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A message from Erika:
 
"2011 was the year that No Way Back got shut down by the police at the Bo House, just after midnight, as it was beginning. The next morning I opened the Made in Detroit stage at Movement, feeling very emotional, we were all super upset about how everything had gone down just a few hours prior. Derek Plaslaiko was there from before the first record, and everyone else trickled in – in just as crazy a head space as I was. As I saw each friend appear in the audience, I played a record just for them, so the set became a string of dedications to the people of the No Way Back that never was."

Recorded at No Way Back at The Bunker LTD at Trans Pecos in Ridgewood, Queens on November 22, 2014

No Way Back once called itself "a celebration of the lost art of the late night Midwestern DJ," a description that very much rang true at their Movement afterparty in May. That night at 1515 Broadway—the former site of The Music Institute, arguably the first techno club of all time—Detroit underdogs like Carlos Souffront, Patrick Russell and BMG rocked the hot, dark and tiny room with the kind of sets that can only come from decades of experience in a city like Detroit. Everyone was fantastic, but the highlight of the night was Mike Servito.

BMG calls Servito's sets "a massive bitch slap," which is pretty much what you get on this recording. His headsy but party-rocking selections are ceaselessly flawless, his quick and cut-happy mixing style is a riot, but perhaps the real winning ingredient is the pacing and programming—throughout this mix, it seems you're never more than 16 bars away from another explosive hook. And how often do you hear a bomb like KiNK's "Existenz" veer into a curveball like Talking Heads' "Girlfriend Is Better?" Lost art, indeed.

Back to the '90s with Derek Plaslaiko
An Interdimensional Transmissions party is the closest thing to an old-school underground Detroit rave—the heads of IT generally keep it real secretive, with special jumbled call-in lines that have to be decoded in order to find out location. Their "YOUR MIND IS MINE" party at Tangent Gallery Friday night was a little more concrete, however, as IT obtained a special permit to serve alcohol and keep the event going all night (legally). Techno legend and key player in Detroit's '90s party circuit Derek Plaslaiko spun from nearly start to finish (aside from an opening set by BMG), even going past the curfew of 4 a.m. The beats didn't quit until at least a half hour later, and trust us; we didn't complain one bit. Plaslaiko dropped a hard techno set, going into electro and breaks every so often. Again, real '90s style. IT even put together a massive, visually astounding red and purple DJ booth installation for Plaslaiko to perform in, making the party ten times cooler. We kept hearing throughout the night that it was the "best party ever," and to be fair, it was. IT parties don't happen often, and when they do, we make sure to be in attendance. We're keeping our eyes open for the next one.

Tiffany Bainbridge & Nik Mercer cook pizza with Sal P while talking music, food and personal history.

Recorded live in May, 2010 at No Way Back