The Art of Detroit Techno

Oldham’s artwork’s first entry into the electronic music arena began in 1987, when his childhood friend, Derrick May, was producing his first twelve-inch record, “Nude Photo,” and asked Alan to do the label art. In 1990, Oldham, now producing himself, sold an EP to a small Dutch label called, DJAX Records. After the release of the Signal to Noise Ratio EP, label boss Saskia “Miss DJAX” Slegers hired Oldham to create the graphic identity of DJAX-UP-BEATS. 25 years on, and Oldham’s trademark visual style still defines the label. Today, Oldham’s legendary artwork is also gracing a new generation of record labels, such as NEW RELIGION, THIRD EAR RECORDINGS, SEVENTH SIGN RECORDINGS, BIRKEN LTD., OPILEC MUSIC, DRUMCODE, and DE:TUNED.