RISE: Detroit’s Machine Music

In the final episode of RISE, host Julian Chambliss examines how Detroit-born techno became a global phenomenon while its Black origins were often overlooked. Featuring artists and scholars, the episode explores techno’s deep ties to Afrofuturism, the cultural disconnection caused by commercialization, and the ongoing efforts to reclaim its legacy. It’s a powerful reflection on Detroit’s lasting i...

Host Julian Chambliss explores the deep connections between techno music and Afrofuturist worldbuilding, focusing particularly on the legacy of Detroit’s Underground Resistance (UR). Techno is framed not only as music but as a medium of resistance, imagination, and cultural storytelling. Host: Julian Chambliss. Featured Voices: Ingrid Lafleur, Tobias c. van Veen, Mike Banks, AduQadim Haqq. Present...

Episode 4 explores the pivotal role of DJs in shaping Detroit techno. It highlights how figures like Jeff Mills, Ken Collier, and the Electrifying Mojo fostered community, creativity, and sonic experimentation. DJs are shown as cultural mediators—bridging generations, creating live experiences, and transforming dance floors into spaces of Afrofuturist possibility. Host: Julian Chambliss. Featured...

Episode 3 explores how affordable electronic Episode 3 explores how affordable electronic instruments like the Roland TB-303 and TR-606 empowered Detroit’s Black youth to invent techno. It highlights the role of experimentation, Afrofuturism, and cultural resistance, framing techno as a unique sound shaped by innovation, struggle, and speculative imagination. Host: Julian Chambliss. Featured Voice...

Episode 2 of the RISE Podcast explores how Detroit’s history, shaped by Black migration, industrial boom, deindustrialization, and grassroots activism, laid the groundwork for techno. It highlights techno as a sonic response to social change, blending geography, innovation, and Afrofuturist visions to reflect Black resilience and aspiration in a transforming city. Host: Julian Chambliss. Featured...

In Episode 1 of the RISE Podcast, we explore Detroit techno as a form of Black speculative practice and Afrofuturism, rooted in innovation and cultural expression by Black youth. It highlights techno’s origins, its transformative power, and the ways sound and technology reflect Black futures shaped by imagination, resistance, and community. Host: Julian Chambliss. Featured Voices: Julian Chambliss...