Techno royalty: Carl Craig welcomes Moritz von Oswald, Francesco Tristano

Detroit's Carl Craig is one of the biggest names in Techno, often credited as spearheading electronic music's second wave. Moritz Von Oswald is a Berlin-based producer who co-founded the label Basic Channel and the production group Rhythm & Sound, both of which are influential names in the world of minimal techno and ground breakers in the fusion dub music and techno.

Oswald and Craig co-produced the LP Recomposed, released in 2008. It is a neo-classical techno hybrid that shows influence from Philip Glass, Steve Reich and others.

Francesco Tristano is a graduate of Julliard who now resides in Barcelona. Tristano is a modern classical and jazz pianist who has composed albums in both fields. After releasing a collection of classic electronic covers by Autechre, Jeff Mills and Derrick May, he quickly caught the attention of electronic music community.

Check out a London performance by the three musicians here.

See them all perform live Wednesday, Feb. 1 at Cliff Bell's, 2030 Park Ave. in downtown Detroit. It's free and begins at 9 p.m.

Photo: Carl Craig and Moritz von Oswald

Year of the dragon: DIA hosts Classical Southern Style Lion Dance

Yes, the Year of the Dragon is upon is. It is the luckiest year in the Chinese calendar. Thank goodness for that. In honor of the 2012 Chinese New Year, the Asian Martial Arts Studio will present a Classical Southern Style Lion Dance performance complemented by live percussion, including gongs, drums and cymbals, followed by a demonstration of various Kung Fu forms.

Sound like a whole bunch of happy days can't be too far behind. Sunday, Feb. 5 at the Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave., in Midtown's Cultural Center. There are two performances: at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.