“This is about me, the pioneer, passing the torch to carry the legacy. I know it’s in Dantiez’s DNA. I know he’s ready,” said Kevin Saunderson

Kevin Saunderson and his son Dantiez have teamed up to release a new e-Dancer single, ‘Melodica’. Listen to it below.

The track marks a new era for e-Dancer, the alias first introduced by the Detroit techno pioneer in the ’90s. The track was also featured as Mary Anne Hobbs’ Near Future track on BBC 6Music today (23rd October).

Known for its soulful, groove-driven sound, e-Dancer became a defining voice in underground techno, and with ‘Melodica’, Kevin and Dantiez aim to carry that legacy forward. 

“Dantiez sounds like me. Working on this next generation of e-Dancer with him, I’m more passionate and energetic than ever,” Kevin Saunderson said. “This is about me, the pioneer, passing the torch to carry the legacy. I know it’s in Dantiez’s DNA. I know he’s ready.”

“When people hear the new music, I hope they feel the elevation and the synergy between the original e-Dancer and the new iteration,” Dantiez added, reflecting on the combination of his father’s sonic palette with his own contemporary Detroit style.

Kevin Saunderson first shook the techno world with e-Dancer’s 1998 debut album ‘Heavenly’. Now considered a definitive Detroit techno album, ‘Heavenly’ was a response to the socio-political turbulence and decay of inner-city life in Detroit during the ’90s. The project has since evolved, with remixers such as Carl Craig, Juan Atkin and Kenny Larkin, and Drumcode’s 2021 remix album ‘Re: Generate’ paying tribute to the original work.

This isn’t the first time Saunderson senior has collaborated with Dantiez. In 2019, the duo revived his infuencial Inner City outfit with a world tour and the first original album in 30 years.

Listen to ‘Melodica’ below.