Detroit has never been a stranger to innovation, our most iconic sound is proof. The heartbeat of Detroit and one of our most legendary and current soundtracks, welcome to Techno City -- from the perspective of a few DJs on the scene.
Saybin Samone Roberson and Catie Goins
February 27, 2026
Respectful, collaborative relationships with the people of other cultures—especially when engaging in anthropological studies—has become an expectation across the globe since the onset of a growing movement called New Animism. This can be seen here in Detroit through the close collaboration between the curators of the DIA and an advisory council of contemporary Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi artists working across the Great Lakes Region.
Ashley Cook
February 16, 2026
On May 17th 2025, College for Creative Studies celebrated the 100th anniversary of its student exhibition with over three thousand works of art on view across both campuses. The wide range of disciplines showcased throughout the event represents one hundred and nineteen years of evolution; what began as a curriculum with only basic classes in drawing, design, and woodcarving now offers BFA, BA, MFA, MA and MPS degree programs in over a dozen different disciplines as well as precollege & continuing education training, and certifications in Art Education. The story of CCS offers insight into the development of art schools in the United States—particularly in relation to industrial manufacturing—and reveals the adaptation and innovation that was required to stay open, even through Detroit’s most tumultuous years...
Ashley Cook
October 6, 2025
From the beginning, Detroit Techno music has been deconstructing sounds, and blending human and technology into creative hybrid entities. This movement of sonic samples quickly grew to include re-purposed spaces, signage and lights. Although this cultural genre, born in Detroit from abandonment and innovation, has evolved to incorporate sophisticated techniques to light the stages and dancefloors, many have figured out ways to keep the DIY spirit alive...
Ashley Cook
June 7, 2025
It’s hard not to feel lucky to exist early in a musical genre’s timeline. With the birth of techno occurring almost half a century ago, we as clubbers and fans of techno have a rare opportunity to engage with this genre’s pioneers, many of whom are still among us. However, as most discussions about techno history tend to center on the musicians and DJs behind the decks, we often overlook the larger forces that shape the culture; it’s time to shift our attention to the dancers, the voyeurs, the bartenders, the door attendants, the designers – all techno enthusiasts who play a crucial role in sustaining and evolving the scene...
Tara Shafa
April 14, 2025
The Tuskegee Airmen earned the nickname as the Red Tail Angels for fighting fascists in the skies of World War II. They flew hundreds of patrol, escort and attack missions for the Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces, and were recorded as the fleet with one of the lowest casualty counts of all of the United States pilots. They were recognizable as a team because of the red tails of their planes, and because they were segregated from all of the other pilots for being primarily African American.
Ashley Cook
November 11, 2024
Social theorists around the world acknowledge Detroit as a complex place that was once built as a “utopian vision of the future” and now exists as utopia’s perfect antithesis. The city’s time-line has followed the devolution of many cities depicted in science-fiction tales, giving rise to cyberpunk, a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on a future of advanced technological and scientific accomplishments...
Ashley Cook
February 19, 2024
August 11 marked the world premiere of ‘round midnight // i got it bad (and that ain’t good) by Detroit-based playwright and poet will street. The production is a semi-autobiographical semi-love-story told eagerly by the main character and narrator whose name is Elijah Eddleman...
Ashley Cook
August 23, 2023
The history of art in Detroit encompasses the story of C-Pop, an exhibition space that started when Michael Lask responded to Rick Manore's ad in The Metro Times about old concert posters...
Michael Lask and Rick Manore, narrated by Ashley Cook
April 18, 2022
The heydays of the auto industry certainly led to Detroit being recognized as the Motor City. At that point, a new term called Fordism took over the world, which eventually led to the most recent one, which may not yet be completely known and defined - Detroitism...
Katarina Dačić
December 13, 2021
business, culture