DJ Godfather

A prolific electro-techno producer as well as a lightning-fast turntablist, DJ Godfather is one of the driving forces behind Detroit's storied ghettotech scene. Much like fellow genre pioneer DJ Assault, Godfather is a hometown hero whose music is embedded into the city's street culture, as well as an icon responsible for the sound's international popularity. Switching between electro, booty house, Miami bass, hip-hop, and other styles of bass-heavy music, he's known to blast through dozens of records during his DJ sets. He's consistently voted the city's best DJ by readers of the Detroit Metro Times, and he's a staple of the city's annual Movement festival. He co-founded the Twilight 76 and Databass labels during the mid-'90s, and began issuing DJ-friendly records at a rapid pace, in addition to mix CDs such as the multi-volume Da Bomb series. During the early 2000s, a remix for Fatboy Slim and a collaboration with Andrea Parker increased his international visibility, while his remix of DJ Slugo's "Godzilla" became an inescapable anthem back home. He's remained highly productive in the studio, issuing several lengthy albums during the 2020s (including Electro Beats for Freaks and This Detroit Thing of Ours) as well as singles and EPs like 2024's "Love, Detroit" and 2025's "This Is Not a Test."Godfather (Brian Jeffries) has been a DJ since around the age of 15. He began playing at youth parties, and would blend Detroit techno tracks with Miami booty bass. This fusion of lyrical and instrumental elements informed his solo work, and he began releasing music during the mid-'90s, forming Twilight 76 Records with Brian Gillespie (DJ Starski) and Rick Sadlowski (DJ Dick Nixon). Solo records like Work That! and Pump leaned closer to Miami bass, while collaborations with Sadlowski as Sekter .17 had more of a futuristic neo-electro sound similar to acts like Drexciya and Dopplereffekt. The tracks issued on Twilight 76's Databass sublabel were rawer and more provocative than the material on the main label, forming the genesis of what came to be termed ghettotech. Godfather released a full-length, Player Haters in Dis House (featuring Players Only), in 1998, and soon issued Da Bomb, Vol. 1, a party-like studio recording of one of his highly energetic DJ sets. He continued sharpening his skills through further volumes of the series, which sold by the thousands in Detroit before national distributors took interest. During the early 2000s, Godfather began working with Detroit electro group Ectomorph, and he released the track "Freaky Bitches" with Andrea Parker and DJ Assault, in addition to remixing Fatboy Slim's "Star 69." His remix of DJ Slugo's "Godzilla," sampling the theme music from the original Godzilla film, was released in 2003, and while it was far from the only track to use the sample, it took off in Detroit, and became one of Godfather's signature tracks. The Godfather Chronicles (The Ghetto Tech Sound Of Detroit), a mix CD and documentary DVD, was released in 2004. Godfather issued stripped-down, white-label club 12"s as part of the D.E.T. Only series, and nodded to Chicago's juke scene with 2005's What Down EP, issued by sublabel Juke Trax. Godfather explored dancehall and reggaeton with his 2006 mix The Heat Blast, and another mix, The Detroit Connection Pt. 3: For the Freaks, appeared in 2008. He released ghettotech remixes of popular rap and dance songs as part of his My Versions series, and also issued mashup mixes like 2009's DJs Are the New Rock Stars. A lengthy string of EPs and singles during the 2010s included collaborations with DJ Omega, DJ Rashad, Oktored, and DJ Deeon. In 2020, Godfather released the 44-song full-length Electro Beats for Freaks, featuring guests such as Goodmoney G100, Lil Mz. 313, and Parkhouse. Numerous EPs containing remixes and non-album tracks appeared, and the following year, he issued the 46-song This Detroit Thing of Ours, as well as an EP with DJ Mell G called Cops Can't Dance. D3T.3L3CTR0, a completely solo full-length strictly consisting of electro tracks, was released in 2022. Numerous EPs appeared in 2023, including For the DJs and The Killshot. The remix-heavy single "Love, Detroit" was released in 2024, as well as the EPs The D Theme, The Next 100, Oh No, and Electro Pulse. 2025 brought the single "This Is Not a Test."
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