‘God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines’ follows the narrative arc of the American city techno scene.
The much-awaited documentary ‘God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines’, produced by Jennifer Washington, Kristian Hill, and David Grandison, will follow the history of the Detroit techno scene, its creation and explosion across the world from the perspective of the masterminds of the Detroit sound — Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May, Eddie Fowlkes, Blake Baxter, and Santonio Echols.
‘God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines‘ has been a 10-year process to get from concept to screen and so, the producers have started up a ‘behind-the-scenes podcast’, focusing on the story and the journey documenting it, as producer and DJ Reggie Dokes joins Washington, Hill, and Grandison to discuss the history of the Detroit movement, personal histories and the state of current affairs.
The 3rd installment of the podcast series aired on November 30th and the production team decided to celebrate their friend, and late icon Mike Huckaby. ‘Huck is remembered not only as a DJ, but as an educator, as a leader, and as the one who gave the GSGEDM film its title and the team the inspiration to keep hustling to the finish line’, the creators say.
Diving deeper into the premise for the documentary, the enticing strapline for ‘God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines’ reads: ‘Techno became an overnight sensation, and so did Juan, Kevin, and Derrick. But it didn’t happen for the rest. When the money entered the picture, friendships were broken leaving them fractured as a group with no collective bargaining power in the music business. With no knowledge of publishing and licensing, Blake, Eddie and Santonio, whose contributions went largely unrecognized and uncompensated, were left in a state of heartbreak and despair to this day’.
You can check the podcast episode on GSGEDM.com, and watch a trailer for the documentary below.
