WRITTEN BY JEREMY BISPO – UNABRIDGED / AS YOU LIKE IT FOUNDER AND FOR·MA·TIVE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF.
In today’s installment of Influences, I’m diving into the legacy of Robert Hood, AKA Floorplan, and how his work has shaped my journey.
It all started in 2005, when I moved to Minneapolis. On my very first night, I caught Robert Hood performing at the iconic First Avenue nightclub. During a break, I met Zak Khutoretsky (DVS1), who would go on to play a pivotal role in the next chapters of my life.
My introduction to Robert Hood’s work came a half a decade earlier, during the early days of cable internet. I stumbled across Minimal Nation on Atomly’s FTP server. Atomly’s deep dive into techno was a treasure trove, and while I found countless acts that would become staples of my playlist, few resonated with me more than Robert Hood.
It was a strange, serendipitous moment: standing outside First Avenue, chatting about Midwest dance music culture and Chris Jackson with Zak, while the sound of Hood’s performance still could be felt in my chest. Hearing Robert Hood’s mixes online was one thing, but feeling them was something else entirely. Over the next few years in Minneapolis, I would go on to hear many of my favorite artists for the first time, including James Pennington and Jeff Mills. More on them later.
Robert Hood would later become my first guest when I moved back to the Bay Area from Minnesota. Thanks to Zak, I was connected with Eunice Hood via an adolescent, Lyric Hood’s email address. In 2008, I was struggling to adjust to life in the Bay Area. The economy was in free fall, and I could only find short-term contract work. However, my deep connection to Detroit techno gave me the confidence I needed to dive into San Francisco’s vibrant nightlife scene. (Editor note, We want to send our condolences to the Hood family. Mrs. Hood passed away in August. She was a powerful woman who loved her family dearly. Robert credits her for all of the family’s success in the music industry.)
The KONTROL parties were at their peak, and The Compound was where the dance floor truly came alive. But I was determined to convince enough people in the city to make the trip across the bridge to Oakland for some techno. Though the party didn’t make any significant profit (nor did it lose money), it did spark something in me that would ultimately lead to the creation of As You Like It and later Unabridged.
Over the last 15 years, Robert Hood has performed for AYLI multiple times, both as Floorplan with Lyric and as a solo artist. Notably, he performed at AYLI’s 7-year (2017 at The Midway) and 10-year (2021 at Public Works) anniversaries. He was even booked for a solo performance in March 2020—but, as we all know, the world changed just a few weeks earlier.
Without Zak’s introduction to Eunice, I truly don’t know where I’d be today. The ease with which I sold ‘The Godfather of Minimal’ gave me the confidence to show up every night with flyers and reintroduce myself to San Francisco’s nightlife. Along the way, I met one of my closest friends, Yasmeen Peer and many of you.
If Robert Hood was the gasoline, Daniel Bell was the matchstick that lit the fire. It was through late-night Soulseek dives that I first discovered Daniel Bell. I found a treasure trove on a server organized by year, label, and artist, and it was there that I came across Bell’s Losing Control (1994) on Peacefrog. Daniel’s vocoder sample, “I’m losing control,” became a mantra, pulling me further down the rabbit hole.
But it was his The Buttoned Down Mind of Daniel Bell mixed CD that changed everything for me. Through that mix, I heard Ricardo Villalobos, Herbert, Losoul, and Thomas Brinkman for the first time. I was 21 at the time, already a promoter and not a DJ. I was captivated by the mix.
When I moved back to the Bay Area, I reconnected with old friends like Rafael Zavallos-Crowe, Greg Bird, Mickey Darius, Marc Barrite, and Ron Elder. But my confidence was still rebuilding. During my reintroduction to San Francisco, I was fortunate enough to witness the magic of Kontrol, led by Bird, Sammy D, Alland Byallo (RIP) and Nikola Baytala. Greg invited me to work the door at The Compound for a Daniel Bell start-to-finish set. I had low expectations, but I was completely wrong. The sound was phenomenal, the dance floor was electric, and by the end of the night, I had made two of my first new friends in the Bay Area: James Williams (RIP) and Niki Zibisky (Detroit native).
By sunrise, after nine and a half hours of pure bliss, I was hooked. I knew I was going to throw a party. It wasn’t a question of if, but when.
Daniel Bell would go on to perform for AYLI four times as “Daniel Bell,” and twice live as “DBX,” collaborating with John Tejada on drums. He was a part of AYLI’s first Detroit-produced party, Shit Show 3, and performed at the AYLI 5-year anniversary. His energy and influence were undeniable to our brand. I’ll always treasure the memories of those Daniel Bell experiences, particularly his two extended sets at The Compound and his live performance at Movement Festival’s Made in Detroit stage. Those moments still give me goosebumps.
Daniel’s influence is a cornerstone of Unabridged: Detroit Incoming, a series that draws directly from the spirit of those foundational experiences.
