Techno
Techno emerged in the second half of the 1980s. While German electronic music definitely is one of its roots, contrary to common perception the cradle of techno was not Berlin or Frankfurt/M. but the black middle class suburbs of Detroit.
Focusing more on rhythmic than melodic structures, techno typically has a tempo between 120 and 150 bpm and a 4/4 beat with a steady bass drum on every beat, an open hihat in between and a snare and/or clap on the 2 and 4. This kind of drum pattern is not only known from disco but from other electronic dance music styles like house as well. Thus, it’s not always easy to tell techno from house and many artists refuse to differentiate between the two genres. In fact, house was one of the influences which brought techno to life and in the beginning, techno was often called »techno house«.
Techno has its primary roots in European electronic music with electro pop bands like German pioneers Kraftwerk or Yello from Switzerland, British synth pop bands like Depeche Mode or Ultravox as well as industrial bands like Cabaret Voltaire from the UK, the more danceable styles EBM (electronic body music) and new beat from Belgium and last but not least Eurodisco, especially the so-called »Munich Sound« of Italian composer/producer Giorgio Moroder. His production of Donna Summer's 1977 hit »I Feel Love« with its repetitive synthesizers and a steady four-on-the-floor bass drum can be seen as a direct precursor of both house and techno. The African- American middle class youth of Detroit like the so-called »Belleville Three« – Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson – were fond of this European electronic music as well as interested in science fiction themes and (Afro-)futurism theories. This inspired them to create a futuristic music suitable for the post-industrial »wasteland« of declining Detroit. So when in 1985 former electro producer Juan Atkins added the pounding 4/4 beat of the emerging Chicago house and, under the alias Model 500, created »No UFO's«, Detroit techno was born. The term itself was coined in 1988 when UK talent scout Neil Rushton came to Detroit in search of music for a compilation and asked the Belleville Three for a name for this typical Detroit sound.
This compilation – »Techno: The New Dance Sound of Detroit« – was not as commercially successful as expected (apart from the track »Big Fun« by Kevin Saunderson's project Inner City becoming a notable mainstream hit in the UK) but it established the term »Detroit techno« in Europe as well as introduced techno to an European audience. A cultural exchange including visits and collaborations between artists from the UK and Detroit followed and with »Heychild’s Theme«, Darren Mohammed alias Heychild released an early classic of UK techno in 1989. 1989 also was the birth year of Warp Records in Sheffield which would become one of the most important labels for electronic music and a pioneer of IDM (intelligent dance music). By the end of the 1980s the acid house hype died down, »techno house« was played at (underground) raves and also now legendary dj Carl Cox began to switch from acid house to the new sound, becoming a global ambassador for techno and one of the most famous djs in the world.
In Germany, the term »techno« was partly in use since the 1970s but most notably coined by dj Andreas Tomalla aka Talla 2XLC. Working at a record store in Frankfurt/ M. in 1983, he created a special category for records of electronic music and called it »techno«. In 1984, he founded »Technoclub«, the first promoter in the world to host parties featuring electronic dance music only, and in 1985 he released the influential track »Tekno Talk« with the project Moskwa Television. Another pioneer of the German and especially the Frankfurt/M. techno scene is Sven Väth. Being resident dj at legendary club Dorian Gray since 1984, he first played soul, disco and funk, switched to EBM in 1987 and in 1988, he opened his own club, the Omen. In 1990, Väth started to play techno and the Omen should become one of the most important techno clubs worldwide in the 1990s. When the Omen had to be closed in 1998, he founded Cocoon which went from a techno club night to a club (2004) and also a booking agency and a label. Sven Väth also founded the labels Eye Q Records and Harthouse and would have an almost rock star-like status.
While Frankfurt/M. and the so-called »Sound of Frankfurt« already created some buzz throughout the 1980s, the techno scene in Berlin started in 1988 when Dietmar- Maria »Dimitri« Hegemann opened Berlin's first acid house club, the UFO. Resident djs included Tanith, Mijk van Dijk and Dr. Motte who founded the famous Love Parade event in 1989. 1989 was also the year when Mark Ernestus founded the record store Hard Wax: one of the most important techno record stores and kind of a hub for the international techno scene. The fall of the Berlin wall (1989) and the German reunification (1990) fueled Berlin's rise to a techno mecca: the eastern part of Berlin was full of young people enjoying freedom and hungry for fun, party and music and provided lots of vacant or abandoned spaces which were used for – very often – illegal clubs, parties and raves. DIY was king, creativity blossomed. According to East German dj Paul van Dyk , techno helped bringing the western and eastern parts back together. When the UFO had to be closed, Hegemann opened the club Tresor in 1991 in the eastern part of the city – it would become one of the most famous techno clubs in the world and was soon followed by the label Tresor Records. Tresor and Tresor Records established a Berlin-Detroit connection, many Detroit artists played at the club and released on the label. Another important Berlin label is BPitch control (founded by djane/producer Ellen Allien in 1998 as follow-up to her label Braincandy), featuring artists like Paul Kalkbrenner, Toktok, Modeselektor or Apparat. Other important Berlin clubs are/were Bunker (1992-1996), E-Werk (1993-1997), KitKatClub (since 1994) and – of course – Berghain (since 2004). A hot spot for techno in the south of Germany was the Babalu Club in Munich (1990-1994) with resident djs like Monika Kruse and DJ Hell.
While techno remained an underground scene in the USA it enjoyed much more success in Europe, resulting in some American artists relocating to Europe (like Jeff Mills or Richie Hawtin to Berlin). Subgenres like acid techno, minimal techno, hardcore techno and dub techno emerged while also mainstream music incorporated techno elements. Given the many subgenres which have developed it is difficult to pick one »most-typical« example of a techno track, let alone a »best« one. But one track which is always in the top range of lists is »The Bells« by Jeff Mills from 1996.
