History

MUSICIAN

Carl Craig , is a pioneering force in electronic music and art. One of Detroit's most influential techno producers and contemporary artists. Craig has been a key figure in shaping the city's iconic sound since the 1980s, drawing from the rich musical traditions of soul, jazz, and funk. A graduate of Cooley High School, Craig grew up in a working class household. His father was a Post Mail Carrier and his mother was a teacher, and in the Craig household, music was supreme. As a young adult, Craig was captivated by the electronica of Kraftwerk, Depeche Mode, and the groundbreaking productions of Derrick May, Kevin Sauderson, and Juan Atkins—the Belleville Three, Detroit's original techno innovators.

Distributed on May's Transmat and Fragile records, Craig's early releases Breakdown and Evolution—under the aliases Psyche and BFC—established a unique voice that acquired cult status in the early electronic music scenes emerging in the US and in Europe. Like many of the founding Techno entrepreneurs and artists, Craig developed his own musical universe by establishing his own labels and experimenting under different aliases. Craig co-founded the short-lived Retroactive label in 1990. He created Planet-e Communications in 1991 whose first release was 69 - Four Funk Jazz Classics.

A part of the second wave of techno labels, Planet-e's signal achievement is building on the work of the early techno pioneers and pushing the boundaries of electronic music. Planet-e provides a platform for diverse artists moving beyond the typical techno sound. The label encourages experimentation with new sounds, pushing the boundaries of the genre while remaining deeply rooted in Techno's origins. This mix of old and new has made Planet-e the platform for influential artists like Stacey Pullen, Moodymann, and Kenny Larkin, all influential techno icons in their own right.

Craig is known for his unique blend of futuristic techno beats and soulful, jazz-infused color , creating tracks that are both danceable and emotionally alive. In 1992 he established Innerzone Orchestra, creating e jazz-influenced recordings and the debut release, "Bug in the Bassbin, " which became one of Craig's most acclaimed singles. The ensemble featured Craig and a lineup including percussionist Francisco Mora Catlett (Sun Ra's Arkestra), as well as keyboardist Craig Taborn (James Carter Quartet, The Art Ensemble of Chicago), and upright bassist Rodney Whitaker. In 1994 Craig pushed the movement he helped to shape even further, releasing Paperclip People's Throw/Remake Uno, Craig's remix of Tori Amos' God and 69's Jam The Box, which introduced Craig to a wider audience and boosted his renown in the electronic music community.

Music writer John Bush described Craig's debut album, Landcruising (1995), as a moody blend of electronic music that bridged the gap between the listening lounge and the dancefloor. From the first track, “Mind of a Machine”—which opens with the sounds of an engine revving, warning bells, and the click of a seatbelt—Bush writes that “Craig introduces us to his man-machine world, where cruising I-96 west of Detroit is a sublime nighttime journey, conjuring visions of Trans-Europe Express and Strings of Life instead of What's Going On.”

ARTIST

In 1997, Craig released More Songs About Food and Revolutionary Art, a full length album containing some of his most exquisite productions and compositions: At Les, Televised Green Smoke, Dreamland and Craig's interpretation of Moritz Von Oswald's Domina. As a whole, the album delivers on its revolution-themed title and promise of expanding conceptions. As the album cover reads "Revolutionary art is determined...by how much it revolutionizes our thinking and imagination; overturning our preconceptions, bias and prejudice and inspiring us to change ourselves and the world.”

In that same year, Craig was invited by the Cranbrook Museum of Art—an institution steeped in the modernist legacies of Charles and Ray Eames, and Eero Saarinen—to perform a unique musical set collaborating with fellow electronic artist Matthew Dear alongside Craig who played the sculptural sound installations of Harry Bertoia by bringing the weights together gently. This fusion of techno and experimental sound art deepened Craig's interest in the intersection of music, architecture, and design. Craig's introduction to sound as sculpture has emerged as a core feature of his contemporary art practice.

Craig's commitment to innovation and jumping genres extends beyond the dance floor. In 2008 Craig and Moritz von Oswald released Recomposed on Deutsche Grammophon, the renowned classical music label established in 1898. Later that year Craig debuted Versus, a unique live collaboration with orchestral conductor François-Xavier Roth, Moritz von Oswald and pianist Francesco Tristano. Versus took highlights from Craig's diverse catalog, and reimagined them as New Music orchestral scores.

ICON

Carl Craig has been a major advocate for Detroit's music scene. As a Detroit icon, his impact goes beyond his studio compositions.

In 2000, Craig co-founded the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, with Derrick May and Carol Marvin. Renamed Movement in 2006, the festival has grown into one of the world's most respected electronic music gatherings, attracting fans and artists from around the globe to celebrate world-wide talents linked to the city's rich musical heritage.

