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About Motech Records
Detroit is a challenging place. It is now and always has been. It has never been a place of pristine nature. Everything there is built the hard way, with a lot of heart and passion, blood and tears. This raw, un-tampered nature shows through in the music that comes from Detroit, especially in its electronic music. Paying dues and knowing who came before you have been the cornerstones of respect in the Detroit community for decades. As it was then, it remains today. No hand outs, no free rides, no place for the pretentious. It is from this gritty dust that Motech Records emerged.
Like most Detroit enterprises, Motech Records started small and has now grown into a multi-faceted network of individuals and outlets. While the members of the Motech Records family are scattered across the globe, some having never met each other, they are all closely connected through the mission of bringing the world a unique blend of influenced rhythms.
Motech was started in Detroit by Franki Juncaj (DJ 3000) as a creative outlet not only for his ethnically influenced production, but also as an outlet for budding, individualistic producers from across the world. DJ 3000 was introduced to the world of Detroit electronic music by finding himself in close proximity to the Underground Resistance and Submerge camp. Working under the watchful eye of some of Detroit's most respected producers, DJ 3000 began appearing on UR releases and was eventually initiated as a UR DJ, playing gigs across the globe, all the while representing Detroit.
Motech's vision was born from the dust and destruction of the automobile industry in the Motor City. Once a booming industry that influenced the world, it was reduced to shambles in one fell swoop and left a permanent residue on the city it once inhabited. Drawing from the never ending influence that Detroit had to offer, DJ 3000 began looking back to his ethnic roots. What eventually emerged was a unique blend of Detroit electronic rhythm combined with the sounds and textures of generations long past.
From the time of its first release, "Unfriendly," the Motech family tree has grown into an impressive roster that includes both established and up-and-coming producers alike. Despite geographical, language and style differences, all are united in keeping the Motech Records mission alive. Their mission is to push the boundaries in a realm where no boundaries exist. This mission has helped Motech Records emerge as not only a record label, but as a visual and contextual idea that has transcended its original purpose through the vision and influences of every member of the family.
"We Speak Your Language" is a testament to the globally transcendent nature of Motech Records. No matter what language one may speak, what ideals they hold, or where on earth they may be located, music is a language that we can all understand and relate to.
What started as a small vision in Detroit has grown into a global network of visual, sonic and intellectual ideas all driven by a unique group of artists and producers who are combining past and present in order to establish the sound of the future.
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Ministry of Information
Motech - Detroit
About DJ 3000 If you ask most producers and DJ's about their musical upbringing, most, if not all, will point to the influence of their parents and their relatives. Franki Juncaj is no different. Born and raised in the Detroit enclave of Hamtramck, Juncaj was inundated with both the sights and sounds of his neighborhood, a highly ethnic area of Detroit, as well as with the influence of the music of his parent's native Albanian background. This diverse collection of influence shaped the make-up of both Juncaj and the vision of his Motech Records label.
Juncaj discovered the rich history of Detroit Techno by going straight to the source. Through a friend he was introduced to the world of 2030, one of Detroit's most famous outlets for electronic music, and through the store’s association, introduced to the world of Underground Resistance. He was initiated into the Submerge crew and never looked back.
He began DJ'ing around Detroit and was introduced to the world via the "Somewhere in Detroit" mix series on Submerge Recordings. The SID mix was the world’s introduction to DJ 3000. Until this point in his DJ career, Juncaj had always gone by his given name when performing, however UR co-founder “Mad” Mike Banks decided that Juncaj needed a DJ name. UR and Submerge had just relocated their headquarters to 3000 W. Grand Boulevard in Detroit, so in honor of that, and to let the world know that Juncaj was part of delivering the sound of Submerge and UR to the masses, he was dubbed DJ 3000. Since the release of the SID mix series, as well as with the success of his "Electric Soul" and "True Colors" mix, DJ 3000 has moved crowds across the world from Japan to Greece to the Balkan region all the way back to Detroit where he has headlined various stages at the Movement festival in Detroit.
Founded in 2001, Motech Records takes the vision and influence provided to him by Detroit and his parent's immigration from Yugoslavia, Juncaj has become known for creating a new hybrid breed of Techno/Electro/Funk interspersed with the soul of Albanian and Middle Eastern rhythms. Through his own releases, and through collaborations and contributions from some of the best up-and-coming producers across the globe, Juncaj and Motech Records have forged their own unique identities.
Notable projects from DJ 3000 and Motech have included "Migration" – Juncaj's first full length album on Submerge Recordings, “Blood & Honey” his follow up full length release on the Motech Records imprint. “Galactic Caravan,” Juncaj’s most recent full length on Motech Records, spawned a full double length remix album that included remixes from Ben Sims, Alexander Robotnik, and Orlando Voorn. Motech’s “Broken Research” series has produced two full length compilation efforts which act as a showcase for the global spectrum of producers continually involved in the label’s success. Juncaj will release his fourth full length record, “Invisible Moods” next year on Motech Records.
DJ 3000 has also collaborated with such artists as Gary Martin, Gerald Mitchell, and Ursula Rucker as well as being part of numerous remix projects for artists across the globe, most notably remixing “People are People” for electronic music pioneers Depeche Mode.
Motech Records, through its music, as well as through its mission of providing a voice for the under-represented and over looked, will continue to expose the world to the sounds and beliefs of the working class producer and DJ.
Combining the technology of the present with the influences of our past, Motech pushes the boundaries where there are no boundaries to be pushed. Traversing the globe with music as our only means of survival, Motech is always looking forward and striving in the image of progress. While we may not speak the same dialect, through the means of our music, “We Speak Your Language.”
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Ministry of Information
Motech Records - Detroit
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