In the late 1980s, Alan Oldham began his career with his “Fast Forward” program on WDET-FM 101.9.  He subsequently joined Underground Resistance under the alias DJ T-1000, created his own label Generator Records, on which he released classics under X-313; and a few years later Pure Sonik Records. Precociously talented drawer, he has created countless iconic illustrations, comics and novels for renowned labels and artists such as Transmat, Plus 8, Djax-Up-Beats, Drexciya... Alan has more than one string to his bow, he has built a solid reputation and recently has been presented with a City of Detroit Spirit Award. Now based in Berlin, Alan shares with us his vision of the scene, his connexions with BPitch Control and Tresor, his beginnings as an indie comic artist, notably with the character Johnny Gambit and his exhibitions with Abdul Qadim Haqq until the graphic novel/album "Welcome to Sub-Detroit".

Was music an important part of your childhood? 
I grew up listening to music in my household. My mother had a musical background but she quit playing when she had me. I was a baby during the tail end of the Motown era. My cousins who were teenagers were always playing the hit singles of the time. My uncles taught me how to listen to jazz. (Editor’s note: Motown, one of the most important labels founded in Detroit by Berry Gordy Jr., launched the greatest artists of our time and led soul music to its peak in the 1960s-1970s. Motown is also a contraction of Motor Town, "the city of engines", the nickname of Detroit which was then the capital of automobile production). 

Do you remember your first gig?
The first time I played a rave under my own name was a show in Windsor, Canada (Canadian suburb located a few kilometres from the Motor City - Editor's note) called Crazy 8s, organized by Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva (label Plus 8 Records). I have fond memories of that gig. This was in 1990.

Today, what does Underground Resistance represent for you?
The genius of the UR concept is it can mean whatever you want it to mean. As long as there is a struggle, there is UR. For me it means total independence, DIY, self-determination, and protest. My time in UR taught me these values.

Any anecdotes about your radio show Fast Forward between 1987 and 1992?

It was a formative time in my life. Fast Forward started my career. WDET-FM basically hired me right off the street. I did an internship there, then they gave me a late-night show. They let me play all kinds of music at that time. I was exposing a lot of local listeners to this new electronic music, primarily from Detroit. Most people at the time thought all electronic music came from Europe. I'm always surprised that people remember the show fondly.

What prompted you to found your own record labels Pure Sonik Records and Generator Records?
With Generator, Mike Banks approached me in 1992 to start a label to run through Submerge Distribution. I had been making music with my former musical partner and had tracks already, so we finally had distribution. I came up with the name Generator and off we went. A few years later, I was on my own as a producer/Dj and was building my own studio, so I no longer had need to sign artists; Pure Sonik Records was born to focus on my own productions. I finished Generator with the 25th release. Pure Sonik is still ongoing, it is all digital now.

How did you join BPitch Control?
I moved to Berlin full-time in 2014, and moved to Mitte in 2015. I was out walking around the Rosenthaler Platz area and this blondie came up to me, asking "Are you Alan Oldham?" It was Ellen Allien. We had not met before but she knew who I was and introduced herself. A little while later, our mutual friend Matt Edwards (Radio Slave) opened a Christmas pop-up shop, and I ran into Ellen again there. She invited me to play her next BPitch Boogy (now called We Are Not Alone) event at the old club IPSE (RIP). So, I played the event along with Camea and felt good about it. That Tuesday, I got an offer to come aboard the booking agency, and I went on tour with Ellen a few times. I've released with BPitch also. My profile was at a low at that time, so I thank Ellen for getting my career back on track.

How did you link up with Djax-Up-Beats?
I had finished my first ever Ep under the name Signal to Noise Ratio, and was looking for a label to release it. I went to the record shop with a notebook to get contact info from labels. I found this label from the Netherlands. My cousin was living there at the time, he was in the Air Force as a mechanic. So, I called him and asked where Eindhoven was, and he said it was near him. So, I sent a demo to Saskia (Miss Djax). She liked the record and put it out, but liked my art more. So, from then on, I did mostly all the label art for Djax-Up-Beats.

