e-Dancer

Several of Detroit techno trailblazer Kevin Saunderson's most ecstatic and hypnotic club anthems have been released under his E-Dancer alias. The project surfaced in the early '90s with propulsive, sometimes breakbeat-driven tracks like "Speaker Punishing" and "Pump the Move," and several E-Dancer singles and remixes were included on 1998's Heavenly, Saunderson's first solo full-length. Saunderson began revisiting the E-Dancer handle more frequently following the 25th anniversary of his KMS label in 2012. Heavenly Revisited, a 2017 release, contained big-room updates of tracks from throughout Saunderson's career, and 2018's Infused took E-Dancer material in a more cinematic, experimental direction. Kevin and his son Dantiez revitalized E-Dancer with a 2025 self-titled full-length, which was followed by the DJ Minx collaboration "Detroit." Along with Juan Atkins and Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson is one of the famed Belleville Three, responsible for establishing Detroit techno in the '80s. He launched the KMS label in 1987, and released seminal techno tracks under monikers like Kreem and Reese, then catapulted to mainstream success as the founder of Inner City, a dance-pop group featuring Chicago-based vocalist Paris Grey. Following the first two Inner City albums, the U.K. platinum-certified Paradise and the more gospel-inspired Fire, Saunderson began releasing more underground tracks as E-Dancer and Tronikhouse, often sounding closer to the more hard-edged sounds of the U.K. rave scene than the lush, futuristic techno usually associated with Detroit. E-Dancer's "Pump the Move," backed by a Joey Beltram remix of "Grab the Beat," appeared on both KMS and Belgium's R&S in 1991. "Power Bass" and "Speaker Punishing"/"Feel the Mood" additionally appeared on Detroit label Incognito Records. Stacey Pullen's remixes of "Feel the Mood" surfaced on French label Shield Records in 1996. Two E-Dancer singles, "Heavenly" and "Velocity Funk" (the latter a rework of the instrumental version of Saunderson's earlier remix of Cameo's "Money"), were both issued by KMS in 1997. Carl Craig's Planet E label issued the Saunderson retrospective Faces & Phases, including four E-Dancer tracks, the same year. The label then released the E-Dancer full-length Heavenly in 1998, including previously issued singles as well as remixes by Craig, Atkins, Kenny Larkin, and D. Wynn. PIAS issued it in Europe and released the lead track "Banjo" as a single. "Pump It Up Dub," credited to Inner City vs. E-Dancer, was issued in 2000, and E-Dancer's "The Dream" appeared in 2001. Saunderson revived the E-Dancer name for remixes during the KMS 25th anniversary celebrations in 2012. New material began appearing in 2015, starting with the single "Foundation," followed by "One Nation" and "Into the Future." Heavenly Revisited, a double album containing glossy, pumped-up reworks of past tracks by E-Dancer and other Saunderson projects, was released in 2017. Infused, featuring Lithuanian DJ Virus J, appeared in 2018, consisting of orchestral and downtempo revisions of E-Dancer material. The stand-alone single "Ponderous" appeared in 2019. Re:Generate, an extensive E-Dancer remix collection featuring Robert Hood, Adam Beyer, Special Request, and others, arrived in 2021. Kevin Saunderson recorded E-Dancer material with his middle son Dantiez, who had also joined Inner City, and they released an album, simply titled E-Dancer, in 2025. Saunderson and DJ Minx closed out the Pyramid Stage of the annual Movement Festival that year, and they premiered their collaborative track "Detroit," which was released soon afterward. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi