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Claude Young

· techno DJ and producer

Detroit techno DJ famed for hip-hop-style scratching and cutting, whose 1996 DJ-Kicks mix earned him comparisons with Jeff Mills.

Birth name
Claude Young Jr.
Also known as
Brother From Another Planet · Different World
Detroit years
birth–1995
Field
Music

01 / The Detroit story

The Detroit story

Claude Young grew up in Detroit, where his father, Claude Young Sr., was a well-known radio host and DJ at WJLB. He started out as a radio and club DJ in the city's young techno scene of the early 1990s, met Jeff Mills and began producing after working on sessions for Kevin Saunderson. His mentor was Anthony “Shake” Shakir, with whom he founded the Frictional label; he also co-founded 7th City and released records under many aliases on Djax-Up-Beats, Axis and others. On the decks he stood out for bringing hip-hop turntablism into techno, scratching, juggling and cutting at high speed. His 1996 DJ-Kicks mix for Studio !K7 led critics to call him perhaps the best Detroit DJ since Mills. He moved to London in 1995 and to Japan around 2004–2005, where he runs cynet:media and the duo Different World, which has returned to play the Detroit Electronic Music Festival.

Highlights

  1. DJ-Kicks mix for Studio !K7 (1996).
  2. Co-founded the Frictional label with Anthony Shakir and co-founded 7th City.
  3. Known for scratches, juggles and cuts in techno sets.
  4. Returned to Detroit's electronic music festival with the duo Different World.