Mike Huckaby: A Legacy of Sound and Inspiration
Photo by Marie Staggat provided by Tresor Berlin
Mike Huckaby was a legendary techno and deep house DJ, producer, sound designer, and educator from Detroit. He is remembered not only as a groundbreaking artist but also as a dedicated mentor to the next generation. On this Artist Page, we honor him as the kind and visionary person, remarkable artist, and dear friend he was, sharing highlights of his career along with his own words that capture the essence of his legacy.
There is a lot to say about Mike to understand his wholesome work, but maybe it’s important to start with where he was from. Mike Huckaby was deeply shaped by Detroit, a city whose essence is felt through every beat and note of its iconic electronic music. Known as a cornerstone of techno and house, Detroit’s raw, unpolished energy is inseparable from its history of struggle and resilience. There is no coincidence in this type of sound coming from such a city.
“I had a dream one night that the angels were trying to wake God up because the people in Detroit were starving. So, they said, ‘God, what should we do about this?’ And God replied, ‘Give them drum machines.’ We have survived and lived through drum machines.”
2012, Photo by Tofa provided by Tresor Berlin
Photo by Tofa provided by Tresor Berlin
Photo by Marie Staggat provided by Tresor Berlin
Artists have described the Detroit sound as “the sound of the struggle”, something as a reflection of the city’s socioeconomic evolution and challenges. As we can see in many other different musical historical examples, the limited resources and the city’s hard environment forged a unique musical identity that can’t be compared to anything or anywhere else. It’s not surprising, then, that Detroit artists may have channeled this intensity into electronic beats. As for many artists, for Huckaby, Detroit wasn’t just his birthplace; it was the soul of his music and, as he often emphasized, where “the music found you, rather than you found the music”.
“The city of Detroit will have less than enough money to run the entire city by the end of the year. When you hear that information, it does send a chill down your spine, but at the same time it makes you focus harder on cultivating your craft as a Detroit electronic music producer. Detroit techno was the way out and continues to be the way out.”
Mike was, first, a DJ and a producer, and his approach to it was marked by his deep dedication to understanding and mastering the craft from every possible angle. He had the strong belief that an artist must be both a researcher and a storyteller. As a producer, he strongly believed in researching music history, as well as different techniques and tools like samplers and drum machines to push creative boundaries. For him, learning about all genres, even those he didn’t favor, was essential to understanding modern music-making. Also, as a DJ, he always emphasized storytelling and knowing how to build energy to take the audience on a peaceful, safe and hopeful journey, that allows them to have a sense of escapism.
Photo provided by Tresor Berlin
Photo provided by Tresor Berlin
“When I’m packing my records for a party, I’m basically trying to tell a story throughout the night.”
“When I’m packing my records for a party, I’m basically trying to tell a story throughout the night.”
Mike was a music expert with a huge sense of taste, huge music knowledge and all types of resources that he learnt by studying and working hard. He was a real music lover and a really dedicated artist who developed an exquisite taste and sensibility for music that is hearable in all his different types of work. He was known globally for his deep, smokey house sound, and became a crucial link between Detroit and Berlin, strengthening the “Detroit-Berlin connection”. His performances at legendary venues like Tresor in Berlin, combined with his regular touring schedule, helped solidify his status as a key figure in the global dance music community.
Apart from his close contact with recognized labels such as Tresor Berlin or Park Harmony, he also founded two influential record labels, Deep Transportation and S Y N T H, which played key roles in building his reputation as a versatile and innovative producer. He maintained an impressive global tour schedule throughout his life and was always linked to music in different ways such as working in Detroit’s former Record Time store as well as being a sound designer and a tutor for different software companies around the world.
Beyond his productions, Huckaby’s impact on the music community was far-reaching. Rooted in Detroit, his commitment to his work and his desire to give back to his community was mostly reflected in his deep involvement with youth education and empowerment through music. He not only produced his own music but also mentored many aspiring producers, sharing his extensive knowledge of sound design and music production. He was an educator and, as such, he became known for his work with programs that used music as a tool for giving values and hope to kids through learning beat making and production. One of his most notable initiatives was YouthVille, which was a nonprofit youth center in Detroit founded by the Detroit Youth Foundation in 2005. There, kids between 11 and 19 were taught beat-making and other activities on different multimedia subjects. It was there that Huckaby was teaching blending music production with lessons in physics, mathematics and perseverance, showcasing his belief in music as an interdisciplinary learning experience. As he mentioned many times, his focus was not just on teaching technical skills but on shaping the character of the students by encouraging them to become disciplined, perseverant, ambitious and creative individuals.
