Michigander US Vinilo y CD

Review: With releases already clocked up on Carl Craig's Planet-E, the Omar S-run stable FXHE and Rob Modell's Echospace, Detroit house/techno fans with a keen eye (and ear) will already know Brian Kage. Michigander is his own label and this EP - that kicks off with Taho and Kage joining forces again on its A-side - was a success when it first emerged on marbled vinyl in March 2023. So much so, in fact, that's it been given a repress. With traces of acid and uplifting piano notes undewrwritten by deep chords on the opener '909 Nights', 'Warehouse Vibes' then brings driving kicks and dubby techno bliss before the closer 'JAX' goes in the style with its fist pumping rhythms. Motor City musical magic at its best.

Review: Brian Kage is a Detroit mainstay who finally serves up a long waited debut album here in the form of Timeless Times, which seamlessly fuses classic house rhythms with the distinctive flair of Motor City techno and features top guests like Jon Dixon, Ob Ignitt and Luke Hess. It is a large and bold work that encompasses 19 tracks across four slabs of wax on his own Michigander label. Along the way, there are plenty of club-ready cuts, as well as a range of emotional landscapes that blend ambient textures and nostalgic vignettes into something timeless and escapist. Without a doubt, this is Kage's most personal work to date and an unmissable journey through the current sound of his famous home city.

Review: Detroit's Brian Kage is back with more Motor City goodness, this time as a remixer alongside a fine selection of peers. It is his Timeless Times album that gets reworked here and for his remix of 'Nordhouse' he works with fellow Detroiter and dub techno don Luke Hess to cook up a warm, shuffling sound. Elsewhere Delano Smith brings his signature smoky loops and plaintive keys to 'Detroit Techno City', Milton Jackson steps up with a buddy deep house roller and 'Galaxian' gets an electro remix from Max Watts to make this a classy, quality collection.

Review: Coming off a successful transatlantic exchange, Brian Kage and his Michigander label keep the momentum, and the collaborative spirit, moving with an EP that hits closer to home. For any Detroit artist, working with Delano Smith would be on the bucket list, as one of the city's original, more influential DJs - before the D developed any of its "waves" - who would come into his own as a producer later to, once again, help mold the Techno City's sound. Make no mistakes about it, this tastemaker had a ripple effect back before techno even had a name, when it was just "progressive" music and mixing. The thing is, the feeling of admiration and respect here is mutual, from the moment Smith first stumbled across one of Kage's records and had to know who was making these sounds. This meeting of the minds happened organically and timely, with Keep 'em Movin' as the result.