FIT Siegel Picks Influential Records from Detroit and Beyond

Fit Siegel isn’t someone who craves the spotlight, but his contributions to dance music in recent years go well beyond his native Detroit. As the head of FIT Distribution – an enterprise he admittedly launched with only a rudimentary level of industry knowledge – he oversees a key node in the electronic music network, effectively serving as a conduit for quality American dancefloor offerings to the rest of the world. Siegel’s approach to distribution is as carefully curated as the releases on his own Fit Sound label, an imprint founded in 2010 that has brought forth releases from the likes of Marcellus Pittman, DJ Sotofett, Anthony Shakir and others.

Though Siegel often only turns out a solo release every year or so, each one feels significant, especially 2015’s “Carmine,” named by many as one of the year’s best tracks. While ardent fans might long for Siegel to speed things up, praise for his work seems to swell by the day, and he’s under no real pressure to alter his methods anytime soon. In this RBMA Radio excerpt, Siegel discusses some of the diverse tunes that have influenced him, from Drexciya and LFO to the Gories and the B-52s.

The B-52’s - “Give Me Back My Man” (Wild Planet, 1980)

I’ve heard this song so many times, I never get sick of it. I really just love this percussion sound that’s in the back that sounds like someone tap-dancing in a submarine. I also love the singer [Kate Pierson]… Her delivery is really intense and I never get sick of it. It’s super catchy. Also, the words she says: “I’ll give you fish and I’ll give you candy.” It’s really just a weird thing to say. Kind of silly, but she says it in a really serious way and I like that.

The Gories - “There But For the Grace of God” (Outta Here, 1992)

It’s so simple you can listen to it over and over and never get sick of it. It’s a cover of a disco classic that the guy from Kid Creole and the Coconuts did, that was a project called Machine. The Gories was a band that had two guitars and a drummer and the drummer didn’t even have any cymbals. It’s as raw as you can get. It’s very Detroit, has a lot of soul and it’s just a great song.

Cybotron - “Alleys Of Your Mind” (Enter, 1983)

It’s a classic. There’s not much that I can say other than if you’ve heard it, time to hear it again, because it’s a great record. If you haven’t heard it, well, here you go. This is Juan Atkins, one of his first records as Cybotron with Rik Davis and it’s just a very strange song. It’s almost new wave-y but electro, and it was funky and hits all the right places. Some say “Alleys of Your Mind” is the first techno song. Others say it’s “Sharevari” by A Number Of Names. I don’t know – they’re both great records. We’ll say that it’s a tie.

Drexciya - “Living on the Edge” (Drexciya 4: The Unknown Aquazone, 1994)

I’m trying to stick with songs with words or lyrics in them and this one is pretty great. If you listen to what he’s saying, I think it has some of the best lyrics in Detroit techno. It’s a very strange song – the beats are kind of bubbly and flanging and it almost sounds goofy. But what he’s saying – “No long, no wife, no friends” – it’s pretty intense. I don’t know what they were thinking when they wrote this. My favorite is when he says, “No patience, no race relations, living on the edge.” It’s funky and strange and it’s a theme of some of my favorite Detroit tracks.

Electric Soul - “X-Squared” (X-Squared 12", 2002)

This is one of my favorite electro tracks. When you hear it out on a dancefloor it’s just really powerful and it’s really sexy. It’s a real hot-and-heavy kind of track, very primal. That’s what it brings out in people when you hear this on a packed dancefloor. I’ve also heard it many times on the radio during mix shows. They used to play them after work and would speed it up. It was always cool to be in the car and turn on the radio and hear this.

Moodymann - “JAN” (Jan 12", 2001)

This is a track that feels Detroit to me. It’s very mysterious, especially the way he uses vocals and words. Many of the bits of vocals that come in are from an interview that the Electrifying Mojo had with Prince in ’85 or ’86 after his birthday show at Cobo Hall in downtown Detroit. It cuts out just the bits where Mojo is speaking and doesn’t use anything of Prince’s responses. It’s kind of like he uses Mojo’s words to talk about himself, or that Mojo is interviewing him. You don’t really know, because it’s kind of ambiguous. There’s also voices in the background that come in and out and it’s kind of ghostly. Mysterious is the best way to put it. This is very Detroit, late night driving through emptiness music. It’s timeless.

