Techno & house / Downtown (Broadway St)
The Music Institute
Closed – archive entry · 1989
A former after-hours techno and house club at 1315 Broadway downtown (1988–1989), remembered as the prototype club of the Detroit techno scene.
01 / The story of this place
Make time for these
The Music Institute opened in May 1988, founded by George Baker, Anthony “Chez Damier” Pearson and Alton Miller and inspired by Chicago's house clubs, and ran as an after-hours club with a juice bar and no alcohol, a single strobe and a basic sound system. Derrick May was the Friday resident (“Next Generation,” harder techno for a younger crowd) with Darryl “D-Wynn” Wynn and early on Kevin Saunderson, while Saturdays (“Back To Basics”) drew an older crowd with a large gay following and a house/disco sound, with guests such as Juan Atkins and Mike Huckaby. It closed in November 1989 for financial reasons (“we couldn't pay the bills,” said George Baker), with a final party at which Derrick May played 808 State's “Pacific State,” and it helped inspire techno's second wave.
- Derrick May's Friday residency
- Juice bar, no alcohol
- Prototype Detroit techno club
Famous Detroiters
Famous people tied to this place 9
Lexicon entries for the people who lived, worked, performed or liked to spend time here.
- Juan Atkins born 1962 · record producer, DJ
Performed here
Short-lived downtown club started by the Belleville Three and friends, where Atkins, May and Saunderson DJed and the early techno scene came together.
- Derrick May born 1963 · DJ, electronic music producer
Performed here
Downtown after-hours club with a juice bar and no alcohol, the first venue built around Detroit techno; he held a Friday-night residency here.
- Kevin Saunderson born 1964 · DJ, record producer, label owner
Performed here
The short-lived downtown club where the Belleville Three and their circle DJed; it closed in November 1989.
- Blake Baxter born 1963 · DJ, producer, record-store owner
Performed here
The downtown club where he DJed with the Belleville Three and Eddie Fowlkes.
- Eddie Fowlkes born 1962 · DJ, record producer, label owner
Performed here
The downtown club where he DJed alongside the Belleville Three before it closed in November 1989.
- Mike Huckaby 1966–2020 · DJ, producer, educator
Performed here
He filled in on the club's Friday “Next Generation” nights.
- Chez Damier · house DJ and producer
Founded
The downtown club he co-founded; it ran from May 1988 to November 1989.
- Alton Miller born 1966 · house DJ, producer, singer
Founded
The club he co-founded and where he was a Saturday resident.
- DJ Minx · DJ, producer, label founder
Related place
Watching DJs here inspired her to start DJing.
Sources & fact check · Checked: 2026-09-25
An independently written bilingual guide. This collection is not an attendance-based ranking.
03 / Events
Events at this place
Published events automatically linked from our event guide. Times are local to the venue.
We have no published upcoming events linked to this place yet. That does not mean the venue has no events; check its official calendar too.
Source and former website ↗Keep exploring
Nightlife ↗
Temporary city photo — not this venue
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