When you think of music from the Midwest, techno probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind. But there is no doubt in producer/DJ Mike Gervais' head about the impact living in Minneapolis has had on shaping his sound as a performer.

"There definitely was a lot of techno here. That's what I grew up on. My style has changed a lot over time and is always evolving, but it's always influenced by those early sounds," explains Gervais over the phone from his home in Minneapolis. "I wasn't really into music before I found techno."

Since discovering the hard-edged sound in the mid-'90s at underground parties across the Twin Cities, Gervais has established himself as a forward-thinking DJ, an up-and-coming producer, a promoter and now, a label owner. Hoping to fill a gap, Gervais and a couple of friends have launched Timefog, a label dedicated to highlighting Minneapolis producers.

"The label came about really naturally. I felt there was a vacuum in Minneapolis and that there was a lot of people writing great music and being amazing performers, but there was no platform to provide these people exposure to the rest of the world. They had no way to get their music out," Gervais says. "I thought creating Timefog was a great platform to showcase the talent that is in Minneapolis."

Hoping to document and promote a burgeoning techno scene, Timefog has an ambitious plan to put the Twin Cities back on the map.

"The first 10 EPs we are doing are all going to be local artists with national and international remixers," Gervais says.

With material from veterans James Patrick and Jon Hester, and with Gervais already making in-roads with DJs such as Richie Hawtin after only being around for a few months, the crew at Timefog is realistic about how much work running a label is; digital music culture is here to stay and it's a crowded marketplace that can be difficult to break into. Despite the obvious uphill battle they face to get their label noticed, they remain cautiously optimistic.

"It seems like the big challenge: How to get noticed. How to make a splash. How to get press. How to get charted," Gervais says. "All the things that come along with being a really successful label. It's not easy."

Web Extras

M.Gervais' Soundcloud: soundcloud.com/m-gervais

Timefog: timefog.net

DJ MIKE G
Nov. 28, 9 p.m., Republic Nightclub (291 Bannatyne Ave.)
w/ JP & Nancy Cheng