Much like its predecessor, the Philadelphia Experiment, the Detroit Experiment enlisted numerous players drawn from the metropolis after which it took its name. Once tracking and manufacturing concluded, the assembled roster revealed itself as broader in scope than that earlier project, encompassing figures spanning jazz, rap, and techno.
Within a five-day window, techno trailblazer Carl Craig (Paperclip People, Innerzone Orchestra) and producer/percussionist Karriem Riggins (Slum Village, Common) captured performances from a collective exceeding a dozen contributors. Trumpeter Marcus Belgrave (Ray Charles, Charles Mingus, Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra) emerged as a central figure and recruited pianist Geri Allen along with violinist Regina Carter. Veteran of Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock sessions Bennie Maupin supplied both clarinet and saxophone. Saxophonist/flautist Alan Barnes (the Blackbyrds), guitarist Perry Hughes (Earl Klugh), drummer Ron Otis (Klugh, Aretha Franklin), bassist Jaribu Shahid (Roscoe Mitchell, James Carter), bassist Al Turner (Klugh, Franklin, Nancy Wilson), and keyboardist Amp Fiddler (Parliament, Prince, Moodymann) each lent deep résumés rooted in jazz, R&B, and funk. Rappers Athletic Mic League and Invincible likewise joined the effort.
