What *IS* Techno, and does it exist?

I remember the first time I heard Nirvana's Nevermind. I liked it enough. It wasn't as ear piercingly edgy as Bleached, but it also was rocking loud enough to annoy enough of the grown folks to make it "cool".
Despite past successes with The Cure, Sinead O'conner, U2, and Ministry, Nirvana ushered in , according to many media sources, the age of "Alternative Music."
The problem was that within a few short years, that movement fell apart. Sinead had grown into a monster top 40 act, despite always remaining true to her songwriting roots, U2 courted pop stardom, The Cure's Disintegration proved to be their last truly iconic album, and a myriad other musical acts shied away from the spotlight.
Moreover, by labeling something alternative, you couldn't really get a sense of what it would sound like. It was this huge ubiquitous (sp?) label attached to anything remotely edgy, interesting, or supposedly non-corporate. But when you can play Pearl Jam, The Cure, and Skinny Puppy back-to-back and claim a similar label between to them , that label fails to mean anything really. I mean hell, even Creed and The Toadies tied the label around themselves at one point in the 90s


Which brings me to so called "Techno" music. I'm having problems trying to identify it. I use to term, much like I use the term "industrial", only in a mundane sense. I'm not saying that this or that act deserves the label "techno" or "industrial" in any academic level whatsoever--I just know that when I hear something, it will generally be referred to as this or that label by normal folks, whether it's accurate or not.

But it seems this electronic, sampling based music has spread out in so many directions (deep house, progressive, trance, trip hop, etc. etc.) that I'm not even sure it can all be lumped into the term Techno anymore.
Moreover, is techno basically the 90's version of Disco? Does it identify a specific sound from that period? Are musical acts which mimic or borrow from those aesthetics just pop bands that incorporate those stylings? Certainly, many of today’s acts borrow disco riffs, but we wouldn't identify them as disco acts. Does the same apply to some of today’s artists who borrow from the old "techno" aesthetics? Madonna comes to mind as a pop artist imitating some of those older 90's dance acts.


Anyways, I'm even sure what I'm trying to say here. Somebody throw me a lifeline.

Thanks.


.
[Edited 7/28/08 11:56am]

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

It's loud 4/4 over and over.

Go back to general discussion...

"techno techno bloody techno darling"

Techno...One of those gereneric terms of music that used to mean something but became synonomous with electronic dance music in general.

True techno came from Industrial Music, which was being made in mostly Germany and somewhat in Europe. Industrial Music : Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Front Line Assembly etc. As the 90's started rolling around, industrial music was on a downturn and was making way for more dancier tunes. Same thing was happening at the same time with goth music as well...though that took a little longer to manifest and cannabalize the goth scene.

Earlier techno was a lot more repetitive and honestly not too listenable today. What started to happen was that people/bands like 808 State, Bizzare Inc, Shamen etc was fusing some house elements to Techno to make it more organic and listenable. The music went somewhere with it's melodies bubbling up from underneath as opposed to being laid on top (like House music).

So that went on for quite a while in the 90's and as it did and bands like 808 moving to the wayside, a new form of Techno emerged. However good it was it started blending ever more so into the electronic musical sound scape. Newer music emerged such as minimal house or tech house i.e. Jeff Mills. Not to memtion that Trance and all of it's influences were emergin on the scene too...stripping Techno from any semblance of identity.

I have heard GOOD techno and the last I heard was in the beginning of this century. I haven't heard that much of it since. Like House Music ...good techno music is very hard to find.

superspaceboy said:

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

Imago said:

superspaceboy said:

Techno...One of those gereneric terms of music that used to mean something but became synonomous with electronic dance music in general.

True techno came from Industrial Music, which was being made in mostly Germany and somewhat in Europe. Industrial Music : Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, Front Line Assembly etc. As the 90's started rolling around, industrial music was on a downturn and was making way for more dancier tunes. Same thing was happening at the same time with goth music as well...though that took a little longer to manifest and cannabalize the goth scene.

Earlier techno was a lot more repetitive and honestly not too listenable today. What started to happen was that people/bands like 808 State, Bizzare Inc, Shamen etc was fusing some house elements to Techno to make it more organic and listenable. The music went somewhere with it's melodies bubbling up from underneath as opposed to being laid on top (like House music).

So that went on for quite a while in the 90's and as it did and bands like 808 moving to the wayside, a new form of Techno emerged. However good it was it started blending ever more so into the electronic musical sound scape. Newer music emerged such as minimal house or tech house i.e. Jeff Mills. Not to memtion that Trance and all of it's influences were emergin on the scene too...stripping Techno from any semblance of identity.

