In The Mix: Inner City
In recent decades, the rise of House Music has been rapid. Yet very acts in the genre have been able to gain long-term popularity. What distinguishes a legendary house act from your run-of-the-mill act? For Inner City, it’s all about consistency, focus, and experimenting with creativity.
Inner City originated in Detroit, Michigan with founding members Kevin Saunderson (Techno producer and DJ) and Paris Grey (house singer). Although this lineup has since changed, Inner City’s set at Boiler Room x Piknic Electronik 2022 shows how well they have been able to evolve with he music industry since their debut. As of 2022, the lineup consists of Kevin Saunderson, Dantinez Saunderson, and Steffanie Christi’an.
Inner City has always stayed true to their roots. Founding member Kevin Saunderson used Inner City’s winning formula for their set at Boiler Room x Piknic Electronik 2022. The set is fast paced, with song and tempo changes happening quickly and consistently. The contents of the set can be accredited to their expansive discography of original songs, and studio/live house remixes.
Kevin and Dantinez begin their set with smooth, unaccompanied vocals. Within a minute, they introduce the first beat drop. The buildup of the vocal leading into this drop is simple yet effective. This beat also becomes the foundation for the rest of the set. Although some DJs have a difficult time building upon a repetitive beat pattern, Inner City knows how to keep it interesting. Many would accredit this to just their discography and experience. What they don’t realize as well is that it is also about their passion, humbleness, and willingness to grow.
The first 20 minutes are a warmup, with more basic electronic hyper-pop sounds. The crowd starts to grow and become more engaged with the music.At minute 26, Kevin begins to experiment with different sounds and buildup strategies. As a result, the following beat drop is strong, and gives the crowd more energy. At this point in the set, they begin to remix songs live. They start by making a house remix out of “Down” by Marian Hill. This gives the audience a sense of nostalgia, while making them dance. The way they interact with the crowd is also perfectly paced. Minute 34 marks the first time that Kevin interacts with the crowd. With one more hour left in the set, he hypes them up and gives them energy for not only the following beat
drop, but also the rest of the set.
At minute 49, they change the vibe of the set by introducing a light, tropical instrumental. They run a catchy loop for approximately 40 seconds, and the crowd can be seen getting increasingly excited for what’s to come after this buildup. They contrast the treble of the tropical sample with a bass-heavy beat drop. This sets up for the last part of their set, which takes on a dark and metallic house vibe. This last half of the set really shows the essence of Inner City. Not only are they seasoned DJs and live performers, but they are also masters in the studio.
So far into the set, they have been incorporating songs that everyone loves. But they begin to play their greatest hits to close the show. Though this is a detail that most would overlook, it is important to acknowledge how the setlist is structured. Forty years ago, the majority of their set could consist of only their studio huts. But they understand that audience desires have changed since their debut. The way they structured the set makes the audience feel like they are at a club, and the inclusivity of the music selection draws in more of a crowd.
It is clearly visible that Inner City is focused on always improving their craft. In the last minute of the set Kevin says:
“Forty years ago we had a vision, and our vision from Detroit was to make the world dance as one... I know many of you weren’t born then... But this is what it’s about: the evolution of technology and art-ism.”
This set is the epitome of good House music. They left the crowd wanting more showing the true impact they had on the audience. Inner City is a true pioneer, and they are here to keep House music alive.
