Artist Playlists: Carl Craig

For this new series, Dia invites artists to curate a playlist that brings together music that they are listening to right now or that has been meaningful to them during their life.

This playlist brings together music that I’m listening to now and pieces that have had a deep impact on me over the years. It’s certainly something of a love letter to my hometown of Detroit as well. Detroit has always had a rich culture of pioneering music (jazz, blues, Motown, hip-hop) and, of course, it is one of the epicenters of techno. This collection of essential tracks represents the city and its music scene, and how it has influenced electronic music scenes around the world. We warm-up with Detroit Love Vol. 3—a collection of both classic and fresh tracks from a selection of Detroit natives. I started the Detroit Love series in 2014 as a way to shine a light on the sounds of the city and share new and established artists with the rest of the world. It’s a way to support the scene, but I guess I’m also just proud of what these artists are producing and eager to spread the word. My music has always drawn from many different genres and this list throws some surprises out there too—Aphex Twin to Johann Sebastian Bach, Moodymann to Carlos Santana—I like making these connections or just enjoying the juxtaposition. You’ll also hear tracks from my collaborators, like Moritz von Oswald, who I’ve worked with for decades and who recently performed with me at Dia Beacon to mark the opening of my commission Party/After-Party (2020). In 2008 we put out a studio album together called ReComposed, which reworked two well-known classical compositions by Maurice Ravel and Modest Mussorgsky. For me this is what techno is all about—endless imagination and taking risks.

—Carl Craig

Listen to Carl Craig's playlist: Spotify, Apple Music

Carl Craig was born in Detroit in 1969, where he currently lives and works when not touring internationally.