From UR’s “Final Frontier” and “Hi-Tech Dreams” to World 2 World’s “Jupiter Jazz,” to the Interstellar Fugitive albums, UR’s rich catalog reverberates with themes of social change among indigenous, displaced people, steeped in funk and intricate drum programming. Yet, the label and its artists remain largely elusive, rarely speaking to the press, relying on wordless music to communicate their message. In 1989, “Mad” Mike Banks combined forces with Jeff Mills—a Detroit DJ known as “the Wizard”—to form UR. Their music rapidly changed the landscape of dance beats with the resurgence of techno, reined in by the tight bass line. Indeed, UR had entered a tricky game—surviving as independent artists in a harried international industry with slick players. Mills, an inquisitive mind, was moving toward music that matched his interest in conceptual art. He took a step away from UR in the early ’90s, launching the Purpose Maker and Axis labels in Chicago, becoming among the world’s most coveted DJs for his dexterity and lightning-quick fingers. Banks kept on with UR, growing the label’s numbers of like-minded artists who shared his Detroit DIY ethos, and he remains the constant presence in the equation. UR has launched the sound of monumental producers including the duo Drexciya, whose bubble effects were built upon the concept of a Drexciyan race descended from pregnant survivors who fell into the sea from slave ships. Rob Hood, the Suburban Knight, and DJ Rolando are among the label’s revered artists. Recently, Nomadico, Mark Flash, and Nick Speed have pushed the UR sound forward. Touring bands Timeline and Galaxy 2 Galaxy, which include Banks, have set the precedent for live electronic music performing what they describe as “hi-tech jazz.” Yet, the history remains intact, as Mills has periodically returned to work with UR over the years. UR has always been about dance music with carefully coded purpose. Just listen to Mad Mike Banks tell it.
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