Danilo Plessow

Danilo Plessow is a music producer and DJ (born c. 1985), perhaps best known for his work as the alias Motor City Drum Ensemble (MCDE).^[1][2] Raised in the German town of Schwäbisch Gmünd,^[3] Plessow played drums from the age of 6 years old and began creating his own music using a computer and samples from the age of 11.^[4] Musical influences include Moodymann,^[5][6] Marvin Gaye,^[1][3][6] 70s jazz and 90s hiphop including early J Dilla and Pete Rock.^[7][8] In his formative years he would travel into the nearby city of Stuttgart to collect vinyl records.^[1] The alias Motor City Drum Ensemble is a nod to his Detroit musical influences as well as referencing Stuttgart (home of Mercedes Benz and Porsche) and his collection of drum machines.^[1][4][5][9]

Plessow is famed for the Raw Cuts series^[10][11] and has released singles and remixes on over twenty record labels.^[8][12] He has also co-founded labels such as MCDE Recordings,^[3] Four Roses Recordings^[13] and Space Grape Records, the latter of which is focused on live contemporary music, such as with Jéroboam, musicians from Kyoto Jazz Massive.^[14][15]

As an international DJ he frequently travels around the world to perform at clubs and festivals.^[1][16][17]

He was a radio presenter for Gilles Peterson's Worldwide FM^[18] and was a curator for Nuits Sonores in Lyon 2016.^[19][20]

Other aliases: Inverse Cinematics,^[1] Vermont,^[5] Jayson Brothers^[7] and Basic-Variation.^[20]