History Main / Techno

+ HouseMusic, Electro, SynthPop, early ElectronicMusic (primarily Music/{{Kraftwerk}})

The term "techno" has often been misused as a catch-all term for electronic dance music. Techno tends to have a rather specific sound, and in fact a decent amount of what some people call "techno" is usually either {{trance}}, [[HouseMusic house music]], or [[{{Europop}} Eurodance]]. Some fans find it very frustrating when people misunderstand what techno is about. Calling [[https://youtu.be/y6120QOlsfU this]] techno is as accurate as calling Music/AvrilLavigne hardcore punk[[note]]That tune is {{trance}}, for those who are wondering[[/note]].

The term "techno" has often been misused as a catch-all term for electronic dance music. Techno tends to have a rather specific sound, and in fact a decent amount of what some people call "techno" is usually either {{trance}}, [[HouseMusic house music]], or [[{{Europop}} Eurodance]]. Some fans find it very frustrating when people misunderstand what techno is about. Calling [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSYxT9GM0fQ this]] techno is as accurate as calling Music/AvrilLavigne hardcore punk[[note]]That tune is {{trance}}, for those who are wondering[[/note]].

It was originally conceived in TheEighties by three black middle class UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} audiophiles (called "The Belleville Three" due to their neighborhood): Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson. They started making music that combined their love of early European synthpop and contemporary funk. In fact that May had described the sound of early techno "like Music/GeorgeClinton and Music/{{Kraftwerk}} are stuck in an elevator [[JustForFun/XMeetsY with only a sequencer to keep them company]]". It basically ended up sounding like music for robots to breakdance to. Atkins was arguably the [[UrExample first]] person to produce techno music, while May [[TropeMakers developed]] many of its distinct features, and Saunders was the first to push techno [[TropeCodifier to the charts]] (with his group Inner City). [[https://youtu.be/XfQoERnyCeg Here's]] an example of an early techno song by Juan Atkins' group Cybotron.

It was originally conceived in TheEighties by three black middle class UsefulNotes/{{Detroit}} audiophiles (called "The Belleville Three" due to their neighborhood): Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson. They started making music that combined their love of early European synthpop and contemporary funk. In fact that May had described the sound of early techno "like Music/GeorgeClinton and Music/{{Kraftwerk}} are stuck in an elevator [[JustForFun/XMeetsY with only a sequencer to keep them company]]". It basically ended up sounding like music for robots to breakdance to. Atkins was arguably the [[UrExample first]] person to produce techno music, while May [[TropeMakers developed]] many of its distinct features, and Saunders was the first to push techno [[TropeCodifier to the charts]] (with his group Inner City). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I280cxs2jvA Here's]] an example of an early techno song by Juan Atkins' group Cybotron.

Most techno is in [[CommonTime 4/4]], with a bass drum on each downbeat, and either a clap or a snare on every 2nd and 4th beat. Most of the time it retains the open-hi-hat-on-every-upbeat feeling of house, but there's often a rhythmic accent that marks the upbeats. Techno tunes rarely have full-on singing, though short vocal samples are commonly used.

* Music/{{Moby}} (on his first two albums)

** 1994 - ''Music/{{dubnobasswithmyheadman}}''

* Music/TheKLF

* Music/{{Fraktus}}

* Music/CarlCox (mixed with some elements of HouseMusic)

* Music/{{Gesaffelstein}} (mixed with {{Industrial}} in ''Aleph'' and with RAndB in ''Hyperion'')

** ''Music/{{dubnobasswithmyheadman}}'' (1994)

* 808 State (TropeCodifier)

* Music/{{Gesaffelstein}} (mixed with {{Industrial}} in ''Aleph'' and with R&B in ''Hyperion'')

* Music/SweetTrip

* Music/{{808 State}} (TropeCodifier)

* Music/808State (TropeCodifier)

* Music/BoysNoize

* 808 State

Around the same time, {{house music}} was starting to become a major player in the Chicago dance scene. When the early techno producers heard some of it, they adapted the the 4/4 beat house is known for to techno's robotic, futuristic sound. While the people in Chicago were partying and having good time, dancing like there's no tomorrow, people in Detroit were putting their [[DarkerAndEdgier own twist]] to the Windy City producers' music. Many of the Detroit techno fans and musicians were car manufacturing workers, working all day with robots. Some of them crossed hard periods in their life, as most car manufacturers were crossing an economic crisis caused by an oil crisis. Their city was going in ruins, criminality was rampant, and while some other people of roughly the same demographic were busy creating their own brand of DarkerAndEdgier brand of [[{{Rap}} rap music]], the spiritual offspring of the Belleville Three were raving in abandoned warehouses to the sound of hard, mechanic funk known as techno.

Most techno is in [[CommonTime 4/4]], with a bass drum on each downbeat, and either a clap or a snare on every 2nd and 4th beat. Most of the time it retains the open-hi-hat-on-every-upbeat feeling of house, but there's often a rhythmic accent that marks the upbeats.

The term "techno" has often been misused as a catch-all term for electronic dance music. Techno tends to have a rather specific sound, and in fact a decent amount of what some people call "techno" is usually either {{trance}}, [[HouseMusic house music]], or [[{{Europop}} Eurodance]]. Some fans find it very frustrating when people misunderstand what techno is about. Calling [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSYxT9GM0fQ this]] techno is as accurate as calling Music/AvrilLavigne hardcore punk[[note]]That song is {{trance}}, for those who are wondering[[/note]].

!!!Assorted Examples:

* Schranz, born in Germany, a subgenre that relies heavily on distorted and dissonant synth loops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovm0CfCfvgI

->'''Strong Bad:''' "I heard a techno song one time that went like... [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud 'Doom doom doom doom doom doom doom doom']] And then this other part came in, and it was like... [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud 'Doodle-um-dum doodle-um-dum doodle-um-dum doodle-um-dum'']] And then there's always some kinda high pitched noise, y'know? Or like a siren that's like... [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud 'DOO-DA-DOO-DA-DIDDLE DOO-DA-DOO-DA-DIDDLE DOO-DA-DOO-DA-DIDDLE DOO-DA-DOO-DA-DIDDLE']] And of course they have to put in the obligatory old movie quote from some sci-fi movie. It's like... "The system is down! The system is down! The system is down! The system is down!"

* [[Music/MuZiq µ-Ziq]] [[note]] pronounced "music" [[/note]]

* Carl Cox (mixed with some elements of HouseMusic)

* [[Music/MuZiq µ-ziq]] [[note]] pronounced "music" [[/note]]

* Music/808State

* Music/MuZiq [[note]] pronounced "music" [[/note]]

* Music/{{808State}}

* Music/{{808 State}}