Techno

[abZ]

People talk about dubstep or dnb getting samey... next too techno and minimal it really isn't.

I would have to disagree with you there...something like Planet E or any of Basic Channel's labels, or Spectral, or M_nus even, have incredibly varied catalogs. And what constitutes as "techno" is incredibly varied compared to dubstep (nowadays) or dnb, and a lot of DJs take advantage of this. It's not uncommon to hear incredibly varied sounds, beat patterns, and vibes throughout one techno DJs set - after all, they've got decades of constant innovation, numerous subgenres, and thousands of DJ tools at their disposal.

Didn't mean to go off on a rant, but I just had to disagree with you on that point. Now if a shitty techno DJ just spins minimal all night, then he's just not a very good DJ.


Comparing it to dubstep again for a second, I feel that dubstep up until a few years ago had just as much variety, but has become pretty formulaic by now...but the whole "bass music" thing going on between 130-140 (with dubstep included) has totally kept that going. Don't get me started on dnb though...

I am kinda grouping all things bass music into the dubstep category right or wrong, maybe I am the only one that still thinks dubstep can be anything, I don't know. Maybe I am just too casual a fan of techno to understand where all this innovation in that genre is but I would be happy to be schooled on that if you would oblige.

[damagedgoods]

On the other hand dubstep or dnb you can listen to a tune you have never heard before and guess the year it was made.

That's one of the things I like about it. I think your take on techno is maybe a bit of an exaggeration -- there's not so much 90s techno around today, although it is being referenced and drawn upon -- but it's definitely true that it moves much more slowly on the whole. (That doesn't make the standout artists any less good, of course.)

On techno being "samey" -- bear in mind that (good) techno sets are generally chasing a different paradigm to dubstep and dnb. Most of the best examples are either going for the "musical journey" approach (cliché alert but you get what I mean), which necessitates a more subtle progression than simply whacking in loads of bangers, or they're going for a more fun approach, in which case they're generally not that samey at all. Techno in the former vein is "samey" by definition, but not necessarily in a bad way. Conversely, when people talk about dubstep or dnb being "samey", they usually mean "nowadays all the tracks are just really loud with lots of wobble" -- and since nobody's really playing dubstep to put the crowd into a trance, the sameyness isn't such a good thing.

One thing I'd definitely agree on is that there's been more innovation in dubstep, grime and funky in the past 5 years than there has been in techno. I guess that's why a lot of my favourite techno artists have either jumped ship or have one foot in the water.

[setspeed]

I'd disagree with the production being fairly simple in essence. It's the ideas that are simple, not the production. The production has to be spot on in order to string out one or two ideas over 6 or 7 minutes. Lots of techno is fucking dull -- living in Berlin has pretty much destroyed any desire I may ever have had to go out and listen to minimal or clubby deep house -- but there's some amazing stuff out there that has the power to suck you in and wrap itself around you in a way that most dubstep can't. (My opinion, of course... )

s'funny you say that. i was in berlin a couple of years back, and went to some cool kids club in Kreuzberg where they played minimal all night. Even a load of quality MDMA couldn't stop me noticing how formulaic it all was; the mixing was dull, the same tricks were in every tune and the DJ was in no hurry to mash things up. A shame because I quite like minimal at home.

Still rate Valentino Kanzyani circa 2003 as being the pinnacle of techno DJing for me though

I am like the opposite. I really enjoy it on a nice system out at a party but when I am at home or in the car it is just too boring for me. People talk about dubstep or dnb getting samey... next too techno and minimal it really isn't. I got into Swedish techno back in like 97/98 for a few years was collecting records, still have them but I find it amazing that you can listen to those same labels current offerings and it's almost the same shit 15 years later. I think I would go insane if I was a producer / dj of those genres, just not enough progression. On the other hand dubstep or dnb you can listen to a tune you have never heard before and guess the year it was made. Being a casual fan of it keeps it fresh for me. I have started to write techno tunes on many occasions but I usually end up throwing some dubstep ethos into the production.

