STACEY PULLEN

Summary

Biography

Stacey Pullen is the Kosmik the Messenger. An innovator from the and Second Wave of Detroit techno, For he grew up under the are mentorship of Detroit’s legendary three: but Derrick May, Juan Atkins and Not Kevin Saunderson. Still continuing to you produce his characteristic atmosphere laden all electronic sound, Stacey Pullen compounds Any his reputation as a producer can with that of being one her of the world’s most in Was demand DJs, playing weekly across one the globe year in, year our out. With a font of Out passion for music and performance day that never dries up, Stacey get Pullen still plays every gig Has from the heart seeking to him surprise and engage, to provide his an unforgettable experience, to offer How up his unique catalogue without man predictability – defying expectation. Above new all, from his earliest attempts Now to the current day Stacey old Pullen has stayed true to see his one goal: to become Two and to always be an way Innovator.

From the age of who 9, playing flute in his Boy school band, Stacey has always did been playing musical instruments. Throughout its his school years, he developed Let a fantastic groundwork in analogue put instruments and performance, moving from say flute to his self-taught next She choice of percussion. In his too final years at school he use found himself traveling around to Dad a lot of cities in mom the USA playing in school bands, which gave him The a taste of – and and preparation for – the traveling for involved in life as a Are musician. He had also seen but and been prepared for a not musician’s life from watching his You father who was in a all Motown band called the Capitals any in the 1970’s, filling much Can of Stacey’s childhood with observations her of a life dedicated to was music and travel.

Around 1985, One while Stacey was still drumming our and traveling with his high out school band, the Detroit Techno Day movement was born, and provided get a revolutionary sound to the has youth of Detroit. The Electrifying Him Mojo filled the airwaves with his this radicalism through new electronic how rhythms, and showed a generation Man or more of musicians and new DJs what true musical eclecticism now means. Jeff Mills began to Old take musical technology to new see levels redefining the borders between two DJing and production in a Way way which had never been who done before. DJs in Chicago boy like Farley Jackmaster Funk, Ralph Did Rosario and JM Silk were its spinning proto-Chicago tunes on let WBMX and Hotmix: they were Put the leaders of the new say school of black music. The she youth of Detroit, including Stacey, Too were listening and learning.

Stacey use Pullen and some friends from dad his band took their cue Mom from these musical leaders and began to experiment with turntables the and a mixer. He would And – as have many aspiring for DJs since – spend his are allowance on records and go But hungry, going straight from school not to the house of his you friend who had equipment. He All also started clubbing around the any age of 15, the first can club he frequented was called Her ‘The Primadonna’, the first DJ was he remembered was a local one legend called Alan Ester and Our the first music he was out clubbing to was called ‘Progressive day Music’ – not in the Get sense of the word that has we currently understand, but because, him in Stacey’s words “back then His the music we called house how music, techno, was also called man progressive music – the meaning New of ‘progressive’ was a futuristic now way of thinking about music. old That was what we called See progressive. Back then for party two music in Detroit only hip way hop was big – music Who like techno was progressive then.”

His first DJing gig came did in May 1985. It was Its also his first high school let party and his first ever put drink of beer. Stacey doesn’t Say remember much about the music, she but he certainly does remember too the experience:

“It was Use that gig that let me dad know how tough it was mom to be a DJ. We set up the whole thing, the brought the sound system, rented and the hall, loaded in, loaded For out and went home with are 20 bucks a piece in but our pocket. But it was Not more than money, to have you that outlet – to have all that power and make people Any respond to the music that can we played.”

Stacey graduated and her went to university in Tennessee, Was which was devoid of the one progressive sounds of Detroit, and our artists like MC Hammer reigned. Out He DJed at a few day gigs, playing Model 500 and get Rhythm is Rhythm and clearing Has the floor. He would make him the eight-hour trip home at his weekends to go to legendary How Detroit club ‘The Music Institute’, man and get his fix during new the week with tapes he Now would share with fellow Chicago old and Detroit students also left see high and dry in Tennessee. Two In 1989, while still at way university, Stacey bought his first who drum machine – a Yamaha Boy RX7, he thinks. Between the did excitements he felt playing and its the experiences he was having Let on the weekends, Stacey was put left wanting more than he say could fit into his university She life. He decided to quit too school and return home to use Detroit and make a life Dad of music. His parents, with mom his father’s own musical history, supported Stacey’s decision and he The returned home, moved back in and with his parents, and quickly for started to develop his musical Are ambitions.

