacy of underground, Detroit electronic music and its proliferation around the world. They take pride in contributing to a tradition that has deeply inspired electronic music aficionados the world over. Detroit Techno Militia soldiers work to maintain and preserve the significance of techno made in their native city, Detroit, Michigan, USA.
Detroit Techno Militia is a record label and a street-level DJ/Producer collective based in Detroit, MI, USA, with RECON:313 members in several other states and countries.
The collective started as a group of like-minded individuals who have similar inspirations and beliefs regarding Detroit Techno; where it comes from, where it is, and where it is going in the future.
There are currently two united factions of these elite DJs, Producers, and Live Performers:
DTM Home Team is made up of performers currently residing in the Detroit Metropolitan Area: T.Linder, darkcube, DJ Seoul, Neil V., DJ Psycho, Annix, Doc Matthews, and Hazmat LIVE.
DTM Recon:313 is made up of Techno Militia members residing in locales across the globe: The Mercenary (Belgium), Loner.9 (Charlotte, NC), Maxx T (France), Shawn Rudiman (Pittsburgh, PA), Eno aka ?Confusion? (Shrewsbury, MA), and DJ Energy aka Steve Crawford (Phoenix, AZ).
The Detroit Techno Militia also features ensemble acts with multiple DJs performing on multiple turntables at the same time. In the summer of 2007, the DTM 5×5 was formed. The DTM 5×5 was the first group in the Techno genre to feature five DJs (darkcube, T.Linder, DJ Seoul, Neil V., and DJ Psycho) performing together on five analog turntables. ‘313: The Hard Way’ was featured on the Chicago vs. Detroit Boiler Room with DTM members T.Linder, DJ Seoul, and DJ Psycho.
On April 17th, 2010, Detroit Techno Militia accepted the Detroit Music Award for “Outstanding Electronic Music Group”. Their groundbreaking performance on the ‘Made In Detroit Stage’ at the 2011 Movement: Detroit Electronic Music Festival stands out as one of the most memorable sets at the three-day festival. International techno legend, Claude Young, remarked that witnessing the DTM 5×5 was the highlight of his entire weekend.
With a worldwide footprint in the world of underground electronic music, the members of the Detroit Techno Militia are no strangers to touring and life on the road. In 2008, a group of DTM techno soldiers embarked on a three-week international tour, appropriately named the ‘RECON:313 European Tour’.
In 2010, the Detroit Techno Militia launched the month-long ‘2010 Solidarity Tour’, which culminated in a performance in front of thousands of party-goers at the Pact Festival in Eindhoven, Netherlands on Queen’s Day. In April of 2011, DTM followed up with the ‘2011 European Tour’. This six-week adventure featured 14 shows in seven European countries, including an eight hour DJ set by the DTM 2×4 (DJ Seoul and T.Linder performing on four turntables and two mixers) at the 20th anniversary of the legendary German nightclub, Tresor:Berlin. The rest is history. T.Linder, DJ Seoul, and Shawn Rudiman keep an active tour schedule year-round, often being joined by Neil V. and darkcube. DJ Psycho holds it down in the Midwest with shows booked most weekends throughout the year.
After years of incorporation, in early 2007, Detroit Techno Militia formally launched their record label in a partnership with Cratesavers Muzik. After three very successful 12″ vinyl EP releases, ‘DTM001’, ‘DTM002’, and ‘DTM003’, they spun off from Cratesavers and took on all responsibilities in-house. Their next 12″ vinyl EPs, ‘DTM004’, ‘DTM005’, ‘DTM 006’ and ‘DTM007 — The Tip of the Spear’ were independently released and distributed. Many of these releases have been charted and played by some of the biggest international names in Techno. DTM’s music is regularly featured by legendary DJ, Dave Clarke, on his radio show ‘White Noise’ on the Dutch national radio station, 3VOOR12. Today, the Detroit Techno Militia continues to release music on their own vinyl label, their digital label: ‘DTM Digital’, and other internationally distributed record labels. In 2016, DTM did a joint release with Detroit Underground featuring Scan 7, respectively named ‘DTM008’. Check out the entire discography here.
Angie Linder, co-founder and label manager of the Detroit Techno Militia, sums up the mission statement:“We strive to preserve the craft of DJing, DJ culture, and camaraderie through the music that we play and produce. Everything we do is for the love of the music, and the respect we have for the artists who have inspired what we do.”
“It’s a battle for the soul of the music.”