Eddie Fowlkes (born December 24, 1962) is an American techno and house DJ. He was influential to the early Detroit techno scene.
Eddie Fowlkes was born on December 24, 1962, in Detroit, Michigan. After attending a 1978 Charivari party with his older sisters where he saw DJ Darryl Shannon mixing records, Fowlkes requested a mixer for Christmas and later made his DJ debut in the late 70s. He was part of Juan Atkins's Deep Space DJ collective which included Art Payne, Keith Martin, and Derrick May, who was also Fowlkes's roommate. In the 1980s, Fowlkes performed with three turntables, a mixer, a wah-wah pedal, and the TR-808 & 909 drum machines.
Kevin Saunderson said that seeing Fowlkes DJ at a fraternity party inspired him to get involved in the Deep Space Crew and become a better DJ.
After hearing a Cybotron performance, Fowlkes moved from being interested solely in DJing to creating his own records. Borrowing equipment from Atkins, he trained his ear and taught himself to play the keyboard over a couple of months. While Fowlkes and May were roommates, Fowlkes built his studio in his bedroom and started working on his first record. Fowlkes recalls spending his nights experimenting with drum machines and synthesizers, self teaching to produce the sounds he had only heard at parties. His first release under his own name was issued in 1986. That release on Metroplex Records, "Goodbye Kiss", helped establish what would come to be known as Detroit techno.
While his records helped establish what would become known as Detroit Techno, Fowlkes has said that he was often left out of histories of the genre, despite working closely with Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson, âÂÂThe Belleville Threeâ often credited as the founders of techno.
He has noted that part of this lack of credibility was due to disagreements with Derrick Mays manager, along with a sour turn in his relationship with Derrick May himself which were partially attributed to their relationship as roommates and other creative disputes.
Although he faced challenges with credibility he was still one of the pioneers of Detroit techno, being featured in projects that documented the history of the genre.
With the 1991 M.I.D. (Made In Detroit) release of Detroit Techno Soul, Fowlkes introduced the concept of techno soul because "Detroit ... is both house heads and techno heads." This was followed by the 1993 Tresor release The Birth of Technosoul, featuring 3MB (Moritz von Oswald and Thomas Fehlmann).
He draws from the idea that Detroit Techno is not just mechanical but carries soul and emotion by blending rhythms with human touch and intent
Fowlkes unique style found particular success across Europe, before finding success in the United States along with other Detroit Techno artists.
He attributes his success abroad to social barriers in the U.S. stating that America did and still does not support himself and other Detroit artists in the way European audiences did.
Fowlkes started releasing on his own label, City Boy Records, in 1993. Fowlkes also owns the Detroit Wax imprint on City Boy.
Eddie Fowlkes's handprints are cemented on the Detroit Historical Museum's Legends Plaza as a techno-music pioneer.