SOUND⚡WAVES | Volume 5
Sep 16, 2019
Two cities, both alike in dignity but different in sound. Very fuckin' different. Detroit and NYC have been embroiled in a seemingly endless geographical battle of the bands since the 60's, and the war has produced some of the most epic names in the house of rock. The Stooges (Detroit) and The Ramones (NYC). Jack White and Blondie. The Four Tops and The Velvet Underground. MC5 and The New York Dolls. The list goes on. And the music is bloody incredible.
In Volume #5 of SOUND⚡WAVES, DJ Waves walks us through the decades-long battle, alternating each song between Detroit and New York City. And in the process paints an illuminating picture of the sounds of each city. Which city has the better bands? The slickest guitar riffs? The heaviest drums? The most timeless songwriting? You decide.
"I’ve been consumed by a book about the New York City post-punk scene in the mid 2000’s called “Meet Me In The Bathroom”, which talks about the CBGB’s days evolving into the LCD Soundsystem era of slick sounding tunes. The gritty dive bars, the drugs, the image experimentation artists toyed with as they cemented their identities—New York City is never short on inspiring artists and creatives to fully self express themselves.
Similarly, Detroit has had its own distinct music scene inspired by the city’s idiosyncrasies. A hub for Memphis-style rhythmic garage rock, and the birthplace of Berry Gordy’s Motown records, it’s been churning out hit after hit for years. I recently escaped to Motor City for a weekend to catch a concert and do some record shopping (Hi Third Man Records, take all my money!). Steeltown’s own Jeff & Tania had recently travelled to the city as well so naturally, we shared hot spot reccomendations and gushed over our favourite hidden gems in the city.
Fresh off my travel high, I scrapped my old mixtape idea and immediately created my love letter to Detroit and NYC; two cities that have struggled and been reborn, and birthed legendary sounds inspired by the trials and tribulations. Who did it better? I’ll let you guys listen and decide."
DJ Waves