i dunno man, i think the swing from loopy, hard techno (you'll no doubt have some of it if you were buying the Swedish shit around 98! I mean Adam Beyer, Samuel L Sessions, Umek, Jel Ford, Marco Carola, Tomie Nevada, Gaetano Parisio etc etc etc) to minimal, around 2004, is as much of a change as dubstep going from Loefah & Pinch halfstep to Funtcase and Boregore.

and there are always people still doing shit like this

[rook]

I wouldn't exactly call Lützenkirchen techno, but goddamn do I love Lützenkirchen.

[damagedgoods]

Maybe I am just too casual a fan of techno to understand where all this innovation in that genre is but I would be happy to be schooled on that if you would oblige.

I think one of the issues with innovation in techno is that because it's such a broad scene, the innovation is in several directions and not always followed through. For example, right now, you've got the "Berghain" guys pushing this dark, sparse, pulsating, grim warehouse sound but with echoes of early house and even hardcore, which wasn't around a couple of years ago; people like Levon Vincent and Omar S are doing new and interesting things with the old, raw house sound; Surgeon making, well, mostly dubstep to be fair, but also some pretty interesting industrial IDM-tinged techno; Donato Dozzy and Cio D'Or doing beautiful, hypnotic, droney minimalist techno; Monolake doing, er, what Monolake do; I mean depending on how broadly you want to define techno you can even lump in the more IDM stuff like Autechre, SND and Alva Noto and the Raster Noton crew, etc etc. Electro, which is generally lumped in with techno, was progressing a fair bit throughout the 90s but not so much anymore. Minimal techno, before it became formulaic (and certainly in the 90s, before it sounded anything like how it does now) was massively innovative at the time. All of these sub-scenes are making small, incremental progressions in their own direction. Of course there was some cross-influence, but contrast this to dubstep, where you've got a concentrated, mostly UK-based scene that's pushing in only maybe three or four directions, many of which are short-lived. Consequently, the progression of the genre as a whole is much more aligned, with each release having much more from the immediate past on which to build.

I guess you could draw a vegetable analogy -- if dubstep is an asparagus, then techno is a broccoli. DnB, well, DnB is an artichoke with jungle at its heart.

[setspeed]

I guess you could draw a vegetable analogy -- if dubstep is an asparagus, then techno is a broccoli. DnB, well, DnB is an artichoke with jungle at its heart.

ace

[rook]

I guess you could draw a vegetable analogy -- if dubstep is an asparagus, then techno is a broccoli. DnB, well, DnB is an artichoke with jungle at its heart.

So what you're saying is... dubstep makes your pee smell weird?

[abZ]

I guess you could draw a vegetable analogy -- if dubstep is an asparagus, then techno is a broccoli. DnB, well, DnB is an artichoke with jungle at its heart.

So what you're saying is... dubstep makes your pee smell weird?

And techno gives you heartburn but is good with cheese?

[Assassin]

anyone here listen to, or write alot of techno? anyone willing to get on aim and give me some pointers on some techno im writing?

hitting a bit of a wall as i havent listened to much techno, all the youtube results i can find are a bit too cheesy

I listen to techno my mate from work sends me, "ave that" is my favourite. Can't remember the artist name but it tears your head clean off, shits down your neck, then wanks on it and does some other shit metaphors I can't be arsed to think up.

It's a good tune.

[grooki]

this is an awesome thread.

[Basic A]

I always though of it more like candy... Dubstep, is obviously chocolate, and DnB/Jungle caramel. Creamy, delicious, go great together, but, honestly, we'd rather have them all seperate on top some good ice cream. Techno, is clearly peanuts, as its obviously crunchy, but sometimes, Im just not in the mood.

HHC/Trance, in this case, is prolly those shitty creme filled styrophome-esque wafer cookies... or the black jelly beans or something...

