Chuck Daniels Talks About His Involvement In Detroit's Music Scene In iEDM Interview

Chuck Daniels passion for music began at an early age and ever since then he's been a pioneer in Detroit's music scene.

"One of my friends invited me to a party and it was love at first sight," Chuck Daniels told iEDM in this exclusive interview in which he talks about his involvement in the Detroit Techno scene and his new trio anniversary album and more. 

Check out this exclusive interview and go back with Chuck where it all began for him and follow his trajectory with his new releases. 

iEDM: Chuck, you have been involved in the Detroit scene for a while now, how did you become involved in the local scene?

Chuck: I began hearing dance music in high school when I was already playing records and into some early forms of dance music. One of my friends invited me to a party and it was love at first sight, or hearing I guess. From then on I went to parties every weekend and the rest is history.

iEDM: What are some major things you’ve seen that have grown in the scene?

Chuck: We all know that house and techno has become more mainstream, especially in the US. So our audience has definitely grown. It’s hard to say if the scene has actually grown in numbers here in Detroit. We used to have parties every weekend that attracted 300-3000 people. If I had take a guess now those numbers may be around the same but it’s a bit more spread out. The underground parties have gone away and the people dancing are a bit more spread out amongst clubs.

iEDM: Do you think you have had any influence on those things?

Chuck: I think I have influenced the scene here in Detroit. I was one of only a few people pushing house music here in the early days and I hope my music has had some impact. I guess I have always helped spread the word about house and techno, so hopefully that has sparked some growth.

iEDM: What are some things you would change if any?

Chuck: That’s a serious question. To end the struggle for social justice, racism and to change peoples’ attitude on what they fear: the strange; the queer; the outcasts. We are all people trying to survive and have some fun in this cruel world and there is no room for hatred in our scene. I feel the underground scene used to be more accepting to different cultures but to me it’s become a bit homogenized. I grew up playing in gay and black clubs and it seems that culture has disappeared.

iEDM: I know you’re planning on continuing supporting the local scene, but how are you going to do this? Any new things you want to try out?

Chuck: I have always done my best to support and expose new artists in our scene. I feel it’s important to give back and to help guide some of our new talent. I have been doing parties in Detroit since the mid-nineties and I have no plans to stop. However, I do feel the scene needs something fresh and it’s something I have been working on. Stay tuned ;)

iEDM: What are any new local talent we should keep an eye on?

Chuck: Burning Bridges is a new signing to Sampled Detroit and we just released his first EP. Two of the three tunes were licensed to Stacey Pullen’s new mix on Carl Craig’s Detroit Label on K7. Bridges is about to do some big things.

iEDM: Your label Sampled Detroit, founded back in 2002, that’s quite a few years. How do you feel about the label?

Chuck: Owning and running a label in the current day and age is completely different than 16 years ago. Running a label now is far more complicated. It’s been a lot of fun and also a ton of work. It has taught me a lot about the industry and I am grateful for the people I have had the opportunity to work with. I have also made some life long friends from it so I would have to say it’s been a great journey.

iEDM: What has been your favorite album on this label and why?

Chuck: Definitely the Sampled Sixteen compilation: I think it’s some of the best music we have put out to date and I am really excited about all the collaborations I made happen, both with the music and artwork. 

iEDM: You recently dropped a trio anniversary album, tell us a little more about that!

Chuck: As I was saying... I had the opportunity to collaborate with a ton of people. Amp Fiddler, Claude Young, Mike Clark, Oliver Dollar, Burning Bridges which was a lot of fun. I also mixed and mastered many of the tunes on the three-part comp. I really feel a big part of me went into it. I also collaborated with a local artist Michelle Tanguay and local Gallery 1xRun to put together a really creative package both for the digital and vinyl releases.

iEDM: How long did you work on the album for? Any struggles?

Chuck: It took over a year to finally put it all together. I wouldn’t say there were any real struggles as it actually happened pretty organically. Putting together over 20 tunes across a three-part comp and pressing vinyl was a pretty big task, but it was worth it and I couldn’t be more excited with how it turned out.

iEDM: What’s your favorite track out of the albums and why?

Chuck: I have been playing the collab I did with Hazmat quite a bit. We made the tune in about a day and those always seem to be the best ones. It’s hard to choose a favorite: there are so many good tunes on the comp.

iEDM: How many originals tracks did you include?

Chuck: All the tunes were originals except for one unreleased remix. Personally, I think I contributed five original tunes.

iEDM: What can your fans expect for you in the future? Tour? More releases?

Chuck: Yes, all of that. I have some great gigs coming up across the US and Europe and lot’s of original music and remixes. I also just started an album that’s going to be out next year.

Thank you Chuck Daniels for this iEDM exclusive interview!

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