Your vision and any memories of Detroit back in the 90’s? 
The 90s was Detroit's first actual renaissance. Many people making music, a lot of legal and illegal raves, and Motor was the big club of that era (The Motor Lounge in Hamtramck or Motor Detroit is historically significant venue opened in 1996 by Steven Sowers and was the spiritual home of the local electronic music scene before and during the early and formative years of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival, known currently as Movement – Editor’s note). Every big name played there. The cost of living was still super cheap. I had a really cool apartment at that time and was paying practically nothing for it. People still thought Detroit was dangerous, so they stayed away overall. Only the real music lovers and suburban ravers braved the city at that time. Had a lot of friends. I once had Christian Smith, Misstress Barbara and Joel Mull over to my balcony for BBQ. I was close with Woody McBride back then, too. I put out my first album through Tresor. Rode my bike a lot. Good times. Then Joe Biden's anti-drug RAVE act came into force, killing the US rave scene at that time, and many clubs, including Motor, closed. Then 9/11 happened.

Your top 5 Detroit masterpieces?
- The Worlds "Suburban Knight"
- Jupiter Jazz "Galaxy to Galaxy"
- It Is What It Is "Rhythim is Rhythim"
- Infiniti "Think Quick" (Moritz Von Oswald '94 Remodel)
- Running Time "Terrence Dixon"

Today, you live in Berlin, how do you perceive the spirit of the city for the last 15 years?
The wild anarchic, organic spirit of 90s and 2000s Berlin is gone in 2024. Before, people came here to live their art because they simply couldn't make it in their own hometowns. Rents were cheap and new forms of art and music emerged as a result. Lots of renegade art and music spaces you could just take over, or rent for cheap. Today it's kind of a cliché, kids move to Berlin because it's "cool," driving up rents in the process. Dressing in BDSM gear from Amazon, doing drugs and going to Berghain or Kit Kat, tourists come here to do this, like Disneyland. Start-up and VC bros gentrifying the neighbourhoods, more clubs closing. I know a guy whose landlady is selling their building to Amazon, so he has to move after a decade. Fiese Remise and IPSE are gone, Renate and the legendary Watergate will be closing at the end of the year. UNESCO invisible heritage status could not save them. Divisive politics pushed by social media have almost destroyed the old True Spirit. But people will still continue to come here because there's still artistic freedom, and you can still live here relatively cheap as a foreigner and an artist. Besides back home, where does one go after Berlin?

For you, what were the bridges between Detroit and Berlin scenes?
That comes down to one man: Dimitri Hegemann, the owner of Tresor. He is the one who fostered the link between Detroit and Berlin. He saw Detroit Techno as defined by early Underground Resistance as the new punk rock of a reunited, post-wall Berlin. I owe Dimitri and Carola many thanks for bringing me to Berlin to play at the club back in the 90s. There is now a Detroit-Berlin exchange program where DJs from both cities each visit the other, playing gigs and getting experience. Shawescape Renegade is the current visitor from Detroit. It's a great program.

Let’s speak about your second passion. Who are your main influences?
Many. Marvel Comics, 80s indie comics, The Face, Pop Art, Daniel Torres, Jean-Luc Godard, Patrick Nagel, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat. Anything design oriented.

How did you begin your career as an illustrator? Who are Johnny Gambit and Vectra?
I've drawn since birth. I always liked comic books and started out copying from them, like everybody else. I used to draw little comics in grade school with my friends, the difference is I never stopped. In the 80s I came up with the Johnny Gambit character. It was meant to showcase a manga/anime style combined with film noir, New Wave, Mister X and Miami Vice influences. After a visit to the Marvel offices, Marvel ripped my character off a couple of years later to create their version of "Gambit" in the X-Men, but that's another story. With Vectra, it was an experimental painted art comic with an idealized Black female lead. I was highly influenced at the time by Ashley Wood and POPBOT. I did a 16-page preview issue and a full #1 issue, but nobody really cared about it so I stopped. If I came out with it today with social media the way it is, it may have been more successful. I have no plans to go back to it.