Jamie Principle - “Your Love” (Your Love 12", 1984)

“Your Love” has always been one of my favorite records from Chicago. When you hear it in a club on a loud system, it’s a really intense experience. It’s different than a lot of other Chicago records. I play and listen to and love a lot of the acid stuff, but this is more of a crooner of a Chicago record. There’s some Italo disco influence, to me. The arpeggiated synthesizer is very Euro sounding, the bassline as well.

LFO - “You Have To Understand” (Frequencies, 1991)

I was pretty young when that came out, but when I was in high school I came across this album. It’s one of the early big tracks out of London and one of the first albums on Warp. This song in particular is really strange, [with] sounds that come in and out, and I really like the bassline. It’s got a really funky bassline and the phrase “you have to understand” sung by a woman, over and over again. The way it lays over the bassline and these eerie, Detroit-sounding strings, it all just sits well. You don’t get sick of it. It’s another timeless track for me.

Chris & Cosey - “Gardens Of The Pure” (Songs Of Love & Lust, 1984)

I’m a big fan of Chris & Cosey and Throbbing Gristle – there’s so many songs from their career that I could pick, but I picked this one because it’s another from ’84. It doesn’t sound like it’s from ’84, though. You would think it was newer because it’s very techno. It’s kind of poppy and dark and goofy and strange, and I don’t know what she’s saying, “keep out” or “keep off.” It’s called “Gardens Of The Pure” so it’s probably “keep off,” like, “keep off the grass.” I don’t know. I’ll have to listen to it again to hear what she’s saying.

Stallone the Reducer - “Cop Gets Off” (Drug Pusher EP, 2016)

This is a record I’m about to put out on Est. 83’ and it’s a very strange, strange song. It’s an addictive listen. You want to hear it over and over again. You can’t put it in any category. It is what it is. Sam AKA Stallone has been in some other groups in Detroit that I was a big fan of. This is his solo stuff and he’s been making records on his own for the last few years, so I’m very excited to have a hand in putting his music out.

Especially Good - “Silence” (Foundation, 2013)

Especially Good is my favorite new band in Detroit. I’ve put out two of their records. This was on their LP from 2013, Foundation. Especially Good are Julio [Dominguez] and Joe [Flis], and on this track Paul [Kiry] is playing bass. Another strange, strange one. It’s kind of post-punk and industrial but it’s very catchy and melodic as well. I love Joe's singing on it. [Especially Good] is one of the new-ish projects that I’m really enjoying in Detroit right now. Every time I hear new stuff from them it’s always exciting.

Marcellus Pittman - “Sync” (Erase The Pain 12", 2010)

Marcellus Pittman was the first artist I released on FIT Sound, my label. When he played “Sync” for me I was like, “Dude, what is this?” It’s like a horror soundtrack, like speeding through the streets of Detroit avoiding zombies and going through alleyways to get home. Marcellus is definitely one of my favorite producers and DJs because, just like this track, he’s always coming up with something unexpected. That’s a very good quality. I was really happy that I started my label with a record from him.

Shake - “Frayed” (Trackin EP, 2010)

I was at his studio and we were putting together the record. When [Shake] played me this DAT with this track on it I was really taken aback by how deep and beautiful it was. But the problem was this DAT was on its way out. The tape was frayed, which is where the name came from, and it was damaged and some of the track was unplayable. I don’t remember exactly how it sounded, but it was messed up. We had to salvage what we could from the track, and I edited it and took out the damaged portions from the “Frayed” DAT tape, but we made it work. I think this track is kind of a masterpiece, and Shake has always been one of my favorite producers. I am amazed at how he uses samples in his tracks. It’s totally unique. It’s his style, it’s definitely him. No one can sample and make tracks like Shake. No one.