I have heard GOOD techno and the last I heard was in the beginning of this century. I haven't heard that much of it since. Like House Music ...good techno music is very hard to find.

I'm totally waiting on some dorky purist to chime in about how none of those acts are truly "industrial" acts like Clock DVA, etc. etc.


But I see your point.

I had just come to terms with "emo" and then my daughter told me there was such a thing as "screemo". It's worse than emo, if that's possible.

RodeoSchro said:

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

superspaceboy said:

Imago said:

I'm totally waiting on some dorky purist to chime in about how none of those acts are truly "industrial" acts like Clock DVA, etc. etc.


But I see your point.

One can be a Techno Purist all they want, but also need to recognize that it is a genre that is not easily "defined" and has evolved and been infused with much of todays modern dance music.

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

Imago said:

RodeoSchro said:

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

I'll Tell you what Techno isn't:

IT.

IS.

NOT.

HOUSE.

MUSIC!

This has been the bane of my search for house music. too much techno labeled as house. Let them have their separate homes!

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I'll Tell you what Techno isn't:

IT.

IS.

NOT.

HOUSE.

MUSIC!

This has been the bane of my search for house music. too much techno labeled as house. Let them have their separate homes!

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

Imago said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

I'll Tell you what Techno isn't:

IT.

IS.

NOT.

HOUSE.

MUSIC!

This has been the bane of my search for house music. too much techno labeled as house. Let them have their separate homes!

what's the difference?

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

Imago said:

what's the difference?

Don't make me hate you dan

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

What is techno, eh? Well, techno is mind-numbing bullshit that should just go away, and STAY THE FUCK AWAY. That shit is not even music... it's worse than every damn rapper out there today combined. Yes, it's THAT bad.

I'd say "Techno" is the umbrella that all these other subgenres reside under.

FuNkeNsteiN said:

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

FuNkeNsteiN said:

guitarslinger44 said:

FuNkeNsteiN said:

What is techno, eh? Well, techno is mind-numbing bullshit that should just go away, and STAY THE FUCK AWAY. That shit is not even music... it's worse than every damn rapper out there today combined. Yes, it's THAT bad.

Grandpa, is that you? When did you get a computer?

Imago said:

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Imago said:

I don't really think you mean that.

Yea, you're right. I love techno!

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

Imago said:

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Yea, you're right. I love techno!

Dude, if I ever make it up to Tarabithia or wherever it is that you live, we are sooooo gonna paint the town red going to House/techno clubs

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Imago said:

Dude, if I ever make it up to Tarabithia or wherever it is that you live, we are sooooo gonna paint the town red going to House/techno clubs

I think I would rather swallow a bucket full of rusty nails... but thanks for the offer anyways!

Cinnie said:

FuNkeNsteiN said:

I think I would rather swallow a bucket full of rusty nails... but thanks for the offer anyways!

I thought you loved rusty nails!

I don't like Techno either. My friends dig it ,they're DJs, but it gets repetitive very quickly for me and as Supa says it ain't house music(which is more tolerable and at least a little more melodic). I could happily live without all those genres and yeah i think Techno is born out of Disco music. It's more oblique but i think its an offspring of Disco.
[Edited 7/29/08 4:23am]

FuNkeNsteiN said:

Imago said:

Dude, if I ever make it up to Tarabithia or wherever it is that you live, we are sooooo gonna paint the town red going to House/techno clubs

I think I would rather swallow a bucket full of rusty nails... but thanks for the offer anyways!

I love Milty and so should you!

PRINCE DOES NOT EAT EGGS!!! : http://prince.org/msg/7/288549

Wow. So much mis-information.
Well, being from the birthplace of techno (DETROIT) i guess i'll have to represent.

Pretty much there are three people that are responsible for what came to be called "techno music", Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May.

Techno is sort of a hybrid of house music and industrial music. It came to be because of the music that was getting played on Detroit radio in the early 80's. Detroit was somewhat unique as being a largely urban city there was a lot of electronic music getting played on the radio. Yellow Magic Orchestra and Kraftwerk were HUGE in Detroit at the time and the three aformentioned "godfathers of techno" decided to create electronic dance music that sounded like Detroit. There are numerous books on the topic. And you can Google these guys and see some of the songs that define the techno sound.

What gets confusing for non-techno people is how the genre took off over in Europe and how it spawned a trillion sub-genres, so the term got used a lot more than it should.

FuNkeNsteiN said: