Music / Business & brands
Kevin Saunderson
born 1964 · DJ, record producer, label owner
One of the Belleville Three who invented Detroit techno; his Inner City hits carried the city's sound onto pop charts worldwide.
- Born
Brooklyn, New York
age 62- Birth name
- Kevin Maurice Saunderson
- Also known as
- The Elevator · Reese · E-Dancer · Inner City
- Detroit years
- 1970s–present
- Field
- Music, Business & brands
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Kevin Saunderson spent his early years in Brooklyn and moved at about ten to Belleville, a small town some 30 miles from Detroit. At Belleville High School he befriended Juan Atkins and Derrick May, and all three were devoted listeners of the radio DJ The Electrifying Mojo. He studied telecommunications and played football at Eastern Michigan University before following his friends into production, releasing records on his own KMS label. When British entrepreneur Neil Rushton came to Detroit in 1988 looking for tracks, Saunderson handed over “Big Fun”, sung by Chicago vocalist Paris Grey; as Inner City the pair scored global hits with it and “Good Life”. His dark “Reese” bassline later became a building block of jungle and drum and bass. He DJed at the Music Institute, kept a studio on the stretch of Gratiot Avenue nicknamed Techno Boulevard, and in 2005 produced the Fuse-In festival at Hart Plaza.
Highlights
- Inner City's “Big Fun” and “Good Life” (1988) were UK top-ten hits and US dance No. 1s.
- His 1988 track “Just Want Another Chance” (as Reese) defined the “Reese bass” sound.
- Produced the Fuse-In electronic music festival in Hart Plaza in 2005.
- His mixing board went on display at the renovated Detroit Historical Museum in 2012.
- Received a Spirit of Detroit Award in 2016 with fellow techno pioneers.
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 6
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Studied here · late 1970s–early 1980s
Belleville High School
Where he met Juan Atkins and Derrick May; the original building has since been demolished and replaced.
Studied here · early 1980s
Eastern Michigan University
He studied telecommunications and played football here before turning to music.
Performed here · 1988–1989
The Music Institute
Closed · 1988–1989
The short-lived downtown club where the Belleville Three and their circle DJed; it closed in November 1989.
Worked here · late 1980s–1990s
Techno Boulevard (Gratiot Ave at Russell St)
Status being checked
The strip near Eastern Market where May, Saunderson and Atkins had their studios; its businesses have changed many times since.
Related place · 2005
African World Festival
He produced the Fuse-In festival here over Memorial Day weekend 2005, the first ticketed event on the plaza.
Memorial · 2012–
Detroit Historical Museum
The museum put his mixing board on display after its 2012 renovation.