Photo provided by Tresor Berlin
Photo by Marie Staggat provided by Tresor Berlin
“I teach two classes in YouthVille. I’m not only teaching music production, I’m teaching the art of discipline. I try to tell students that if they study, if they practice, and if they keep coming to class, they will make it.”
“When I came a part of YouthVille, and I saw what was going on there, it literally was the most significant thing that happened in Detroit since the first Detroit Electronic Music Festival.”
“It’s estimated that more than half of the students in Detroit public schools will not graduate. […] The goal of YouthVille is to prevent a student from being socially, racially or culturally isolated within society and to increase the graduation rates, provide a safe place for the students to be and show them a bit of hope in a situation where it may not exist”
“It’s estimated that more than half of the students in Detroit public schools will not graduate. […] The goal of YouthVille is to prevent a student from being socially, racially or culturally isolated within society and to increase the graduation rates, provide a safe place for the students to be and show them a bit of hope in a situation where it may not exist”
His role as a teacher and mentor took part not only in Detroit, but also internationally. In 2018 he also was a guest teacher at Berlin’s Neukölln Gemeinschaftsschule Campus Efeuweg. As in Detroit, these workshops integrated music production skills with interdisciplinary learning in other subjects and personal values. The only rule Mike set for the kids attending the workshop, as Sebastian Koelber, teacher responsible for the program, states, was for them to show up. “He stayed as long as the students had questions”, explains Sebastian, “he took the kids seriously: their questions, their need for creativity, their curiosity”.
“When I came a part of YouthVille, and I saw what was going on there, it literally was the most significant thing that happened in Detroit since the first Detroit Electronic Music Festival.”
“It’s estimated that more than half of the students in Detroit public schools will not graduate. […] The goal of YouthVille is to prevent a student from being socially, racially or culturally isolated within society and to increase the graduation rates, provide a safe place for the students to be and show them a bit of hope in a situation where it may not exist”
“It’s estimated that more than half of the students in Detroit public schools will not graduate. […] The goal of YouthVille is to prevent a student from being socially, racially or culturally isolated within society and to increase the graduation rates, provide a safe place for the students to be and show them a bit of hope in a situation where it may not exist”
His role as a teacher and mentor took part not only in Detroit, but also internationally. In 2018 he also was a guest teacher at Berlin’s Neukölln Gemeinschaftsschule Campus Efeuweg. As in Detroit, these workshops integrated music production skills with interdisciplinary learning in other subjects and personal values. The only rule Mike set for the kids attending the workshop, as Sebastian Koelber, teacher responsible for the program, states, was for them to show up. “He stayed as long as the students had questions”, explains Sebastian, “he took the kids seriously: their questions, their need for creativity, their curiosity”.
This educational part became a cornerstone of his legacy. He always talked about the importance of being familiar with the synthesis terms to do music. And it is because of this, that he always tried to teach music to the kids while teaching deeper things such as the principles of subtractive synthesis or how an envelope can help shape drums and sounds, for example.
He was a really dedicated tutor and mentor who had a clear view of how to approach and treat young students and make them improve in many ways.
Photo from Gemeinschaftsschule Campus Efeuweg provided by Sebastian Koelber
Photo from Gemeinschaftsschule Campus Efeuweg provided by Sebastian Koelber
Photo from Gemeinschaftsschule Campus Efeuweg provided by Sebastian Koelber
“If you are looking for an individual sound, then you have to rely on making your own sound. Well, to rely on making your own sound you have to have a lot of understanding. You can’t keep going on making music without knowing what your tools can deliver.”
“If you are looking for an individual sound, then you have to rely on making your own sound. Well, to rely on making your own sound you have to have a lot of understanding. You can’t keep going on making music without knowing what your tools can deliver.”
Huckaby’s connection to Waldorf Music was marked by mutual respect, collaboration and love for sound. His involvement with us began early, but one of his key contributions was the creation of factory sounds for the Waldorf Nave Software Synth and, later, in 2017, when Waldorf had developed the Quantum, a kind of spiritual successor to the iconic Waldorf Wave, also the creation of factory sounds for it, and which are also contained in every Iridium instruments.
Photo provided by Tresor Berlin
Photo by Michael Kuentz
Nevertheless, prior to his technical contributions to Waldorf Music, Huckaby had a notable and unique history with the Waldorf Wave. In 2007, he released the sample CD “My Life With The Wave”, an EP which was made entirely with sounds created in our Waldorf Wave synthesizer. In 2011 he released a second more developed edition of it, that included remixes and reinterpretations of the original tracks. Both were released on his own label, S Y N T H, and contained a bank of sounds of 128 samples arranged in categories of 64 tones and textures, 41 shots, 16 bass tones and 8 effects, all of them created by Mike using his Waldorf Wave synthesizer.