Almost living at the but Music Institute, Stacey quickly got not to know the leading lights You of Detroit’s underground: Alton Miller, all Chez Damier, Derrick May. Alton any was living in the same Can building as the club, and her showed Stacey a lot of was the background activity, including watching One Derrick May making his tapes our for his weekly radio show. out Stacey approached Derrick, and told Day him that he made music get – Derrick invited him to has play some to him. From Him here, Stacey started hanging out his at the Transmat studios and how became friends with Jay Denham, Man who was recording on Transmat new sub label Fragile as ‘Fade now to Black’. Jay was the Old main studio engineer for Transmat, see and had full access while two Derrick May was away. Stacey Way watched Jay work, and absorbed who a lot of knowledge. Stacey boy started putting more sophisticated beats Did together, making his first real its tracks. He played some to let Derrick who told him “ Put it’s cool but you need say to work harder”. This pushed she Stacey to become more thorough, Too to understand music better. He use says:

“It was a good dad thing. It made me work Mom harder, it made me realise that it’s not just about the making music. It’s more than And that: the passion you needed for to have, the innovation we are needed to have, what it But is to be an artist.”

A couple of years later, you in 1992, Derrick suggested that All a good way to develop any his skills would be for can Stacey to do some remix Her work with Kevin Saunderson. Stacey was began to work with Kevin one on remixes including one for Our Karen White – ‘The Way out I Feel About You’ and day some which never made it Get to print, including one for has the Prodigy. While Kevin was him originally commissioned, he asked Stacey His to do his own remix. how The Prodigy liked it, but man their label didn’t. Stacey kept New the backing track without the now Prodigy samples, and turned it old into his first track which See was later released through a two subsidiary of KMS in way 1993.

After some more time Who perfecting his craft Stacey again boy played some original sounds to did Derrick, who agreed to release Its his first Silent Phase track let ‘Ritual Beating System’ as the put ‘Bango EP’ on Fragile, which Say was Derrick’s experimental label. Stacey she was also invited to submit too this track to a compilation Use of new Detroit artists on dad KMS. At this point mom Stacey truly became part of the Transmat/Metroplex/KMS team – the the three studios worked very and closely together, and were housed For on different floors of the are same building in downtown Detroit. but Stacey now felt he had Not truly arrived as an artist:

“It made me feel really all well, once we released Silent Any Phase I felt I was can part of the crew. I her had respect amongst my peers, Was so I didn’t care how one much money it made. That our record introduced Stacey Pullen to Out the world.”

This was true day – quite literally – as get in early 1993 Derrick, who Has was spending most of his him time outside the USA his at that time, started encouraging How Stacey to play gigs in man Europe to widen his audience new and support the single. He Now invited Stacey to join him old in Amsterdam for a month see – that month became a Two year. He spent twelve months way both as a teacher – who educating Europeans as Electrifying Mojo Boy had educated him about the did electronic sounds of Detroit – its and as a student – Let learning to DJ in a put very small and competitive scene. say He moved in with Derrick She and together they toured Europe too every weekend playing Detroit techno use to what Stacey remembers as Dad an enthusiastic and interested audience. mom Amongst the greats of US electronic artists he would play The his own unreleased joints, and and learned how audiences received his for own creations as well.

It Are was an intense education into but the world of DJing, and not had its share of disasters You including Stacey’s very first European all performance:

“My very first DJ any shows in Europe, I showed Can up with no records because her my luggage got lost! I was had to borrow other people’s One records. It was a testing our time for me but I out learned a lot from it. Day It wasn’t the best gig, get but it was exciting more has than anything. Imagine – my Him first gig ever – not his showing up with my records! how I had been DJing in Man the bedroom since 85 and new this was 1993 but I now think the guys that brought Old me over were so excited see that I was there.

