Garret Kohler Discusses Detroit's Music Scene
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A few hours from Chicago by car or train, and you’ll find yourself in the bustling city of Detroit. Much like Chicago, Detroit’s musical history is enthralling, rich and significant to the city’s identity. Eager to learn more about the current landscape of our neighboring city, we reconnected with friend and former Chicago resident Garret Kohler who runs the music company Assemble Sound. The multifunctional operation has become a prominent resource for Detroit creatives through management and label services as well as unique artist-development programs. With a selfless role in his community and a keen ear for music, Kohler gives us his take on Detroit’s scene and informs us of artists we should be keeping tabs on through a 27 track playlist. Read our Q&A with Garret below, and listen to his curated playlist here.
Please give the These Days audience a quick introduction to yourself.
Hey, I’m Garret. I run a music company in Detroit called Assemble Sound. We have a bunch of studios in a historic church, and we operate an artist residency that gives 15-20 artists free 24/7 access to the studios and development programming for a year. We do music supervision and sync licensing for TV, Film, and advertising, and have a management/label relationship with a select few artists. We also have a year-long free music industry education series called Assemble U. It’s a weird company, but it’s pretty tight. You should come visit, we’re only four hours from Chicago.
Can you share with us how you got involved with the Detroit music scene & the role you play within it?
I moved to Detroit from Chicago about seven years ago, and within a few months of being here, I started throwing DIY shows. After one of those shows, I got approached by a few artists who were interested in opening up a free collaborative recording space. The idea would have seemed a lot more outrageous to me if I hadn’t been from Chicago, where I witnessed first-hand the role that YOUmedia Lab played in cultivating a more connected and talented network of young artists across the city. I started to imagine what it would look like to create a “YOUmedia-like” collaborative studio space that wasn’t just for young creatives generally but instead was geared more specifically for musical artists of varied ages and backgrounds who were focused in building a career in production, songwriting, or performance. What would it look like to create a space that convened artists around a shared belief in cooperative development, and to then to create a program within that space that gave those artists some tools to be better creators and business owners? We essentially thought that space could, at the very least, produce some sweet ass music, and at the very most, perhaps really impact the trajectory of a lot of creative careers in the city.
In 2015 we bought a vacant church (only in Detroit), and the idea of that space and program became a reality —Assemble Sound. It’s probably one of the most naive ideas you could ever think up, but somehow we’re still here, five years later, with over 100,000 hours of free studio time given, and almost a million dollars put into the pockets of local independent artists. We really feel like we’re just getting started.
Being pretty familiar with what’s going on in Chicago, what are some similarities/differences of what's going on there vs here?
Keep in mind that I haven’t lived in Chicago in like 7+ years, and I’ve only lived in Detroit for 7+ years. That’s put me in a sort of weird limbo to make definitive statements about either place, but here’s what I’ve observed: Both cities have mad talent and deep histories across a crazy diversity of genres, from rap & hop-hop, to rock & punk, to dance/electronic, blues and jazz. It’s actually pretty wild when you compare the diversity of sounds in places like Chicago and Detroit to more established “industry hubs” like Nashville and Los Angeles. That’s definitely something that Chicago and Detroit share. I’ve found that people in Chicago and Detroit both also tend to claim there’s a really collaborative environment for creatives, but the reality is that because there are less industry role players present to act as connectors (managers, A&Rs, publishers, etc), artists actually tend to create in silos and the scenes tend to feel a bit more fragmented. I think there is a really strong sense of community in both Chicago and Detroit, which is to say that artists feel a shared sense of belonging to their city —I just don’t think that sense of community necessarily equates to more collaboration or a more cooperative ethos. In fact, I think in both places I’ve witnessed the constant lurking threat of a “crabs in a barrel” mentality, where a perceived opportunity deficit makes artists more likely to see “success” as a zero-sum game, with another person’s success threatening the potential of your own. I guess the summary of all these thoughts is that both Chicago and Detroit’s scenes have this sort of inherent paradox where people talk about a strong sense of community, but also tend to talk about feeling fragmented (across and within genres) and unsupported. I think it’s important to note that both scenes are also pretty radically independent, and that’s reflected in how unique the sounds are when compared to broader industry production and songwriting trends. Whether you’re talking about Chicago House or Drill, or Detroit Garage rock or street rap, you’re going to find distinct styles that are authentic reflections of a specific place and people, but you’re also going to find styles that are so potent they’ve actually transcended those people and places and impacted trends in the broader global music industry. In other words, if you want to know what’s next in fashion they say you gotta go to the coasts; but if you want to know what’s next in music, you probably gotta show up in places like Detroit and Chicago.
Who is doing the best coverage of Detroit's rising acts locally?
