This Friday 13th May, the Butter Side Up crew welcomes the man who is widely regarded as the figurehead of the minimal house kingdom. Detroit’s Daniel Bell returns to Leeds after a seven year absence, (full event page here) and we couldn’t be more excited. His work as a producer, label owner of Accelerate and Seventh City and record distributor added a unique aesthetic to the musical landscape of Detroit.
His influence pushed things towards a minimalism and rawness that have come to characterise the underground house and techno sound. Because of its beautiful simplicity, his work has stood the test of time, and still regularly shakes dancefloors all over the world. With a resurrection of Seventh City last year, collaborations with Movement Festival Detroit and all sorts of festival gigs this summer, Bell is showing no signs of calling it a day.
To celebrate, we’ve trawled through the back catalogue to compile a top ten of Bell’s biggest bangers. We think he’s got it all: blood clot techno, summery house and a few curveballs too. Have a listen. Tickets available for the party here
Daniel Bell – Baby Judy
This appears on his Rare and Unreleased EP from 2000: A kind of Chicago jacking style track that Bell reigns in to encapsulate the minimalism that is synonymous with his name. Has anybody seen Baby Judy?
Daniel Bell – Deep Down
Bell is in league with the other behemoths of minimal (Baby Ford, Dygas, Villalobos) on Perlon’s Superlongevityfive compilation from 2010. This track has so much suspense. A hi-hat jumps in at about four minutes and you can just imagine the room starting to swing. It’s the classiest tech house you are likely to hear.
Daniel Bell – Subterranean
In 1998, Bell released this heartwarming house track. Set apart from his other more machinated works, it is testament to his versatility. The bright piano samples play off against a dope bassline to make for a perfect warm up selection.
Daniel Bell – Electric Shock
The Detroit-ness of this track is clear with its crunchy percussion, metallic noises from outer space and crazed urgency, but you can also hear the Daniel Bell in there too: it’s got groove running all the way through. It appears on his lauded Blip, Blurp, Bleep compilation, seminal in the genre.
Daniel Bell – Warped
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skSUQBCi0rI
Along with Subterranean, this is a track based around a killer disco sample that is, as its name suggests, warped into the backbone of a real mover and shaker of a house groove. Bell is clearly attuned to Detroit’s history in soul and disco.
DBX – Signal Zero
Bell’s DBX alias is the outlet for his fieriest techno productions. The Alien EP on London’s classic Peacefrog label is hard, freaky and acid tinged. It always feels in danger of becoming confused, running away from you, but Bell has a knack for programming drums to a perfect crispness.
Daniel Bell – Berserk
This track is way ahead of its time. Released in 1998, it pre-empts everything that today’s tech house producers aspire to: clean, killer grooves, wonky samples and a subterranean existence.
Daniel Bell – Star Child
While working as a producer in Detroit, much of Bell’s work was with hip-hop artists. The influence of the genre can be seen in this slo mo track laced with twisted bleeps, but ironed out with gorgeous chords. The record’s release on Scape records in Germany reveals Bell’s influence on a more European, abstract, bleep-based scene.
Daniel Bell – In The Park
Here’s another more explicit hip-hop track. It’s on a marvellous compilation released by Japanese label Sublime in 1998 called ‘Eleven Phases – Detroit Compilation’. K-Hand also makes an appearance on there, as well as other techno producers exploring downtempo rhythms.
Ratio – Motorcity Revisited (Daniel Bell Remix)
Here we see the producer on remix duties. If you are looking for body music, then look no further. As the synths cycle and the bass wobbles, the garagey shuffle of the percussion will get you moving. Ratio, from Berlin, had their first release on Bell’s Seventh City label in 1995.