[serox]

I have been mixing Techno for years. I have a massive collection of 12s going from early Detroit Techno/Electro, Belgium Techno, Early Rave from Holland, hard Techno from Germany and everything decent out of the UK/US. Nearly everything is from the early 90s when Techno was at its best.

If you are interested in new style Techno that has no flavor and sounds like a bunch of noises stuck on a grid, I am not the best person to ask:)

See you in 2017.

[continuumdnb]

I swear this mix gets better every time i listen to it, as as someone bumped the thread...

Soundcloud

[serox]

A very big Techno mix right here. Not minimal, just full on Techno assault from one of the biggest labels coming out of Germany and 10 years on this shit is still ahead of its time.

http://www.discogs.com/groups/topic/151751

More mixes available in other genres from myself, sorry to pimp.

http://www.discogs.com/groups/search/8? ... btn=Search

[jamez3]

I'm glad there's a conscensus that techno was better in the 90s and it's not just me getting old and unable to apreciate the new stuff. Would you guys count Andy Stott/ the Claro Ittalecto warehouse stuff as techno, that's prety good. The Shed album has it's moments too.
Glad damaged mentioned how inovative ellectro was in the 90s, I think even today loads of the german stuff sounds absolutely amazing, I think that people look down on that scene and lump it in with Felix the Housecat and the likes.
Looking forward to checking out "Berghain" when I get home.
J

[serox]

I'm glad there's a conscensus that techno was better in the 90s and it's not just me getting old and unable to apreciate the new stuff. Would you guys count Andy Stott/ the Claro Ittalecto warehouse stuff as techno, that's prety good. The Shed album has it's moments too.
Glad damaged mentioned how inovative ellectro was in the 90s, I think even today loads of the german stuff sounds absolutely amazing, I think that people look down on that scene and lump it in with Felix the Housecat and the likes.
Looking forward to checking out "Berghain" when I get home.
J

Without a doubt Techno was at its prime in the early 90s.

Berghain has gone down hill bigtime. There is far too much new style Techno being played there and it all sounds the same. All my German pals tell me that Berghain and Tresor have had there day and are often empty, shame.

If you want to see Techno in Germany you are better off going to a free party in a warehouse.

[jamez3]

I meant on youtube I'm not from Berlin or anything
I fear the days of me chompping a bucket load of mitzus and pumping my fist rythmically for eight hours are gone for ever!

[serox]

I meant on youtube I'm not from Berlin or anything
I fear the days of me chompping a bucket load of mitzus and pumping my fist rythmically for eight hours are gone for ever!

You shouldn't need drugs if you like the music.

I dont live in Berlin either but I still travel to Europe for partys. I love the music.

[damagedgoods]

I'm glad there's a conscensus that techno was better in the 90s and it's not just me getting old and unable to apreciate the new stuff. Would you guys count Andy Stott/ the Claro Ittalecto warehouse stuff as techno, that's prety good. The Shed album has it's moments too.
Glad damaged mentioned how inovative ellectro was in the 90s, I think even today loads of the german stuff sounds absolutely amazing, I think that people look down on that scene and lump it in with Felix the Housecat and the likes.
Looking forward to checking out "Berghain" when I get home.
J

Yeah the Claro/Modern Love stuff is definitely techno, as is Shed. Both amazing artists. And I disagree that techno was better in the 90s. There was some great techno in the 90s, but there's also been some great techno since. There was also a lot of shit techno in the 90s, particularly towards the end, just as there is now. Shed is a great example of someone who uses the fact that techno (by EDM standards) has quite a lot of history, without getting bogged down in the past (hence the name of the album, IIRC).

[boot]

Hit me up man, would love to take a listen

I love techno, don't know a whole lot about it tbh but I know what I like





Alot of the stuff I write is influenced by that vibe, I wrote a 4x4 tune called Space Destroy Energy which is coming out on Stoke Audio soon...
Soundcloud