PART FOUR: KEVIN SAUNDERSON
This one might be a stretch for some people if you aren’t a techno fan but let me say this, its how you listen to it really. Some people only hear repetition but when I talk to them usually they only list off musicians that rely on repetition as what they like so I get a bit confused and obviously bored of our conversation and walk away. When I listen to these songs I have to sometimes get myself ready for the faster tempo material, once i’m comfortable the songs almost slows down and my head just has a great time listening to all the parts of the song that are working with each other. With that mind set you end up enjoying repetition more because you find that beauty in whats looping and the slight additions/changes. This usually never involves your full attention, it’s not like listening to the radio in the car where you’re searching for a song to lip sync to or something that you already know.
To be honest listening to the mix in full is a lot better, I only grabbed a few tracks that I thought were the highlights and all of them just cut out at the end.
Having spent my teen years in Michigan I was fortunate to have access to the best techno by a long shot which is Detroit Techno. When it comes to dance music it all comes down to this mix for me, it was the seed that was planted in my head that made me obsessed with melodic 4/4 material that ranged from deep tribal to that speedy Jeff Mills sound which is what I DJed when I was in high school. I remember buying this CD in Poland at a small music shop, I must have been 15 just visiting my Polish family. I remember the clerk playing the CD in the shop and I had to have it, I remember spending all the money I had for the trip on it. I still have the CD actually, I got it signed by Kevin and also had him sign a Technics shirt[mega nerd]. I’m just trying to be honest here and share some sort of story that ties in my obsession.
Other parts: Dntel, Caribou, Prefuse 73
Detroit techno is 100% pure funk and soul.
Barebone and powerful as it gets.
I understand that it may be not everyone cup of tea (and most of the time loving it means having been exposed to it in the right party setting in your youth), but I also get really bored when people dismiss it as monotone, uneducated and cold.
Thanks, Jakub!
I do not, and have never ever connected with techno music, but the above poster is right: it’s how you first encounter it.
X-Mix 9: A Transmission from Deep Space Radio.
X-Mix 9 brings me back!
Amazing post. Thank you.
Nice post! I often get a fair few tips on good electronica on here but the techno post is also well received. I remember being 16 and buying The liquid rooms mix by Jeff Mills and being totally amazed by it. Saw Jeff at a night at the weekend and he’s still got the funk.
Beautiful music.
Great stuff Jakub. I also had the great fortune of growing up close to Hitsville USA. Do you remember a show on 96.3 called “Big Sonic Heaven” I swear that show influenced me in so many ways. These were pre internet days and Darren Revell brought me some of the greatest sonic bliss available every sunday night. He often also featured some electronic offerings such as Aphex, Orbital, and Ultramarine.
Cheers Mate keep up the great work.
I sometimes think of listening to techno is like watching the sea, the loop meaning the constant scenary, but no wave is like the other, and i can never get bored just lost in the ocean
you cant believe how much more i like you after this post
Thanks for the great series of articles! I am ‘addicted to electronic music’ myself, not necessarily as much to the same styles or genres as you. I listen to a broad range of electronic music, in particular industrial and rhythmic noise, e.g., Skinny Puppy and Converter, but I totally understand where you are coming from. When I first heard music by Front 242 and Skinny Puppy nearly 20 years ago, it sounded other-worldly and unconventional and I’ve been on perpetual search to find new sounds ever since.
“Some people only hear repetition but when I talk to them usually they only list off musicians that rely on repetition”
So true, so true
I like to look at electronic music as compared to drinking wine. At first it all tastes the same. Over time your taste buds begin to pick up hints of flavors you never knew were there. Then you might start to educate yourself and get involved with other wine connoisseurs. Next thing you know your thinking and talking about things others don’t understand. Detroit techno is a simply a fine wine. =)
I am a bit confused why there is discussion if electronic music is for everyone. Not everyone likes that kind of music, sure, but isn’t it so for every music genre? Where are the warnings like “This is rock music and it is not for everyone, some find it too repetitive and too full of guitar sounds.”
Techno is not for everyone and everyone is not for Techno. It has infiltrated into all aspects of our cultural expressions since the creation of DUB. the frame work was/ is setup by DUB.