Windsor, Ont.'s techno music scene is underground but has devotees who dig the beat

On the surface, Anthony Gomez and Craig Sinclair seem like two average dads with normal day jobs: Gomez works at the University of Windsor in southwestern Ontario and Sinclair is in construction. 

But when the work week is over and the kids are asleep, the pair meet up in Sinclair's basement and make techno music.

"We came up playing music downtown, DJing. This was an opportunity for us to learn something new and establish kind of a different connection to music," said Gomez. 

The duo make up the group Mothers Against Drum Machines, part of a Windsor techno music scene that's been around for close to 30 years. 

Its roots can be traced back to the early 1990s, when disc jockey Richie Hawtin emerged on the local scene. The LaSalle native is considered one of techno's most influential figures, after quickly becoming immersed in the scene across the border in Detroit, the birthplace of techno. 

Hawtin co-founded the record label Plus 8 with London, Ont., DJ John Acquaviva, with both DJs eventually gaining notoriety worldwide. 

Their influence fostered techno music in Windsor. Downtown clubs like The Underground and Platinum became popular.

"It was packed every weekend. Lots of people there. That was probably about.2000, 2001, 2002. I would say that was the height of the scene for me," said Sinclair. 

"And then it died down for a while. You didn't really hear much until Boom Boom Room opened back up ... I want to say about 2005 to probably 2012." 

Techno music movement grows after pandemic

The scene would fizzle in and out, due to venue closures, according to Gomez and Sinclair. The COVID-19 pandemic also didn't help. But once restrictions lifted, the movement started to grow again. 

A few of the city's DJs and producers led the charge, including Justin James, a mentee of Hawtin.

"Rich gave me some opportunities to write some music and end up on another label that he ran called Minus," James said. "One of my first tracks on there ended up doing really, really well." 

James also holds a day job — he's a primary school gym teacher. Outside of school, he is one of the more well-known techno DJs in the Windsor-Detroit scene. 

I'm content with the idea and that this music is the underground, and for the underground. It might not be for everybody.- Justin James

"The scene kind of comes and goes. But it's still alive and well in some level because the most beautiful thing about this thing — it's the underground." 

James is known for his event series called Unknown, where he finds a venue that's a secret to the attendees until the day of the event. The locations tend to be warehouses and clubs around the city.

For the last three years, he's also extended the series into a new event called Camp Unknown, a three-day music festival at Kiwanis Park in Kingsville every August. 

"Music tries to go all night, you know, whether it's in the outdoor venue or we have an indoor venue where you can kind of keep going a little bit later without the worry of noise," said James. 

Some events in Windsor aren't so hidden.

Popular venues like Phog Lounge and breweries including Craftheads have started partnering with local DJs and promoters to hold techno events. 

It's a scene Madeline Mazak knows a lot about. She's a bartender at Phog Lounge and a radio host for CJAM, the University of Windsor's radio station, where she goes by the DJ name Odessa. 

"You can find pockets in the city of places you can go to find people doing this stuff. In the last year, I'd say I see so many more people promoting those events, doing monthly residencies," Mazak said.

Creating a sense of community

Another way this music creates a sense of community is through initiatives like the Signal Exchange. 

Cameron Doig is one of the organizers of this meet-up group, which has been around since 2017 and allows anyone with a drum machine to show up for a jam session.

"We would just get together and talk about gear. Sometimes we do big events," explained Doig. 

For Doig and others, it's a way to foster community in a genre that evolved over time, and a chance to attract new fans. 

"For years, I've just kind of felt like we might have more talent than we have the people to support it." 

Even with so much happening on the techno scene, James said it's unlikely it'll crossover to the mainstream, and he's good with that.

"I'm content with the idea and that this music is the underground, and for the underground. It might not be for everybody."