Jay Denham
Detroit-area techno producer Jay Denham arose in the wake of the initial late-'80s Chicago and Detroit movements. He produced tracks for many of Detroit's major labels before starting his own label, Black Nation, and establishing a small scene in his hometown of Kalamazoo, a city halfway between Detroit and Chicago.
Growing up in Kalamazoo, MI, Denham developed an interest in music as a teen, playing a little bit in a rock band. However, when he heard a tape of Chicago's Hot Mix radio show in the early '80s, he suddenly became interested in dance music and wanted to learn more. He began traveling to Chicago in search of more dance music and quickly became turned onto the city's burgeoning house scene. Then, when Denham moved to East Lansing, MI, and began attending Michigan State University, he met Anthony Shakir, later known as Shake, who shared a similar interest in dance music.
The two began making dance tracks together, and when Shakir became friends with Derrick May, he passed along some of Denham's music. It wasn't long before Denham moved to Detroit in 1989. He began working for May's Transmat and Fragile labels, where he released his first productions as Fade II Black, most notably the track "In Sync." In addition to his Transmat recordings, Denham also began recording some tracks for 430 West as Vice and appeared on Network's Techno II compilation. Despite this early success and involvement, Denham moved back to Kalamazoo around 1992 to start his own label, Black Nation, which didn't get off the ground until 1995.
Early Black Nation EPs by Denham as both Vice (Player Hater) and Blackman (A Day of Atonement) garnered quite a bit of attention, and he began recording tracks for other, more established techno labels like Tresor, Elypsia, and Disko B. The latter released his full-length debut, Escape to the Black Planet, in 1998, followed by a second full-length, Synthesized Society, in 1999. In addition to his own releases, Denham also began releasing the work of other producers such as D. Knox on Black Nation, and in 2000 he started two sublabels, Slavery 2000 and Sector 616.
© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo
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Discography
13 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Illustrate EP (Original Mix)
Techno - Released by Black Nation Records on 23 Nov 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Global Infunkuation EP
Techno - Released by Black Nation Records on 1 Jan 1995
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Valley Of Dreams EP (Original Mix)
Techno - Released by Urban Kickz Recordings on 28 Jul 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Techno Fugitive Remixes (Alexander Kowalski Remix - 2016 Remastered)
Techno - Released by Konsequent on 31 Dec 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Reset EP (Original Mix)
Techno - Released by Urban Kickz Recordings on 23 Sep 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Illustrate The Pulse Remixes
Miscellaneous - Released by Black Nation Records on 4 Oct 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Vibrating At Higher Frequencies EP
Techno - Released by Urban Kickz Recordings on 31 Aug 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jackulate EP (Original Mix)
Techno - Released by Black Nation Records on 19 Mar 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Duel EP (2016 Remastered)
Techno - Released by Konsequent on 31 Dec 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Techno Fugitive EP (2016 Remastered)
Techno - Released by Konsequent on 31 Dec 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -