A new exhibition on Detroit techno is landing at the Michigan State University Museum.
The free exhibit, “Techno: The Rise of Detroit’s Machine Music,” will run at the MSU Museum’s temporary location in downtown East Lansing from February 5 to April 30, and is said to explore the Motor City’s role as the birthplace of techno and its connection to Afrofuturism, according to organizers.
Anchoring the experience, which features several immersive elements “that bring the history and impact of techno to life,” the museum wrote on social media, is a 45-minute original sound installation from legendary Detroit techno label collective Underground Resistance, paired with a video installation from local visual artist Andrew Charles Edman.
Visitors can also explore a selection of artifacts, including the retired sound system from Club Heaven, the city’s foundational LGBTQ nightclub, album covers, and pioneering production tools, like the Roland 303 and TR 808 drum machines synonymous with the genre’s early sound.
“Underground Resistance has always been about pushing beyond the expected, about showing Detroit youth that technology isn’t just something that replaces jobs—it’s a tool for creating new futures,” the label’s John Collins, who is also the exhibit’s community curator, said in a statement.
“This exhibition captures that spirit of possibility, showing how Detroit’s techno pioneers turned machines into voices of hope and transformation,” he continued.
Throughout the exhibit, the MSU Museum will also host several programs celebrating the scene’s legendary figures. These include a panel with trailblazing Detroit DJ Carl Craig and Underground Resistance founder Mike Banks, and an all-female panel exploring women’s contributions to electronic music. The respective panels will culminate in Detroit-centric DJ sets from Craig and Stacey “Hotwaxx” Hale.
Techno: The Rise of Detroit’s Machine Music is free to the public. The MSU Museum is temporarily located at 311 Abbot Road, East Lansing, Michigan. For more information, visit museum.msu.edu.
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Featured image courtesy: Detroit Sound Conservancy. Credit: Christopher Cushman.
