Techno music is one of the most innovative music styles created. It can best be described as electronic dance music. The source of the word Techno was pioneered by the German group Kraftwerk, who used a style of synthetic computer generated music in the 1970s. The history of techno is very difficult to define, as it varies depending whether you follow the history back to Germany, the United States or the United Kingdom. However, most state that techno's lineage can be traced back to Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra and George Clinton. Techno came to prominence as fully fledged dance music with the advent of the Roland TB303 rhythm generator and the subsequent emergence of the 'Acid House' or 'rave' scene. The speed of the music, which is indicated in beats per minute (BPM) was continuously increasing, and in early 1990, the house beat was combined with the electro sound and techno house was born.
Techno in the United States
Techno as we know it was born in the United States- Detroit specifically. The early 1980s Detroit electro movement developed from 1970s disco and funk combined with the rhythms and sounds of Kraftwerk and British synthpop. One of the more well known exponents of this style was Cybotron, featuring Juan Atkins. Atkins went on to form one third of the Detroit techno ensemble 'the Belleville Three' in 1985 with Kevin Saunderson (of Inner City) and Derrick May (of Mayday and Rhythm is Rhythm). Other chief promoters of this new form of music were Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin and Josh Wink. Meanwhile in Canada, Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva were experimenting with minimalist techno and acid house (a variant of the Chicago based House movement using distorted pulses made by the Roland TB303 to simulate psychedelic sound effects). These two formed the influential Plus8 label with some European artists such as Speedy J getting their first breaks on the label. Ritchie Hawtin later resurfaced as Plastikman. Soon the west coast started to get in on the act, and by the early 90s, techno had arrived. However the American concept of techno differs sharply from that of their English counterparts. The American scene was, and still is, more influenced by funk and house than the British.
Ground-Breaking Records from the United States:
- Cybotron Clear
- Rhythm Is Rhythm Strings of Life
- Inner City Good Life
- Model 500 Off to Battle
- Cybersonik Technarky
- Plastikman Spastik
Techno in the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom was at first influenced by Kraftwerk and the Frenchman, Jean Michael Jarre. However Jarre's overblown pomposity and Kraftwerk's minimalism soon lost their appeal and British fans turned to their own experimental electronic bands who based themselves on the European lead. However, these artists; Cabaret Voltaire, early Human League and Norman Cook gave way to the new romantic synthpop movement of Depeche Mode, Duran Duran and Soft Cell and the British electronic scene found that it had 'sold out' to commerciality. Soon the British artists turned to the United States for inspiration. The United Kingdom picked up the Detroit sound and created its own styles. The Detroit style was first introduced into the UK by the likes of 808 state, Baby Ford, Renegade Soundwave, Norman Cook and a Guy Called Gerald. In the late 1980s, the Manchester scene provided the basis for the unprecedented growth of electronic music in the United Kingdom. Huge drug-fuelled parties called raves were held which flushed the techno scene with money, and as such provided scope for experimentation and invention. Pop music and techno was blended and the result was the grebo movement of the KLF, Jesus Jones, EMF, Utah Saints Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Pop Will Eat Itself which enjoyed considerable success.
There was no 'focus' in the UK as there has been in the Detroit-led US scene, the British preferred a more varied approach, but the style grew with the likes of Orbital and LFO scoring chart hits with minimalist grooves. In particular, the Sheffield-based Warp Records consistently turned out inventive and intelligent music through such artists as The Aphex Twin and Autechre. Meanwhile, progressive and ambient styles were being mixed by the likes of The Orb, Mixmaster Morris and Massive Attack. Mainstream acceptance of the style came through the chart successes of The Shamen, the KLF and Leftfield. The sampler had replaced the guitar as the instrument of choice for dance music. This shift in attitudes was pointed out by the public's acceptance of experimental outfits like Underworld, Orbital and the Prodigy all of whom enjoyed British number ones in 1996 (the Prodigy had two). Over the years, British techno has become more and more reliant upon samples within their recordings to the point where a separate form of techno made almost exclusively of samples exists. The chemical beats or amyl house movement, headlined by The Chemical Brothers, Propellerheads, Bentley Rhythm Ace, Fatboy Slim, Death In Vegas is set to become to new wave of dance music, with the Chemical Brothers scoring three British and one American number ones. The British techno movement could be considered to be the dominant force in global dance music.
Ground-Breaking Records from the United Kingdom:
- 808 State: Pacific State
- The Orb: Little Fluffy Clouds
- A Guy Called Gerald: Voodoo Ray
- Orbital: Chime
- LFO: LFO
- The Chemical Brothers: Block Rockin' Beats
- The Prodigy: Breathe
- Underworld: Born Slippy
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