Genre: House
Beat Down Sounds
Description:

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Known as the Silent Warrior of the deep and funky sound of dance music, Norm Talley has slowly yet steadily become a staple in the ears of dancefloor addicts in Detroit.  Consistency would be an understatement.  Talley shares a history as part of the West 6 Mile Detroit breed that came of age during the last days of Disco, and spent his teen years reveling in the New Age that was the early 1980s.  Frequenting the hottest new dance clubs, like L’Uomo and Studio 54, in and around Detroit during this transitional and experimental decade, he was an active member in the movement that was Electronic Music in Detroit.  Yet, like his current partners, Norm’s roots remain in Soul, Funk, and Disco – rendering his DJ style one of soulful, vocal melodies laced over infectious percussion, and those undeniable bass lines that distinguish the BeatDown Sound from a sea of others - with the occasional Afrobeat rhythm of course.  He is also known as the Gospel House guru at home.

Talley began generating this sound alongside many peers during this era not only by frequenting these clubs, but also by frequenting local record shops, such as the favorite Buy Rite Records and Professionals in the neighborhood, and honing his skills at backyard parties and the popular DJ battles of the time.  Eventually, DJing became so serious for Talley and his peers that they began traveling often to Chicago and New York to seek out the scene in their sister cities – they wanted to know what was going on elsewhere – was this new sound, this new phenomenon, taking flight in other cities as well?  Indeed, one of his colleagues discovered The Warehouse and the HotMix 5 in Chicago, while someone else found the Paradise Garage scene and the Shelter in New York, and soon Talley and his crew [Mike Clark, Mike Banks, Cue, Billy Love…] found themselves caravanning to NYC every year for the New Music Seminar. 

Music and DJing had now officially become a career.  Talley spun at a few of the most legendary dance clubs in Detroit, including The Loft.  He was also skilled enough to open at the home of Detroit House Godfather, Ken Collier’s club Heaven.  Club 246, The Sanctuary, and The Shelter in Motown also saw decks graced by the Silent Warrior during their hey-day.  Then radio began to kick in and Norm influenced the airwaves on Detroit and Windsor stations CJAM 91.5FM, WDTR 90.9FM, WJLB 97.9FM, WGPR 107.5FM, and WHPR 88.7FM over the course of 15 years. 

Yet, 1997 dawned a whole new era for Talley as he released his first record, “The Grove Street Shuffle” on scene-mate Eddie Fowlkes’ City Boy label.  This launched Norm’s production career, and he would go on to put out tracks over the next two years on LA Williams’ Chisel imprint and City Boy’s sister label, Nouveau Riche, among others.  1999 would prove to be a pivotal year for Talley when he was added to the rich roster of producers on Brett Dancer’s “Abstract Fusion” compilation alongside Larry Heard, Kenny Dixon Jr, and current partner, Mike Clark, for TrackMode Records.  Soon thereafter Mike “Agent X” Clark founded BeatDownSounds with Talley and long-time colleague, Delano Smith, and they launched their first residency as a collective in 2000 at Club OneX on Michigan Ave. in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood [which, unfortunately, fizzled within a year].  This is originally where House Heads and dance addicts could receive a proper “BeatDown” each week. 

This was also the year of the inaugural Detroit Electronic Music Festival, and more releases on TrackMode and Soiree International for Talley.  The following year, BeatDownSounds began representing this Detroit sound at their own parties during the annual Winter Music Conference in Miami each year, and launched their website, beatdownsounds.com, with investment partner, TJ Dumas, in 2002.  By this time, BDS had partnered also with local events company, Corner Productions, to create their new club night, “Sunday Night ReHab” at the new Tequileria in Detroit’s Midtown district, Agave. 

Today, Sunday nights at Agave are still hot and sweaty with Talley and partners, Clark and Smith, behind the tables, as they [and their patrons] enjoy their third year as residents.  “ReHab” is fast approaching one of the longer club nights in Detroit’s recent dance culture history. 

There was more success in store for the Silent Warrior, however, as the fourth DEMF became the Movement Festival in 2003 and asked Talley to perform on the BeatDownSounds/3 Chairs stage during Day 2 of the festival.  New Festival Creative Director, Derrick May, wanted to award and promote what Talley and his BDS partners had been doing in creating what was stealthily becoming a buzz word in reference to Detroit – the BeatDown Sound – a sound that now had a product to back it up – “Detroit Beatdown” Vol.I released that year on Third Ear Records out of London/Tokyo.  Feature DJ sets from the BDS camp at Movement would both represent and promote this sound world-wide, and Talley’s set was one of the most talked-about experiences of the festival – causing security to rope-off the tent where the stage was housed due to over-maximum capacity during his set.  In fact, this set was so phenomenal, a DVD has been produced to display footage from this day at the “House Stage.”  

The “Detroit Beatdown” series for Third Ear would be Norm’s first major compilation directorial as he and partner, Mike Clark, recruit and filter tracks that fit the BeatDown Sound for this overseas label’s successful project.  Since the release of the original volume, Talley has also produced 12” remixes and single tracks for the “Beatdown Sessions” sub-series also on Third Ear, along with fellow re-mixers, Mike Huckaby and Bugz in the Attic.  2005 expects to see “Detroit Beatdown” Vol.II from Talley and co.  Look out for www.beatdownsounds.net as well.

When not holding it down at Agave in Detroit, or working on “Detroit Beatdown” Vol.II, Norm plans future projects with legendary Detroit musicians John Sinclair, Sundiata OM, Craig Huckaby, and music for NYC’s West End Records with vocalist/keyboardist, Billy Love.

See, the thing is, the Silent Warrior may have infected a dancefloor near you, and you didn’t even know it was him, because – well, because he’s not really a talker…  he’s a maestro.
Words by Algorhythmic Text

DETROIT:

• Heaven
• Club 246
• The Shelter
• The Sanctuary
• AGAVE
• New Year’s Eve at the Berry Gordy Mansion

USA:

• MJQ – Atlanta
• Opium Garden - Miami
• Polo Tower – Las Vegas
• PURE - Philadelphia
• 700 Club – Los Angeles
• The Andy Warhol Museum – Pittsburgh

EUROPE:

• Ile Privee – Switzerland
• Links Club – Italy
• REX Club – Paris, France

FESTIVALS:

• DEMF 2002
• Movement 2003
• Motown WinterBlast 2005