techo is...

I think from the begining 'techno' was misrepresented by the press... by 'techno' artists and djs and labels however it does mean just that - groundbreaking electronicdancemusic...

Hence once it's classifiable it's classified: acidtechno, techhouse, hardtechno, detroittechno, electronica, tribaltechno, minimaltechno...

What I'm getting at is that while they're part of the techno unbrella, the simple word techno by itself actually comprises things whch aren't able to be classified by other musical formula's yet...

Techno paved the way for most forms of modern dance (ie. techhouse, electronica, breaks, jungle, hardhouse, trance you name it) but eventually they end up being something else entirely, mabye that will always be the case, but you can be sure to know that 'techno' will always push foward.

I think this is where some people think it's techno snobbery, but it's really just simple catagorisation. Oh and masters level research and development

Oh, and I forgot to mention (just to piss the house kids off) that house owes much to techno - it was the detroit boys who gave House the solid kick and tight drumprogramming, it was techno that gave all that westcoast styles their techniques and proghouse all the ehterial styles... ahem.

All good tho.
mattdrake

Good post there Matt

Anyone wanting to read a great book about Techno's origins in the US find a copy of Techno Rebels http://www.techno-rebels.com/ by Dan Sicko.

It helps put allot into perspective. Funnily enough I learned from this book that europe helped the US techno scene by exporting US artists that couldn't sign on local labels, back to the US.

And the rough guide to techno is pretty damned cool too
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1858284341/thebompbookstore/002-0116029-9102437

... spelt badly

(I'm so easily amused)

spelt with an N.....

so are you doing your masters on the evolution of techno or something? Interesting post...but, if techno were originally misrepresented and should mean 'groundbreaking electronic dance music' then it isn't really a genre at all, more like something that lives in no genre - so it doesn't really seem like the other more modern forms (house etc) were formed or based on one original techno 'genre' at all - I think it was a combined influence of mainly technology (wow, listen to that 808 snare! Think what we can do!), a number of people who used this technology to create some form of music and of course DJs...so I guess all this kinda created a genre of music, out of music that fit no genre.

I do think in general though, people nowadays have the idea of techno as 'loopy' and with more 'weird' noises than other forms of dance and that it's somewhat difficult (or maybe boring) to listen or dance to. It's also pretty unpredictable...in pushing the boundaries, it often seems people can step a little too far and make something a bit too 'alien' to be appreciated except by a very small percentage of people.

interesting stuff tho, and I'd be keen to see where you get with your research

rando: your description of techno sounds remarkably like psytrance... at least the parts of it being weird... i'd have to say psytrance has the weirdest samples of any genre... psy, however, tends to be more layered, whereas techno is more minimal...

and I'd have to say that, given what you're saying, there are two definitions of techno - techno the genre, and techno the philosophy. I think there definitely is a genre called techno, with it's distinctive yet diverse sound. And not all of it is innovative (but that doesn't mean it's necessarily bad). And yes, techno is one of the oldest genres, so has had the most chance to evolve.

yea actually I'd forgotten about psy - that's got some really weird noises!

but I think techno is just as, if not more layered than psy or other genres...many techno tracks are just layer upon layer of hypnotic style loops - drum-loops, short looped riffs etc...

actually, remember where psy got it's ideas from

hehe

Techno has mutated so much over the years that it really is more than just a genre. Could you say that 'Strings of Life' belongs to the same genre as, i dunno, the Speedy J mix of 'Analogon'? Techno is an umbrella term for a wildly diverse range of music, perhaps more varied than any other form of electronic music. "It is what it is" - Derrick May. That's the final word

Techno has mutated so much over the years that it really is more than just a genre. Could you say that 'Strings of Life' belongs to the same genre as, i dunno, the Speedy J mix of 'Analogon'? Techno is an umbrella term for a wildly diverse range of music, perhaps more varied than any other form of electronic music. "It is what it is" - Derrick May. That's the final word

Damn i hate this computer