techno history, techno songs, techno artists
For the comic book character previously known as Techno, see Fixer (comics).Techno is a form of electronic dance music that was developed in Detroit, Michigan, during the mid to late 1980s.Added to this was an interest in futuristic and fictional themes that were relevant to life in American late capitalist society: most particularly the novel Future Shock by Alvin Toffler.Techno music pioneer Juan Atkins cites Toffler's phrase "techno rebels" as inspiring him to use the word "techno" to describe the musical style he helped to create.This unique blend of influences aligns techno with the aesthetic referred to as AfroDiasporic Futurism.To producers such as Derrick May, the transference of spirit from the machine to the body is often a central preoccupation; essentially an expression of technological spirituality.In this manner "techno dance music defeats what Adorno saw as the alienating effect of mechanisation on the modern consciousness."Music journalists and fans of techno are generally selective in their use of the term; so a clear distinction can be made between sometimes related but often qualitatively different styles, such as tech house and trance.The template for a new style of dance music (that by the mid to late 1980's was being referred to as techno) was primarily developed by four individuals, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May (the so called "Belleville Three"), and Eddie Fowlkes, all of whom attended school together at Belleville High, near Detroit, Michigan.Of the four individuals responsible for establishing techno as a genre in its own right, it is Juan Atkins who is recognized as the originator; indeed in 1995 American music technology publication Keyboard Magazine honored Atkins as one of "12 Who Count" in the history of keyboard music (this is remarkable considering Detroit techno was still relatively unknown in the United States at that time despite its notoriety in Europe).In the same year he released a seminal work entitled "No UFO's" which, in terms of it's aesthetic values, is credited by many as the first Detroit techno production.Certain commentators who believe things are not so clear cut have attempted to redefine the origins of techno by incorporating musical precursors to the Detroit sound; as part of a historical survey of the genre.Musical influences
The original techno sound drew heavily from its funk and soul music roots to create characteristically intense grooves and percussive basslines.Motown predecessors with the music technology of the time.The resulting style came to exert an influence on widely differing genres of electronic music yet it also managed to maintain its identity as a genre in its own right; one which is commonly referred to as "Detroit techno".Back in the UK a number of techno producers were showing the influence of both jazz and UR, with Dave Angels Seas Of Tranquility EP (1994) being a case in point.IDM) had gained common usage: in an attempt to differentiate the increasingly sophisticated takes on electronic dance music from two other strands of techno that had emerged; one being a harder, faster, industrial sounding variant, and the other, an overtly commercial strain that was simply referred to as "cheese".By the late 1980s and early 90s the original techno sound had garnered a large underground following in the UK, Belgium, and Germany, yet it was virtually ignored in the United States.As the original sound evolved it also diverged; to such an extent that a wide spectrum of stylistically distinct musics was being referred to as techno.In the early 1990s, a number of notable techno producers in the UK and Europe built upon the Detroit sound but at this time an abundance of electronic dance music derivatives were emerging.Some drew heavily upon the Detroit aesthetic, while others fused components of preceding dance music forms.This lead to the appearance of what was often inventive new music, much of which bore little if any relation to the original techno sound; the initial jungle (drum and bass) excursions being primary examples.IDM, happy hardcore, minimal techno, and electronica.Techno has further expanded into the charts as more artists such as Orbital and Underworld have made the style break through to the mainstream pop culture while producers and DJs such as Laurent Garnier, Dave Clarke, Richie Hawtin and Jeff Mills have continued to explore newer sounds.See the talk page for details.Much of the instrumentation in techno emphasizes the role of rhythm over other musical parameters but the design of synthetic timbres, and the creative use of music production technology in general, are important aspects of the overall aesthetic practice.This is essentially a disco (or even polka) drum pattern and is common throughout house music and its derivatives (of which techno is one).The tempo tends to vary between approximately 120 bpm (quarter note equals 120 pulses per bar) and 150 bpm depending on the style of techno.It is this syncopated feel (funkiness) that initially differentiated the Detroit strain of techno from other variants; indeed this is a feature that many DJs and producers still use to distinguish their music from commercial forms of techno, the majority of which are devoid of syncopation.Much of this electronic dance music tends to be produced with the aid of interfaces (synthesizer keyboards) that are designed with the Western musical tradition in mind.However, techno does not always adhere to conventional harmonic practice, and such strictures are often ignored in favor of timbral manipulation alone.There are numerous ways to create techno, but they all depend upon the use of loop based step sequencing as a compositional method .Many techno musicians, or "producers", rather than employing traditional compositional techniques, will work in an improvisatory fashion; often treating the electronic music studio as one large instrument.This assemblage of devices will include units that are capable of producing unique timbres but technical proficiency is required if the technology is to be successfully exploited.The equipment will be synchronised using a hardware or a computer based MIDI sequencer; this enables the producer to combine the sequenced output of a number of devices in one arrangement.Once a usable palette of material has been generated, a producer may then focus on the temporal framework; a process of dictating how the work will unfold in time.In recent years, as computer technology has become more accessible, and music software has advanced, interacting with music technology is now possible using means that bear no relationship to traditional musical performance practice.Some techno music consists of little more than cleverly programmed rhythmic sequences and looped motifs, combined with signal processing of one variety or another; frequency filtering being a commonly used process.Kawai KC10, Yamaha DX7, and Yamaha DX100.Bibliography
Works that comprehensively explore the subject of techno music and its related culture:
Kodwo, E."Techno Rebels: The Renegades of Electronic Funk", Billboard Books, 1999."Ocean of Sound",Serpent's Tail, 2001(new Ed edition).Filmography
High Tech Soul
Catalog No.Director: Gary Bredow Length: 64 minutes Year: 2006
Summary: HIGH TECH SOUL is the first documentary to tackle the deep roots of techno music alongside the cultural history of Detroit, its birthplace.Artists like Richie Hawtin, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Eddie Fowlkes and a host of others explain why techno, with its abrasive tones and resonating basslines, could not have come from anywhere but Detroit.Modulations: A History of Electronic Music, Throbbing Words on Sound.Beat Techno Artists in Japan: Music from Nowhere, Computer Music Journal, Vol."Permanent record: Jeff Mills talks Detroit techno and the exhibit that hopes to explain it."July 1995, 12 Who Count: Juan Atkins.USA to its place in Australian music today.Detailed breakdown of techno styles and other electronic music, with sample sounds, links and more.Detroit techno being performed live
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