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Ken Collier

Real Name:Ken Collier
Profile:Ken Collier passed away at the age of 46 from diabetic complications in 1996 .

Ken was older, in his 40s. He was spinning in the mostly-gay '70s and '80s heyday of progressive and HI-NRG dance music, the precursor of what we know now as House Music. He was a direct influence on Derrick May's DJ style.
Ken was the first person to champion Detroit Techno (forget what you heard about Mojo). He and his brother Greg spun the first Techno records (Strings Of Life, No UFO's, etc.) at the club Todd's, a dance music mecca (Punk, New Wave, Industrial and House on alternate nights) that exposed the masses to new music.
After Todd's closed, Ken held sway at Heaven, a second floor club that's not even a mile away from where I live. His "children" lived to hear him play week after week.
He also was a resident at Times Square, a downtown club where his "children" followed him after Heaven burned down. He was a great champion of our music, in the great Black music tradition. When it was Black and gay, before it became fashionable and suburban.
I met him only a couple of times. When I met him at Record Time a few years ago, I dropped to one knee and gave him his respect, jokingly. He was flattered. When I told him who I was, he told me that he listened to "Fast Forward" (my old radio show) to hear what the Techno kids were into. The legend listened to me... too much. The flight cases and frequent-flyer miles had passed Ken by. But he had just played the last Mayday in Germany (and rocked it; his first foreign date to my knowledge) and was "just" about to break on the international scene. He had bookings. He had an agent. How sadly ironic... Ken was the "true" Godfather. He represented the pure Detroit underground in a way that most of us can barely aspire to.
He was down here. He lived in Detroit. This broken-down motherfucker was his city. This was his life, and DJing was all he did. He didn't make tracks. He didn't go anywhere. He wasn't petty and jealous and grasping and out for fame. Do you see what I'm saying? Ken was the Man. Watch out for false prophets.
I'll miss him dearly.
Alan Oldham (taken from submerge.com pages)
URLs:http://www.myspace.com/dj_ken_collier
In Groups:Detroit Wasmopolitan Mixing Squad, The
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Remixes:
Tell Me That I'm Dreaming / Out Come The Freaks (Dub) ◄ (3 versions)   Island Records (US) ... 1982
Electro Shock - Voltage One (LP) Out Come The Freaks (P... Epic 1984
Out Come The Freaks ◄ (2 versions) Out Come The Freaks (P... Geffen Records 1984
Dream White Island (CD, Comp) Tell Me That I'm Dream... Island Records, Universal Music K.K. 2003
Dream White Island (3x12") Tell Me That I'm Dream... Universal Music (Japan) 2003
(The Woodwork) Squeaks (CD, RE) Tell Me That I'm Dream... ZE Records 2004
FabricLive.36 (CD, Comp, Mixed, Met) Tell Me That I’m Dre... Fabric (London) 2007
Mix:
Wheel Me Out (12") Wheel Me Out Antilles 1980
Out Come The Freaks ◄ (2 versions) Out Come The Freaks (P... CBS ... 1981
Tell Me That I'm Dreaming (12", Promo)   ZE Records, Island Records (US) 1981
Was (Not Was) (LP, Album)   ZE Records, Island Records 1981
Eye Of The Tiger (12")   Quality Records Ltd., RFC Records 1982
Eye Of The Tiger (12")   Baby Records (2) 1982
Eye Of The Tiger (7")   Elephant Records (2) 1982
Eye Of The Tiger (Thème Du Film Rocky III) (Disco Version) (12", Maxi)   Baby Records (2), Carrere 1982
Flamethrower Rap (12", Maxi)   Barclay, Barclay 1982
Make It Rise (12")   Quality Records / Quality Music & Video 1982
The Beat Goes On (12")   Quality Records / Quality Music & Video, RFC Records 1982
And The Beat Goes On (12")   Arista 1983
The Beat Goes On (12")   Blow Up 1983
When Love Surges (12", Single) When Love Surges (Exte... EMI America 1984
When Love Surges (12") When Love Surges (Exte... Capitol Records 1984
When Love Surges (12", Maxi) When Love Surges (Vers... Pathé Marconi EMI 1984
When Love Surges (12", Maxi) When Love Surges (Exte... EMI America 1984
Untitled ◄ (2 versions) The Beat Goes On, Flam... Unidisc 1988
Dream Green Island (3x12") Wheel Me Out (Classic ... Universal Music (Japan) 2003
Appears On:
Mayday - Mayday X - The Mayday Compilation Album (Comp) ◄ (3 versions) Divine Inspiration Low Spirit Recordings ... 1996
Tracks Appear On:
Mayday X (2xCD, Comp) Divine Inspiration Javelin Ltd 1996
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