Terrence Parker

One of the prime producers of soulful house music with an edge (granted he's from Detroit), Terrence Parker started out a hip-hop DJ but later blended a wealth of influences (from techno, soul, disco, jazz and even downtempo) to give his recordings a unique flavor midway between hands-in-the-air house and the more sublime sound of Detroit techno. Among his dozens of aliases, the two most vaunted are Seven Grand Housing Authority and his own name, for which he's released several LPs for Studio K7. When Parker began DJing in the early '80s, he mixed early Whodini and Run-D.M.C., though after hearing the work of Chicago's Jesse Saunders, he began integrating house and techno into his sets as well. Parker made the move to production in 1988 after borrowing a friend's keyboard. During the late '80s and early '90s he recorded as Madd Phlavor, the Minimum Wage Brothers, the Lost Articles, Plastic Soul Junkies, Disco Revisited and Disciples of the Jovan Blade. When his tracks "The Question" and "Love's Got Me Higher" -- both by Seven Grand Housing Authority -- became club hits in Europe during 1993-94, Parker made the move to a full-length with 1996's Tragedies of a Plastic Soul Junkie, recorded for Studio !K7 under his own name. Seven Grand Housing Authority released its debut LP (No Weapons Formed Against Me Shall Prosper) the following year, and Parker returned with his second solo jaunt, Detroit After Dark. Parker also saluted his hip-hop past by organizing the Studio !K7 compilation series 3 Minute Blunts, which featured Detroit artists trying their hand at hip-hop production. He's also managed three labels, Primary, Intangible and Makin' Madd Music. In 1998, Parker released a pair of limited-edition discs of demos through Intangible, and he issued several volumes of his...