Craig's dedication to preserving and expanding Detroit's cultural influence is evident through his work with the Carl Craig Foundation, which focuses on music education and the fostering of creative opportunities for young people. In 2014, Carl Craig launched Detroit Love, a cultural platform and event series aimed at reshaping the world's perception of Detroit by curating displays of the city's wealth of talent. By spotlighting local artists, Detroit Love emphasizes the depth and diversity of Detroit's creative community, bringing the city's unique sound to international audiences. Complementing these efforts, recently Craig has focused on educational initiatives celebrating Black excellence. His 'All Black Vinyl' series on Instagram evolved into the 'All Black Digital' project with Beatport and Quincy Jones's Qwest TV, spotlighting rising Black talent through interviews and live streams. In 2024, Craig efforts continued with a Black History Month DJ Mix for Apple Music as well as and talks at NYU and Michigan State University, where he reflected on the Black experience and its influence on his artistry.In 2022, Craig's artistic prominence reached new global heights with the Carl Craig Synthesizer Ensemble's performance at Carnegie Hall's AFROFUTURISM Festival and a special set at the 59th Venice Biennale. Here, Craig performed in the cavernous naval complex, celebrating the work of Canadian artist Stan Douglas, whose pavilion explored themes of history and cultural identity.

In addition, Craig's venture into fine art included the immersive installation Party/After-Party—a five-year project—which went on display at the DIA, Beacon and the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art. The installation, originally commissioned by DIA Art Foundation and curated by Kelly Kivland, blends sound and light elements to capture the club-to-after-party journey and now resides in DIA's permanent collection. The work's main elements—light and sound and the space it defines—combine and produce a deeply personal work expressing both the euphoria of the club environment and the loneliness that follows this collective experience. Craig's art practice is a second wave of the Light and Space movement of the 1960s, whose leading figures drew inspiration from idyllic elements associated with Southern California: the sun, cars, surf, and sand. Craig's Second Wave incorporates the raw, industrial landscape of his hometown, Detroit and the vastness of abandoned warehouses, the rhythmic echo of heavy industry and the sleek shapes of automobiles. Like his Light and Space forebears, Craig embraces psychology and technology to explore materiality and human perception.

SUBJECT

In 2024, Desire: The Carl Craig Story made its highly anticipated debut at the Tribeca Film Festival. Under the direction of award-winning filmmaker Jean-Cosme Delaloye, the film was an intimate portrait of Craig and an ode to Detroit, Desire showcases how Craig's genre-defying techno music transcended expectations, reaching audiences far beyond the underground scene. Delaloye's film reveals the depth of Craig's artistry—not only as a dance music producer but as a cultural force whose work has graced prestigious stages, from the Montreux Jazz Festival to Carnegie Hall to LA MOCA at the Geffen. The film examines Craig's role in expanding techno's boundaries, and blending it with jazz and classical influences, bringing the sound of Detroit to World Cinema. Featuring interviews with such influential artists and collaborators as Gilles Peterson, Roni Size, Laurent Garnier, DJ Minx, Kenny Larkin, Moritz von Oswald, and James Lavelle, the documentary mixes and stitches a rich tapestry of the electronic music landscape. Figures playing crucial roles in bringing techno to the masses, offer insights into Craig's creative process and its enduring impact on the music world.

Through Delaloye's lens, Desire is more than a documentary about music—it's a narrative of resilience, creativity, and the enduring connection between an artist and his city. The film is a celebration of how Craig's work has both shaped and been shaped by Detroit. Like Craig's own work, the film is a powerful exploration of the synergy between art and place–and influences.

INFLUENCES

Craig's biggest influence is the legendary Miles Davis. As a dedicated student of jazz, Craig sees Miles Davis as a musical visionary who continually pushed the boundaries of his genre. Like Davis, Craig is a visionary. His relentless innovation refuses to settle for the tried, true and tired. Craig's truth embodies the spirit of Detroit—a city renowned for its energy and history of invention, whether through the expansive, pillar-free factories for manufacturing, the creation of the world's first three-colored traffic light in 1920, or the birth of the automobile industry and onto techno music itself.

Much like Miles Davis, who constantly reinvented himself, Craig's career has been a struggle to experiment, adapt, and evolve. His understanding of the soul of jazz and his drive to innovate have made Craig not just a key figure in techno, but also a living encyclopedia of musical exploration and boundary-pushing creativity.

In Craig's words, being a Detroiter means creating something new, not simply making another version of what's already been done. In Craig's art, meaning is not simply something known. It's that Second Wave that will carry us to what we could know.

Carl Craig lives and works in Detroit, Michigan, with his wife and manager, Hagi Craig, and their three children.