God Said Give 'Em Drum Machines: The Book

 At the heart of Techno music is a pulse that has been beating since the 80s. For Jennifer Washington, this pulse became a lifeline in 2010 when she returned to Detroit to attend her 20-year high school reunion. A trip down memory lane and a chance encounter with an old friend and soon-to-be business partner Kristian Hill, business and creative passions align as Jennifer takes the chance to escape the maze of boring work life to go on a techno DJ chasing journey. With big money decisions, accidents, and setbacks, the two of them keep their rhythm and footwork as they keep up with an upbeat sound that has been there for them since teenage years. Jennifer chronicles a personal story of how her and camera toting partner Kristian put the Detroit documentary God Said Give ‘Em Drum Machines on the map over a 12-year timeline.  

Washington Hill Pictures began their educational tour with God Said Give 'Em Drum Machines in 2018, screening a work-in-progress cut of the film at various universities and museums, such as MIT Media Lab, Duke, Berklee School of Music, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, DePaul University, Detroit Independent Freedom School, Detroit Historical Society, and Smithsonian Hirshhorn. Now as a finished project, God Said Give ’Em Drum Machines is a feature-length documentary film is being scheduled for upcoming university and museum screening engagements.  Schools and other educational communities across the world can can share this 

In May 2022, Washington Hill Pictures hosted a Documentary Storytelling Workshop in partnership with Roland Instruments at the Detroit Historical Society. The production team reviewed the basics of documentary storytelling and provided insights into the process from their own experience on a  12-year-long international filmmaking journey. The Team worked with Detroit creatives to workshop their own documentary ideas in an exciting event for all ages. 

Our distinct subject matter holds many valuable lessons for contemporary classrooms. The God Said Give 'Em Drum Machines team is currently developing Black History Month curriculum that will help to educate and inspire students. The team is working to expand course curriculum into lessons on Black music history, documentary storytelling in multiple mediums, music business basics for artists, electronic music production workshops, and more!