Detroit Sound Conservancy Remembers Detroit Gay Clubs

The Detroit Sound Conservancy is presenting Sonic Gates this weekend, a spirited party dedicated to the musical legacy of Detroit’s rich DJ history and the audiences that helped it thrive. The event will pay tribute to the legendary Ken Collier and Club Heaven and will be held May 9 at The Whisky Parlor (http://www.facebook.com/whiskyparlor) at 608 Woodward, Floor 2, in downtown Detroit.
The event features an intergenerational lineup of DJs committed to both sweaty revelry and celebrating history. Earlybird tickets can be bought for $10 online via Eventbrite (http://bit.ly/sonicgates). All proceeds will go to the DSC in their efforts to preserve and amplify the stories and sounds of Detroit music.
Ken Collier was a seminal DJ from a cohort of Detroit DJs (a cohort that included his own, still-living, younger brother Greg) who began their career with disco in the 1970s and helped produce the culture of Detroit house and techno that is now known throughout the world. Ken’s particular career peaked on the corner of 7 Mile and Woodward at Club Heaven in the early 1990s, where he inspired a primarily young, gay, black crowd, as well as a smattering of Detroit’s early rave scene to express themselves through dance.
Two decades later, Heaven is gone and so is Collier, who died in 1996. However, many still remember.
For more info, please contact Executive Director, Dr. Gholz ([email protected]) or phone 313-444-8242.