In an era where credit is rarely given when due, a lot of today’s so-called “minimal” enthusiasts may not actually be familiar with its creator: it’s near impossible to find anyone who can rival the magnificence and innovation of Robert Hood. With an absolute, visionary state of mind, Hood has been one of the most extraordinary and forward-thinking artists in the history of techno. He’s regarded by some of the biggest names in electronic music as being one of the founding fathers of techno’s development, yet some of the newer faces to minimal are none the wiser.

Raised primarily on Motown in Detroit, Robert Hood’s family was enveloped in music: his mother recorded a 45″ locally, his uncle managed jazz and R&B bands, his grandmother’s first cousin was Berry Gordy, his father was a jazz musician (piano, drums, and trumpet). Robert followed his father’s footsteps at a young age, picking up trumpet in the school band. But, distracted by youth, it wasn’t long before he swapped the trumpet for vinyl, obsessively focussing on the arrangements, musicality and instrumentation of the records he cherished. His zealous interest in production guided him to a pawn shop, where he picked up some basic equipment and began recording demos. Unable to find someone able to do “some kind of political abstract MCing – a cross between Chuck D and Q-Tip,” Robert laid down his own lyrics on his productions. Eventually, a fortuitous introduction to a well-connected musician, Mike Clark (a.k.a. Agent X), led to him eventually pass on a demo to a key player in underground Detroit, Mike Banks. Instantly enamoured with his lyrical styling, Mike Banks and Jeff Mills took Robert on board as an MC for 2 tracks on a compilation they were putting together. As Robert’s productions grew stronger, the incomparable Underground Resistance crew formed, putting political outrage to an experimental beat, and Robert found his place as a seminal member, the “Minister of Information.” With UR, Robert forged a path for himself, creating a simple yet powerful sound that fully encompassed the Detroit ethos, but also pushed unparalleled levels of imagination.

Many seminal UR releases later, shortly after the X102 project Jeff Mills and Robert decided set up Axis, which was “more of a housey, abstract sound that was different from the experimental techno from UR, and that was different from the Detroit Metroplex and Transmat/KMS sound. It was more of a grounded sound.” Hood & Mills hopped cross-country to NYC in ’92, the home for their brilliant H&M productions together. Robert’s own ground-shattering `Minimal Nation’ LP (on Axis) hit the electronic music world with unprecedented explosion – it is credited today as a turning point for techno. Shortly after, Hood took a step alone, and in an entirely different direction, with M-Plant in 1994.

“M-Plant kind of borrowed from the sound I was using from Axis and really expanded on that sound. I had developed this “grey area” sound – what I mean by that is that in Detroit, even when the sun is out, there’s something in the atmosphere. The sky has a grey haze over it. It’s got to be something from the industrial factories there. I’d never really heard a sound like that before and it came from a Roland Juno – it was a chord sound that really went along with my depiction of what Detroit was at that time. A lot of buildings were abandoned and there was a lot of lifelessness in the city, especially downtown. The M-Plant, in minimalism, kind of reflected that. I remember thinking of Detroit like a museum. You know, like a work of art standing still, suspended in time.” – Robert Hood

And how does the visionary behind `Minimal Nation’ feel about the upsurge of minimal these days, 14 years later? “These days I am focused purely on minimalism and really embracing minimalism, because it’s taken on a life of its own. It’s now a music style separate from techno. I would never have imagined that it would take this direction. I didn’t see that one coming! I saw minimalism in life becoming more and more evident – in furniture, in electronics, in art, in automobiles, appliances – you know, I could see that coming. But, as far as music itself being thought of now as an art form? Back then, I think people looked on at it as a trend but they didn’t realise that minimalism is an art form. I did not realise it would take on this characteristic as it has now. So, where I’m at right now is embracing minimalism and seeing how far I can push it – in my interpretation of what simplicity and the music is all about. I am really representing it as an art form and not a trend. As the future evolves, we’re going to get more and more minimal…” Robert Hood

It’s no wonder Robert Hood is so easily able to see music as an art form, being a visual artist himself (Robert is also an illustrator, creating pencil, charcoal and graphite renderings). On fabric 39, he wondrously illustrates emotive, scenic and rippling pictures through layered, hypnotic techno blends. The no-nonsense, trend defying mix doesn’t timidly tiptoe around the obvious; it boldly stomps right through the unfamiliar and unforeseen. Fabric 39 stands equidistant between extremes – yin and yang, head and feet, up and down, black and white – indeed, that “grey area” embodied to disc. It is simplified, intelligent music that moves and challenges at a fast, unrelenting pace, imaginatively mimicking the feeling of Detroit itself in all its industrial glory. Robert Hood takes stripped-back minimalism and sets beauty to a beat, pours emotions through hi-hats, sings with undulating rhythms and gives machines a tangible feeling of humanity.

“A set from fabric is the only way I want to go. This mix has to be about the club. I’d like it to be dancefloor orientated and to take the listener on a trip. Any project I do, I like to read like a book. I like it to tell a story, you know? Not to just be random songs or tracks. I t has to have continuity to take you on a ride. It should have a concept and be able to translate and read as such. The DJ mix will be enhanced with live elements added to the mix. The live elements are just tracks or patterns, rhythm patterns that will be exclusive to the CD.” – Robert Hood