Max HeyraudDetroit techno legend Alan Oldham pushes past decades of dancefloor mastery to explore a dark, leftfield, art-rock-infused sound with his new project THE BLACK WARHOLS.
Detroit’s Alan Oldham imprint on house and techno is undeniable. For over three decades, he has delivered bona fide dancefloor classics under his own name and legendary aliases like DJ T-1000, Hardsignal, Detroitrocketscience, and The Inside. Throughout his career, Oldham has consistently challenged what the Detroit sound can be, often pushing against his own aesthetic boundaries.
After years living in the epicentre of techno, Berlin, his artistry has continued to evolve, embracing the weird, the wonderful, the deep, the banging, the wonky, and the funky. Alan has never rested on his laurels, nor has he ever been comfortable doing so. Now, he has pushed the boat out further than ever before, teetering on the brink between near capsize and greatness, the worrying, bellyaching territory that fuels great art. It’s a space few artists with decades in the game dare to tread, but for a maverick like Oldham, that is precisely where he thrives.
Enter THE BLACK WARHOLS. This is Alan Oldham, but this is not techno. Not even close. As described in the press release, the project is “a weird mix of dubbed-out, trip-hop beats, shoegaze textures, a bit of industrial, and a smattering of Suicide/DAF-style electro-punk.” In short: a gnarly, unforgiving, moody, and sexy explosion of sound.
With The Black Warhols, Oldham invites listeners to think, “I never knew Alan had this in the locker,” followed immediately by, “I want more.” That’s exactly how it has landed with us at Four Four, longtime fans of the Detroit legend pivoting away from any preconceived notions of his work. After each listen, the jaw-dropping impact lingersm, another daring leftfield turn, executed to great acclaim.
With over 30 years of releasing music through house and techno mediums, why was now the right time to pivot to a more shoegaze, punky, industrial-esque project?
I don’t know if it was a matter of “the right time,” butI just had a vision and concept for the project and worked on the album slowly over the past few years until it was finished. I wanted to do something different that reflected my non-techno/house influences and offer a jumpstart to my public image as a Detroit techno DJ. “OMG, Alan did THIS?”
Although this is a sharp stylistic shift on this record, do you see any commonalities with some of your older tracks, specifically on “A Pure Sonik Evening” with tracks like “Underwater” and “Downshifter”?
Oh absolutely. Kudos for researching the catalogue. I have always been a trip-hop fan, and have made several tracks over the years where I tried to channel a more downtempo vibe. I actually wrote lyrics for “Underwater” way back then, but didn’t have the wherewithal to lay down vocals. I also did a moody, downtempo track called “Berlin” for my Tresor album “Progress.”
On that note, this feels like a long-time coming, putting out a body of work that is entirely leftfield. Is that a fair assessment?
Pretty fair. I made an album way back in 1995 called “Enginefloatreactor” that I’d consider leftfield as well, but I really didn’t have the studio chops or the gear to pull it off. Kind of embarrassing. One of my forgotten releases. With good reason.
How did it feel working away from your traditional format? Did it feel like swimming in the deep end all over again? Did you enjoy the feeling of being uncomfortable, or did it feel natural?
It felt good to be doing something different. Challenging. Wasn’t really that much thought behind it. I just did what I wanted to do, what was in my head, no reason not to. I’m not really beholden to bosses, charts or sales.
How did you find recording vocals on this record? Did it feel natural?
I was a bit nervous. I went into a separate studio with an actual producer to lay them down. As a former radio host, I’m used to hearing my own voice, but not in that context. Everybody sings in the shower, for example, but hearing it played back is weird. But I had ideas that only I could get across vocally. My history of trying to collaborate with singers isn’t the best. Hopefully, that will change.
I wanted to speak to the idea of being a solo producer on this record. It comes out sounding like a fully fledged band, but your years in the trenches as a solo techno producer must have helped. Do you think that experience contributed?
Yes, I definitely think that I finally had the chops to do a record like this. Music-making experience and the actual production tools came together. Also, my environment changed. Berlin inspires you to be as out there as you want to be. I walked around in the silver wig, and nobody looked twice.
Your art has always been another big passion, with much of it having a 70s-esque aesthetic. There’s definitely a feeling of that on this album. Is there any crossover between your visual art and the music here?
Well, in my mind, The Black Warhols is an art rock project. Like Basquiat and his band Gray. This, my visual art, my gallery shows, my techno productions and my DJing are all of a piece.
The album title is a nod to Andy Warhol. Were you thinking about Andy while making the album, and to what degree has his lasting impact shaped this project?
Absolutely, Warhol and Basquiat are my two main fine art influences. I was definitely thinking of Andy while I was making this album. His philosophies on image, style, fame, money, and artistic expression were always in the back of my mind during this creative period. The 80s was a time when one could unabashedly get rich off their art, and getting press was as important as the work itself. It was the anti “starving artist” stereotype. I dig that. I even made a track called “Making Money Is The Best Kind Of Art,” which is a Warhol quote.
The sixth track, “When In Doubt, Wear Black,” speaks to the goth-esque influences of the album but also touches on techno culture, where there’s a massive crossover. Did you think about that when creating it?
I did actually. Here in Berlin, I know a lot of people who are goth and techno at the same time, the whole Berghain aesthetic. Phase Fatale comes to mind. But the actual inspiration for the track is a meme that went around where somebody shot a video of bats in a cage hanging upside down, and they flipped the image right side up, so the bats looked like dancers in a goth club. Then they put a Bauhaus track under it. I just wanted to make my own soundtrack to the meme, lol. Pretty stupid, but here we are. You can make art out of anything.
“Rock On” is inspired by Massive Attack. Can you talk about your early memories of hearing Massive Attack and how that continues to inspire you?
I was working at the radio station back in Detroit when “Protection” came out, and when they had to take “Attack” out of their name due to the first Gulf War. Younger people don’t remember that. “Mezzanine” is an all-time classic by every metric, my break-up record. “100th Window” came out when I was leaving Detroit. Saw them live when I was living in Chicago. I even saw Daddy G at Brussels airport once. I didn’t go up to him because I didn’t want to seem like a fanboy in front of Mark Broom, who I was flying with. Fair to say they are the soundtrack to key points of my life. The rap part of my version of “Rock On” was my version of Daddy G’s vocals, haha.
This kind of record, punky, gothic, shoegaze-inspired, evokes a very natural aesthetic, connecting fashion, music, and artwork. Did all of these elements come to mind when writing it? That seems slightly different from techno, which can be more minimal and designed specifically for moving bodies on the dancefloor.
Living in Berlin, every time you leave the flat, it’s music, art and style. I synthesised all that through my own lens into this project. I’ve been working on the album almost from the time I got here, so it’s a chronicle of that time, in a sense. You’re correct that techno is minimal and specifically for DJs and the dancefloor. The Black Warhols isn’t.
Do you think techno could benefit from incorporating that way of thinking, about aesthetics, fashion, and visual elements, more generally?
It could, yes. People are doing it. I spoke before about the Berghain aesthetic, the goth crossover, the tats, all black, etc. Which has become a techno uniform of sorts. I recently played a warehouse party in New York that was also a fashion show. Vinyl culture is its own thing. Record shops are still social hubs. There are techno-specific designers like Monokrom and Medelian. So it’s happening.
Do you see this record shaping your future work, or influencing the way you approach music and art going forward?
I’m just gonna go on doing what I’ve always done as the inspiration hits. It’s no real rhyme or reason to it. I’d probably be more successful if my ideas were more structured. I am excited to get busy on a follow up to this album, though!