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Jimmy Edgar, the Cornerstone of New School Detroit Techno

Watch out for his label Ultramajic as it continues to grow to make people dance.

Jimmy Edgar is the cornerstone of new school Detroit techno. I realized this last weekend after talking to him about his history, his music, his label, his art, and other things that transcended from these topics. At 15 years old in Detroit, Jimmy had already been experimenting with electronic music for five years, and began playing venues like Whore House—which he clarified for me, was a secret club build into an actual abandoned brothel. The venue was large with six rooms off to the side where the ladies would meet their clients during their building's former incarnation. Seeing as I'm the kind of girl that loves a great abandoned venue, I became instantly obsessed with the idea of partying at an abandoned bordello conveniently named "Whore House."

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Now at 29, Jimmy Edgar runs his label Ultramajic as an excuse to have recurring projects to really concentrate on. Ultramajic is one of those labels where you can tell it's going to pump out some of the most talented producers in the game. Most recently, the Danny Daze Silicon EP, which was easily one of the biggest releases to come out in February. Jimmy explains to me that they're going to be really busy, as they will be releasing every six weeks on Ultramajic. Although he takes a very meticulous approach to all his music, he explains it is important to set dates and timelines for himself for all his art.

Jimmy's reference to his art doesn't just speak of his music, although they are directly correlated. He's speaking of his art (which he collaborates on with his friend, Pilar Zeta but also does a lot solo). His label Ultramajic has also been referred to as a design house, as it is a direct link between his art and music. It doesn't stop there; he was also very much involved in fashion photography at an earlier point in his life.

"I basically dropped out of high school—I mean I did graduate but I didn't study much after that because I went straight into music. During high school I was shooting my friends a lot, and a modeling agency just happened to see my portfolio and all my pictures together. I started doing model testing for the young models that were coming in—like 15, 16 and 20 year olds from Russia. I was still in Detroit, but it was around that time I ended up moving to New York and ended up living there for five years." He tells me afterwards that he doesn't take too much of an interest in photography anymore, and he just likes shooting friends. He's worked on a few fashion films as well, but his most recent work in photography is shooting the Holographic Universe F/W 2014 Lookbook.

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Jimmy Edgar x Pilar Zeta – Hot Inside Artwork

Jimmy just moved to Los Angeles from Berlin, which I found sort of confusing. We agreed that LA isn't really known for its clubbing—unless of course, you're running around rampant in neon clothing and waiting in lines to watch some of the richest men in the world behind a pair of CDJs and a computer. He explained to me he still lives in Berlin, and he will be splitting his time between the two places because he travels a lot. I guess it makes sense to have two places to call home rather than one when you have a schedule like his.

His move to LA wasn't just for his music though. I asked if it was for JETS (his duo with Travis Stewart, Machinedrum). He explains that "It really doesn't have anything to do with JETS, I'm actually working on some art projects in LA and I feel like it's a good place for that. There's a new bubbling art scene there. I also wanted to build a studio, and have a little more space for that… and I just like the weather, the scenery and the fitness attitude. I made a big life change recently, and it just kind of fits for me right now." Although LA would never be somewhere I could imagine myself living, I could agree that living in Toronto, Canada and with mention to the so-called 'spring' we're currently having, the weather and scenery there are really appealing. Jimmy understands my sentiments on the weather though, as he is from Detroit.

Jimmy explains, "It's like, the pinnacle of Detroit for the year. So going to play there is a huge honour. It's really cool to be a part of." It truly is. The first time Jimmy played there was something special in a lot of ways. "There was a video that came out afterwards that one of my friends took and the security guards were dancing along with the breakdancers during my set." I asked if they were breakdancing (because, obviously) and he said no, but they definitely weren't working.

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As you can tell, Jimmy Edgar's music likes to make people dance. I recalled a moment where at Electric Island Toronto last summer when Green Velvet played "Strike", and how the crowd absolutely lost it. He explained to me that with the name of his label, "everything we do has to have a fun vibe to it—so you know that it will be continually evolving." Jimmy has become the embodiment of what I want to call new school Detroit techno—with all the respect to original Detroit techno, his sound is truly fine tuned to the same ideals of the drum machine but with an even larger array of synthesized sounds that truly reflect his roots. It is obvious that Ultramajic is something to keep your eye on for the next while as it continues to grow to make people dance.

You can follow Serena Passion on twitter to see her tweet about mostly music and food: @serenapassion

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