SSB2B_14: 03.07.2025 - Shigeto
We are honored to present one of today’s greatest American DJs and musicians, Shigeto, for an all-vinyl DJ set thanks to the support of the Chemist. Born in Ann Arbor and a Detroit resident and representative, Shigeto’s creation is inextricably linked to the music history of Detroit. A jazz drummer, producer, composer, and DJ, Shigeto uniquely layers hyperpercussive rhythms and warms them with rich melodies. That sound manifested in a very musical IDM–flavored electronica and hip-hop when he first became a Ghostly International artist in 2009, and it has snowballed to one that today captures house, techno, and all kinds of dance music with a jazz backbone. This evolution happened in lockstep with a growing focus on the talents surrounding him. The Hamtramck studio and home of Shigeto and his brother Kenjiro’s own label Portage Garage Sounds is a lively capsule of Detroit’s creativity today; a sort of artistic cooperative, PGS has released projects from locals like 2Lanes, Tammy Lakkis, and Black Noi$e. Shigeto’s new LP Cherry Blossom Baby (Ghostly) is powered by his band of profoundly-talented-in-their-own-right local friends and lots of sound-enhancing featured artists. What does all this mean for his DJing? An incredibly broad strokes palette of vinyl talents, drawing from Detroit’s analog and electronic sounds—and certainly with a dancefloor in mind. His work as an amplifier and his selflessness in creating swing the sounds from his turntables as much as they do his productions. Us East Coasters tend to be enamored by Detroit lore, and thus, artists from Detroit. But Shigeto’s commitment to the city’s community in his sonic offerings is superlative. We receive it in his frequent collaborations with local legends from Dez Andrés to rapper ZelooperZ and on his WDET radio show The New Music Show, where he shares fresh new sounds and old sounds that feel fresh. And we’ll hear it in his selections on Friday, March 7th.