We’re about to say goodbye to a challenging 2021 and say hello to a brighter new year — and if we were the gambling type, we’d lay down a few bucks that the year will be particularly bright for Detroit doyenne DJ Minx. In truth, the past 12 months have already been pretty momentous for Minx, a beloved figure within the Motor City’s house and techno realm. For starters, the year has seen her finally begin to get the recognition she deserves after decades of toiling in the Detroit trenches, along with the kinds of gigs and high-profile releases that come with that recognition. But perhaps just as importantly, 2021 was the year she came out, allowing her to time spent “being in the shadows,” as she puts it. Ria Hylton caught up with the tenacious DJ and producer, hearing the story of the long journey to get where she is now.
Gary, Indiana lies about 250 miles southwest of Detroit, and while it has a bit of sonic history of its own — the Jackson clan hails from Gary, among its other musical alumni — nobody’s ever going to mistake it for an electronic-music mecca like Detroit. Still, the town is the lifelong home of the former steel-mill worker Jerrilynn Patton, better known as the composer and producer Jlin. Rooted in the footwork emanating from nearby Chicago, but transcending that genre and pretty much all other genres as well, her music is complex, exploratory and otherworldly. Jlin is about to drop a striking new release called ‘Embryo,’ and we caught up with the busy artist to talk about the EP and a whole lot more.
This issue also features our end-of-2021 lists, featuring our favorite tracks, albums and compilations of the year. You might love some of our picks, and perhaps loathe some others — but hey, that’s what makes the world go ’round, right? You’ll also find features on Bu-Mako’s Jenifa Mayanja, Hyperdub’s Jessy Lanza and Erased Tapes’ Rival Consoles, a look at how the pandemic has affected the music-tech business and lots more, along with enough reviews, news, artists to watch, and all the rest to keep you going till 2022.
Bruce Tantum
Editor