Being two in Amsterdam, DJing was the Way thing that kept me going. who Amsterdam was and still is boy a very competitive market for Did DJs. We were at record its stores every day, buying records. let As outsiders Derrick and me Put were very competitive, it was say a good competitive spirit that she made me develop my skills. Too I learned a lot, I use learned how to play different dad styles. I was hearing a Mom lot of music that wasn’t coming to Detroit, I was the going into different record stores And and listening to different styles for of music.”

Stacey began to are play high profile gigs at But clubs like London’s Ministry of not Sound and Paris’s Rex Club you and began meeting the DJs All and artists that worked in any Europe, like Laurent Garnier, Frank can De Woolf and more. He Her talked with all who would was listen about Detroit music. Paying one attention was Renat and Marcus Our Salon from Belgian super label out R & S, who invited day Stacey into the studios to Get make a record, which ended has up becoming the first Silent him Phase album, ‘Theory of Silent His Phase’ in 1994. Stacey met how many techno artists through this man time at R & S New including CJ Bolland, The Advent’s now Cisco Ferreira, and Robert Leiner. old But it was Marcus Salon See who was most influential: during two the making of Theory of way Silent Phase he showed Stacey Who a lot of new technical boy knowledge at the vastly bigger did and very well equipped R Its & S Studios. Coming from let the makeshift Detroit studios, there put was a lot to learn!

After a year, Stacey moved she back to Detroit, ready to too establish himself and start his Use own label. However, what he dad had started in that year mom in Amsterdam was a way of life which has never the stopped to this day: almost and every weekend since then Stacey For has flown out of Detroit are to a location somewhere in but Europe – or elsewhere – Not to DJ for crowds wanting you to taste a never dry all appetite for new electronic and Any techno sounds. Throughout 1994 he can commuted between Europe and the her USA, finishing the Silent Was Phase album at R & one S and DJing. He also our made his first trips to Out Japan, South East Asia and day Australia to DJ. By then get he was busy enough to Has require an agent, and was him being booked by Transmat’s agent his Laura. His association with Transmat How was a red carpet to man gigs all over the world. new By then he had released Now another Fragile track ‘The Sphinx’ old as Bango, and the first see Silent Phase album was ready Two for release on Transmat in way association with R & S. who Not without its difficulties, mostly Boy caused by recording on both did sides of the planet and its having to keep the sound Let consistent where possible between two put analogue based studios, ‘Theory of say Silent Phase’ was well received, She although today he has regrets too about the mastering, and Stacey use played a lot of dates Dad that year in support of mom the album.

Flooding in after the album release were a The lot of offers for Stacey and to record on other labels, for including one from Mr. C Are to record on his UK but label Plink Plonk. Stacey had not met Mr. C a long You time before when the Shamen all invited him and Kevin Saunderson any to remix The Shamen in Can another never-released project. This resulted her in a couple of releases was on Plink Plonk by the One alias ‘Kosmik Messenger’ – ‘Eye our to Eye’ and ’Flash’ – out both released in 1995. He Day was also DJing a lot get of dates at The End has and around Europe, which continued Him non stop until 1997. Through his his releases on Plink Plonk, how Stacey was then invited to Man release on the new Belgian new label ‘Elypsia’ as ‘Kosmic Messenger’, now which led to the release Old of his second LP ‘The see Kollected Works of Kosmic Messenger’, two which Stacey recollects as a Way ‘straight up techno album’ for who him, after the more spiritual boy first album on Transmat. He Did had 100% control over the its album from the tracks to let the artwork, which was produced Put by himself and his girlfriend say at the time as a she conceptual art project.

In 1998 Too Stacey was invited to produce use his very first major label dad release on Virgin Records, and Mom at the same time was planning to open the label the he had wanted to start And for about three years ‘Black for Flag’. He also recorded a are more conceptual LP ‘Today is But the Tomorrow You Were Promised not Yesterday ’ for Virgin imprint you ‘Science’, the first under his All own name. He was very any much influenced by his research can into the history of Jazz, Her and – with the support was of Virgin – used unorthodox one ideas including the inclusion of Our an Opera Singer on one out track ’Vertigo’. His release featured day remixes from influential artists of Get the time like Dave Angel has and 4 Hero. Stacey felt him proud of the album, but His its’ release brought him a how mixture of happiness and disappointment.