“The relentless study of synthesis, the dissatisfaction of presets and the desire to do something about that, is the driving force behind this sample CD and any of the music I’m making. Once again, as I’ve told you, this was conceived by a deep house head for other deep house heads to produce music with. This is what I work on non-stop in Detroit and around the world. Whether it’s teaching at YouthVille in Detroit, doing software demonstrations around the world or creating new music from Detroit; you can be assured that this is a non-stop and very time-consuming effort, which is not nevertheless very rewarding for me. Skill is the new order of the day; luck comes after skill.”
“The relentless study of synthesis, the dissatisfaction of presets and the desire to do something about that, is the driving force behind this sample CD and any of the music I’m making. Once again, as I’ve told you, this was conceived by a deep house head for other deep house heads to produce music with. This is what I work on non-stop in Detroit and around the world. Whether it’s teaching at YouthVille in Detroit, doing software demonstrations around the world or creating new music from Detroit; you can be assured that this is a non-stop and very time-consuming effort, which is not nevertheless very rewarding for me. Skill is the new order of the day; luck comes after skill.”
Mike had this mentality of sharing his sounds for other producers to use them and, in 2012, he made a “sample pack” available for download through Groove Magazine. This pack featured 16 exclusive samples, some of which were also created using the Waldorf Wave.
Photo by Waldorf Music
Photo by Waldorf Music
Mike is always described as a genuine and kind-hearted individual. It’s admirable how, despite the success he achieved in his career, he remained grounded in his mission to support communities and create something unique. He was an extremely sensitive human being, aware of his role, and a dedicated educator and community mentor whose influence extended well beyond the dancefloor. His legacy in the world of electronic music is well-known, but his role as an educator and community builder truly set him apart from other artists in the scene.
Photo from Gemeinschaftsschule Campus Efeuweg provided by Sebastian Koelber
“I rather be in somewhere that I can make a difference instead of being popular, first of all. The impact of shaping and changing the kid’s life is far greater than playing a festival in Europe. I think this work here is highly needed, is highly necessary and I am definitely staying in Detroit”
“I rather be in somewhere that I can make a difference instead of being popular, first of all. The impact of shaping and changing the kid’s life is far greater than playing a festival in Europe. I think this work here is highly needed, is highly necessary and I am definitely staying in Detroit”
His death on April 24, 2020, left a lasting impact on many of us as fans, artists, and educators alike. He was a person who was able to understand the power of music and community, and his commitment to empowering youth through music is a testament to his belief in the transformative power of art. Today, Huckaby’s legacy lives on not only through his music but through the countless lives he touched with his dedication to education, mentorship, and community building.
By featuring Mike Huckaby on our Artist Pages, from Waldorf Music we want to honor not only his incredible contributions to electronic music, but also his life’s work as a teacher, mentor, and community advocate. We know his work, whether through his mentorship of young people in Detroit or his live sets and production, continues to inspire those who we had the privilege to know him or experience his art.
On December 19th, 2019, Mike played at The LAB NYC with a mix that started with a voice asking: “After your mix is over and people think about Mike Huckaby, what do you think they going to say?” For us, there’s just something left: Thank you very much, Mike.
“I rather be in somewhere that I can make a difference instead of being popular, first of all. The impact of shaping and changing the kid’s life is far greater than playing a festival in Europe. I think this work here is highly needed, is highly necessary and I am definitely staying in Detroit”
“I rather be in somewhere that I can make a difference instead of being popular, first of all. The impact of shaping and changing the kid’s life is far greater than playing a festival in Europe. I think this work here is highly needed, is highly necessary and I am definitely staying in Detroit”
His death on April 24, 2020, left a lasting impact on many of us as fans, artists, and educators alike. He was a person who was able to understand the power of music and community, and his commitment to empowering youth through music is a testament to his belief in the transformative power of art. Today, Huckaby’s legacy lives on not only through his music but through the countless lives he touched with his dedication to education, mentorship, and community building.
By featuring Mike Huckaby on our Artist Pages, from Waldorf Music we want to honor not only his incredible contributions to electronic music, but also his life’s work as a teacher, mentor, and community advocate. We know his work, whether through his mentorship of young people in Detroit or his live sets and production, continues to inspire those who we had the privilege to know him or experience his art.
On December 19th, 2019, Mike played at The LAB NYC with a mix that started with a voice asking: “After your mix is over and people think about Mike Huckaby, what do you think they going to say?” For us, there’s just something left: Thank you very much, Mike.