It depends. Honestly, Fake Shore Drive has always done a great job picking up what’s popping on the street-side of Detroit music. If that’s what you’re looking for, I’d also suggest subscribing to the Youtube/IG pages of guys like @jerryPHD (Jerry Productions), @djbj3525, and 4SHO Magazine. On the total other side of the spectrum, the local NPR affiliate WDET (101.9) does a good job covering the indie scene here, and the alt-weekly Metro Times has gotten a lot better since moving their offices downtown Detroit. Overall I would still argue that we have a coverage deficit that really keeps the scene from having the global impact it should have, and we really need more blogs and indie-playlisters. When I think about the biggest differences between Chicago and Detroit, I know Chicago has a bigger, more established, locally trusted and nationally relevant blog/curator community than Detroit, and that’s been a huge reason that you’ve seen a boom in globally touring acts popping off from the city in the last decade.
Can you tell us a bit about a few of the artists / songs in your playlist?
So here’s the deal. Most playlists “work” (in the sense that people actually listen to them) because the songs on that playlist are in the same sonic universe. When the universe is Detroit though, that’s just not gonna happen. Let me tell you about my Detroit playlist. First, it’s sick. Second, it’s all over the place because that’s exactly how Detroit is. We have a history that runs deep in literally every genre and we don’t care about trends. Third, this playlist opens with Bloxk Party by Sada Baby and Drego, and if that doesn’t make you want to keep listening (or do anything you’re trying to do in life), then you should probably stop listening. From the streets and new R&B to bedroom indie and dance music, I’d tried to take you on a bit of a Detroit journey with this playlist. Here are some highlights:
Teejayx6 - Dark Web is a classic Detroit street instrumental contrasted with the youthful and sometimes hilarious self-incrimination that makes Teejayx6 such a compelling artist. His writing and delivery are so direct that at times it’s like he’s reading from a script, but that shit hits because it’s not a script, it’s just his life. People try and paint Teejayx6 as a meme rapper with a Vince Staples shoutout, and I think that really misses the point and potential.
Baby Smoove - I think he dropped 4 full projects in 2019. How could I not include one song? It’s just a probability thing. Go down the Detroit rap youtube rabbit hole, and you’ll come out remembering his name. And Sada Baby, but we already covered that above.
42 Dugg “The Streets” - This came out in 2018, but it was my favorite song then and got re-released in 2019 so I’m including it. Plus, it’d be a crime to not have a Helluva-produced track on this playlist so there’s that too. Helluva is one of those guys who has come to define a Detroit sound and then watched that sound impact that broader industry.
Kash Doll - In a time when female rappers really dominate nationally, Kash Doll continues to build in her own lane, and one that is quintessentially Detroit. Her energy is just uncompromisingly authentic-- a whole ass mood. “Doin Too Much” is my favorite song off a great debut album in 2019.
Zelooperz - Man, Black Noi$e went so crazy on this - “Easter Sunday” beat. Zelooperz is like Detroit’s LUCKI to me-- always ahead of his time doing shit the rest of us will be on years later. He put out two great full length projects in 2019.
Choker - he’s one breakout song away from Frank Ocean. People gonna hate me for writing that, but I’m not deleting it. If you’re not hip to Choker, just dive in. The basement producer/artist is elusive and exists in his own genre-defiant world, and what he’s built for himself from that position is a wild testament to just how good he is.
The Doozers “Cytoplasm” - I just fuck with this song. That’s it. That’s the tweet.
Hala - I’m supposed to say bedroom pop but that really isn’t what Hala is. He’s just an incredible songwriter/producer mastering indie-rock soundscapes that scale well-beyond bedrooms and the trendy playlists that represent them.
Supercoolwicked - soaring and sultry vocals layered over-complicated production with influences ranging from traditional r&b to the more jazz and dance sides of Detroit. It’s all tied together in a larger-than-life stage persona and an impeccable aesthetic.
Whiterosemoxie - tap in with the youth. If there isn’t a high schooler on your list, you’re not paying attention. Pay attention to this one.
Jax Anderson - Detroit’s got a real blue-collar pop scene, and Jax Anderson epitomizes that scene. Formerly known as Flint Eastwood, Jax is the DIY touring machine who writes relentlessly vulnerable indie-influenced pop music and shoots and edits her own videos.
Sam Austins - Melodic genius who broke onto the national scene in 2018 with the release of his genre-bending ANGST EP after bubbling up in the young rap world here during his teenage years. The whole city knows his sonic range, and early previews of a forthcoming 2020 album suggest that range has found its most refined, experimental, and ambitious vision to-date.
Siena Liggins - Listen to the song. Look at Instagram. It’s just irresistible. She wants to make girls who like girls feel sexy, and she doesn’t miss. It’s unapologetic pop music you love to hate. Sometimes artists are so tapped into who they are that everyone around them wants to get pulled into their universe. Siena is one of those artists.
Moodymann - cause it’s fucking Moodymann, and when he throws a community BBQ to release his album, putting him on a playlist seems like the least I could do. He’s a legend for a reason. This song is one of the thousands of reasons.
Waajeed - making luscious house music in the techno temple that is Underground Resistance’s Submerge headquarters. In an underground world whose currency is respect, few are richer than producer/artist extraordinaire Waajeed. You know I had to put one of Detroit’s house giants (and Slum Village affiliate) on this Chicago list.