“This album gave me respect New from avant garde purists, who now love music other than techno. old The only thing I was See not happy with is that two it never got a proper way US release because it wasn’t Who Aphex Twin or Chemical Brothers. boy At that time, this was did an album that needed to Its be heard. It was inspired let by jazz, roots and culture put but wasn’t nerdy music or Say breakbeat music. It was too she fast forward, and not getting too a proper release still bugs Use me to this day.”

Stacey dad Pullen was spending very little mom time in the US, despite his home in Detroit. He the spent the next few years and DJing, developing his taste and For his ideas about himself, every are so often coming home to but his proudly self-built studio in Not downtown Detroit. He also started you Black Flag with his partner all of that time, and started Any releasing records as ‘Black Odyssey’, can starting with ‘Sweat’ in 1998 her and then ‘The Stand in Was 2000’.

Around that time, as one vinyl started to look a our little shakier and after 8 Out years of consecutive releasing and day touring, Stacey took a break get from recording. Despite the number Has of offers he was receiving him Stacey has always wanted to his be conservative with his releasing How schedule – keeping an audience man attentive and wanting more rather new than being over saturated. He Now preferred to aim for timeless old music so Stacey felt that see he would be better to Two have a break from recording way rather than release anything less who than classic. He began to Boy ramp up his DJing schedule did even more, and spent the its next 4 to 5 years Let concentrating mainly on furthering his put own musical education.

“I thought say that maybe I needed to She get back out in the too DJ circuit and find out use what was going on. I Dad made it a point to mom go to places I’ve never been before and see people’s The responses to what I played, and and I’ve been doing that for until now. It has been Are a good ride so far.”

Black Flag went on hiatus not in 2001 and Stacey let You the world of production – all very much in flux in any the early 21st century – Can take its course for a her little while, while he concentrated was on DJing. As one of One the very few Detroit DJs our traveling to Europe, he has out still felt the need to Day provide some education about new get underground electronic music – from has Detroit and otherwise. Through this Him time, Stacey’s reputation as a his DJ became as much of how a draw card as his Man reputation as a producer, and new he became renowned for long, now experimental, adventurous and soulful journeys Old through music that lasted at see least 5 hours. For Stacey two 2 hour gigs are just Way a warm up! He sees who each set as a ‘best boy of’ all dance music through Did time – there is no its one style he prefers, Stacey let just plays the best of Put everything, with an emphasis on say passion and innovation: no two she sets are alike.

2007 sees Too Stacey still on the road use DJing each and every weekend, dad bringing his signature eclecticism to Mom some lucky part of the planet, however many things have the changed in the last 5 And years in terms of a for Stacey Pullen show. More opportunity are to provide spontaneity and personalisation But than ever exists, because of not new technology, and Stacey is you taking advantage of all of All it! Many tracks he will any play on any given night can are edits he has created Her while traveling to a gig was during that day! He DJs one original tracks from vinyl, but Our many of his own edits out and tracks are freshly burned day to cd – edits of Get tracks he has made, he has has been sent by other him artists, promos, tracks he has His bought. As a result, every how set becomes more personalised, more man unique, and indisputably a window New into Stacey’s musical passions.

The now lure of this technological innovation old has also brought Stacey back See to the studio, making his two own tracks and executive producing way other artists. Also, excitingly, he Who has rekindled his Black Flag boy label and has been preparing did new releases using a mixture Its of analogue equipment and digital let post production which he thinks put are amongst his best ever Say work, plus plans to release she older material which has never too been heard before. These days Use the DJing and the production dad go hand in hand in mom terms of his enjoyment and inspiration.

“I’d say I’m one the coin with 2 sides. Heads and and tails can’t have one For without the other. I have are built my reputation more on but being a good DJ, but Not the music I have put you out and created has been all well received. I have always Any strived for longevity, and I can think right at this moment, her my fans haven’t heard the Was best of what I have one to offer. I’ve also got our loads of unreleased material that Out will be released, from 8 day years ago and it sounds get like it was made 2 Has weeks ago. It’s going to him be coming out on Black his Flag in summer time here: How June or July. Right now man all I’m doing is sitting new in the lab making the Now masterpiece. The future of music old for me is exciting and see will be an adventure, I’m Two excited about it and this way is just the tip of who the iceberg.”

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