Music · Weekend

From Motown to techno: where did Detroit's sound start?

Two days from the Motown house to the city's oldest studio, techno's unmarked headquarters and Jack White's record store, ending in Detroit's jazz rooms.

stops: 11
length: Weekend
areas: 10

In Detroit, almost every corner has a song. Saturday covers the Motown house, the city's oldest working studio and techno's unmarked headquarters, then live jazz at night. Sunday brings the Movement festival's home plaza, Techno Alley and a jazz jam. Wear comfortable shoes and plan on a few short drives.

Saturday: from Motown to jazz

10:00
Motown Museum
New Center
Berry Gordy bought this West Grand Boulevard house in 1959 and turned it into Motown's first headquarters and Studio A. The modest scale is what makes the impact so staggering: Stevie Wonder auditioned here in 1961, and the Supremes cut their '60s hits in Studio A. Guided tours are paused right now, but standing out front still gives you chills.

About a 20-minute walk or a 5-minute drive to Second Avenue.
11:15
United Sound Systems
Detroit – New Center
Detroit's oldest working recording studio, open since 1939: John Lee Hooker cut 'Boogie Chillen'' here in 1948, Tamla (the label that became Motown) held its very first session here in 1959, and Parliament-Funkadelic came through in the '70s. It's a working studio, so admire the building from Second Avenue.

A short drive east to East Grand Boulevard, about 5 minutes.
12:30
Submerge / Exhibit 3000
Detroit – New Center
No sign on the door, but this is one of techno's holy sites: the headquarters of Underground Resistance and Submerge in a 1910 brick building. The main floor is Exhibit 3000, the world's first techno museum (by appointment), and the basement holds the Somewhere in Detroit record shop. It's a working label too, so treat it like the Detroit institution it is.

About 10 minutes by car to West Canfield Street in the Cass Corridor.
14:30
Third Man Records Cass Corridor
Midtown (Cass Corridor / W Canfield)
Jack White's Detroit store has been here since 2015, in a former car dealership: records, novelties, a small stage, and the Third Man Pressing vinyl plant visible through the glass. The store is open Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; in-store shows pop up on event dates.

A 4-minute walk to Cass Avenue.
15:30
Gretchen C. Valade Jazz Center
Detroit – Midtown
Wayne State's jazz house opened on August 29, 2024, in the former Hilberry Theatre, originally the First Church of Christ, Scientist. It's named for Gretchen Valade, who rescued the Detroit Jazz Festival in 2006, and the basement holds the Dee Dee Bridgewater Jazz Club. Look for concerts on Wayne State's music calendar.

Walk over to Woodward and take the QLINE south to Grand Circus; Park Avenue is a few minutes from there.
19:30
Cliff Bell’s
Downtown
Live jazz, dinner and drinks at the historic Cliff Bell's. It's open 5 p.m. to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays; tickets and table reservations can be handled separately for each show, so check the club's calendar first.

Sunday: techno, the avant-garde and a jam

11:00
Hart Plaza
Detroit – Downtown
This riverfront plaza opened in 1975 near where Cadillac's expedition landed in 1701, much of it shaped by Isamu Noguchi. Memorial Day weekend it hosts the Movement electronic music festival: Kevin Saunderson's Fuse-In was the first ticketed festival here in 2005, and Richie Hawtin played as Plastikman in 2010.

About 10 minutes by car northeast to Gratiot Avenue.
12:00
Transmat Records
Detroit – Eastern Market
Derrick May opened Transmat here in 1986, on the stretch of Gratiot nicknamed Techno Alley, where Metroplex and other early techno labels also worked. You'll spot it by the multicolored chevron brick base. It's a working label, not a shop, so admire it from the sidewalk.

Right next door, one minute.
12:15
Trinosophes
Eastern Market
Lunch in a former spice-processing warehouse: Trinosophes is a vegetarian cafe and nonprofit arts space presenting hundreds of concerts, readings and screenings a year, mostly experimental, jazz and avant-garde. The cafe runs Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; on concert nights doors usually open around 7.

About 10 minutes by car to Woodward Avenue in Midtown.
14:00
Detroit Historical Museum
Midtown
The Detroit Historical Museum tells the city's everyday story, with two small treasures for music fans: Kevin Saunderson's mixing board went on display after the 2012 renovation, and techno pioneer Eddie Fowlkes's handprints are set in the Legends Plaza.

QLINE from Ferry Street south to Grand Circus, then about a 10-minute walk to Harmonie Park.
19:00
Aretha's Jazz Cafe
Downtown (inside Music Hall, Harmonie Park)
Close with a jam: this club inside the Music Hall building is named for Aretha Franklin, its walls lined with photos of Detroit music legends, and Sunday nights bring a jazz jam session at 7. Check the club's calendar for the lineup and tickets.

Good to know

Motown Museum's guided Hitsville tours have been paused since January 20, 2026, for construction, with reopening planned for spring 2027; check what's open and where before you go.
Exhibit 3000 is by appointment only, and the Somewhere in Detroit record shop in the basement keeps Saturday hours, which is why it's on Saturday.
The QLINE is free and runs Woodward between Midtown and downtown, the easiest way to get to the jazz rooms at night.
Got one more night? Baker's Keyboard Lounge traces its jazz-club history to 1934 and stays open until midnight Saturday and Sunday on Livernois Avenue.