Artist Highlight: Derek Plaslaiko
Some people filter through the record bins, taking what are on the wall or record store employee suggestions. Then there are people who dig deeper into the dusty crates, and absorb music like a sponge; ignoring labels, bucking trends – forever on a quest to find the perfect record. Derek Plaslaiko unquestionably falls into the latter category. As a teen equally transfixed by Mojo and Wizard cassettes and Minor Threat 7”s, Plaslaiko followed the beats from his hometown 20 miles south of Detroit to the epicenter of Detroit techno, then enjoying its third wave of success. He quietly paid his dues on Detroit’s rave circuit, and was a crucial piece of the puzzle for the legendary Poorboy and Analog parties of the mid-nineties.