Could you speak about your friendship and collaborations with Abdul Qadim Haqq?
I met Haqq over 25 years ago at Transmat. He was the second guy after me to do label art for Derrick May. I had watched him for years. Then a friend got a great loft space back in Detroit and invited me to come home and do an art show there. The space was so big, I suggested we bring Haqq in also. It did not make sense that the two best-known Detroit techno illustrators had not worked together before. We ended up with a fantastic two-man show during Movement weekend that was very successful financially. Then I organized another two-man show here in Berlin at a bookstore called Echo Buecher that was also a hit. This all culminated with me doing some inking work on the first Drexciya graphic novel. It was a great collaboration. The whole team-up was inspired by the Warhol/Basquiat collab paintings and friendship.

Could you describe “Welcome to Sub-Detroit” please?
It is a forthcoming graphic novel project I am doing with Elypsia Records, Brussels. It is a 48-page graphic novel with an album, all by me. It's a loose sequel to PLUS8019, the comic I did for Richie Hawtin way back in '92. (At that time, it was the first time that a record label like Plus 8 published a complete comic strip - editor's note) It is in production now, just waiting on the label to release it.

What is the main message through your art?
I saw a post that said "If your art isn't political, then you are just a capitalist." Well, I'm just a capitalist.

You like drawing hyper-stylized and nice shaped women; how is your ideal woman?
I stopped drawing tall, high heeled, idealized women a while ago, at least for public consumption. The heterosexual male gaze is not very well-liked at the moment. My private files are another story.

What about your next exhibitions? 
Nothing planned as of now, but I am always looking for new venues to do art shows in. If anyone is interested in partnering with me, like a record shop or a gallery, please get in touch.

Who is Black Warhols?
That is a non-techno side project I'm working on. Dub, trip-hop shoegaze, electropunk, art rock. All the elements have been submitted to the label, waiting to hear about the release date. I may just release it myself, stay tuned.

How do you perceive the electronic scene today? Any message you would like to convey?
Well it's a lot of joke Djs with gimmicks out there these days. That said, there are a ton of young (and older!) producers and DJs really killin' it right now. Music has never been better. I can't keep up with all the quality promos I get. Especially in the techno genre.

Any tips for the new generation of Djs/producers?
Nobody likes superstar ego trips. You can get far by being cool and humble. Nobody's curing AIDS or cancer here, we're only mixing records for the people, sharing, creating vibes and moments, and hopefully educating by example. The biggest touring names in techno and house are cool as fuck. It's the nobodies who try to flex and give attitude.

Your Top 3 vinyl stores?
Hardwax, Space Hall, OYE Records. There are other shops, but I'm friends with those guys and girls.

What is a good track for you?
Stripped-down, jackin' and to the point for peak-time. I also like more melodic techno for early morning sets.

Which one of your tracks best represents you today?
I've made so many tracks, it's hard to say!

Your favorite equipment in the studio?
I only use Native Intstruments' Maschine MK3. I'm looking at buying some more boxes, though.

If you could teleport yourself for a few hours…
1960-1966. The cool suits, the shades, the cars, the music, the glamorous women. Jazz, Blues, Rock and Motown all at once. You could see Miles Davis in his prime for $5 USD. My mom and dad were still young. My grandparents were still alive. I have a pic of them at a supper club and they looked like old movie stars. Hell, I would time travel just to sit and watch TV. Would love to see all that with adult eyes.

What makes you proud of yourself today?
I was presented with a City of Detroit Spirit Award in 2024 for my contribution to the arts, and for being an international ambassador for Detroit. Great to be recognized by my hometown. I've outlasted many of my critics and detractors. Proud and grateful.

How do you see our future?
The future is very precarious by design. But we have no choice but to focus and push through with our music, art or whatever makes us happy.

What new projects are you working on?
Hard at work behind the scenes as always with secret projects for next year and beyond! Watch the skies.

Finally, who is the current Alan Oldham in 3 words?
Hardworking, confident, hopeful.

Interviewed by Sabrina Bouzidi / Photo by ZeeMarla Osh