I.T. Radio: Claude Young and Dave Peoples

Two close friends, collaborators and champions of adventurous Detroit music dive into the deep end of the city’s techno universe.

If you talk to anyone who came up raving in Detroit during the ‘90s, it’s only a matter of time before they bring up Claude Young, Jr. in hushed tones. His technical skills and creativity as a DJ are the stuff of legend – BMG, who describes Young as “a humble monk full of a constant stream of ideas,” recalls him editing on the fly with double copies of the latest Dopplereffekt record. But he was a master in less visible ways as well, helping kick off such labels as Seventh City with Dan Bell, Frictional with Anthony “Shake” Shakir, and a lesser known but very key outfit called Dow Records with Dave Whiteside. Claude made the music for the label in the studio of a guy named Dave Peoples – the first studio Claude ever worked in. Dow and its Utensil imprint went on to champion music from adventurous Detroit producers like Walt J and Terrence Dixon – Peoples would form an especially close musical bond with the latter, going on to be the music director for Dixon’s astonishingly avant-garde live shows. Claude and Dave are great friends to this day, and on this edition of Interdimensional Transmissions broadcast from Red Bull Radio’s Detroit studio, they’ll join BMG and Erika to give a unique insider perspective on the deeper side of the city’s techno universe.