AN Intro to Techno
When I thought about Techno , I had always considered it more of a “White” thing. It shocked me to find out that Techno was created by three Black Men. Techno was created in the mid 1980s in Detroit, Michigan. Techno gets its unique sound from the used of computerized sounds . Techno Music is usually associated with dance music for clubs. Techno takes many of the popular genres that have roots in African American Folk music, Gospel , Blues and Rock, and deconstructs and reconstructs these sounds into something new and amazing.
Techno Music is different from any other genre we’ve discussed so far. It was birthed during an interesting time where technology was growing and advancing. With the age of the computer and technology , many jobs that were worked by poor blacks were being removed. Technology could do the work of 100 men with a single machine.This is why , Techno , a genre created and built purely on computers , is so revolutionary. Black people took the technology that was causing many poor and middle class workers to suffer , and created something out of it. Something that would become an integral part of the club and dance scene for years to come.
Elements of Techno Music
Techno has been called the lovechild of Disco. This mainly stems from the 4 on the floor rhythm that is an element of both Disco and Techno. This element is what give both genres their upbeat sound and makes it so great for dancing in clubs. Another important and well known element of Techno is break beats. Break beats is perhaps the main element of Techno because it involves taking different parts or breaks from older records and reconstructing it into something new. This is one of the main attributes of Techno. To the right is an example of the 4 on the floor rhythm.
Creators of Techno
The main creator of techno music are Derrick May, Juan Atkins, and Kevin Saunderson. Derrick was called “The Innovator”, Juan was called “The Initiator”, and Kevin was called the “The Elevator”. These nicknames describe that roles and influences that each person on techno music and its evolution. They are all given credit for creating the Techno genre because they each did different things that made Techno music what it is today. They are really the ones that started electronic music and I feel as if they have not gotten even half the credit they deserve. All three of these men were born and raised in Detroit, Michigan and would eventually call themselves the Belleville Three.
Techno Music started off as a very underground sound. People like Techno music and often danced to it , however it was still new and not very mainstream. Of course , like many other things created by black people, it didn’t become popular until white people got a hold of it. Techno was somehow very popular in London. A man named Neil invite Juan . Derrick and Kevin to perform in London. This was the thing that really elevated Techno music and brought it to the forefront of music.
Techno's Influence on Future Genres
Techno continues to be a very popular form of music among the dance festival and nightclub scene . Techno is often referred to as a subgenre of EDM when it is in fact the opposite. EDM is probably to most popular and well known subgenre born from Techno music. Many Hip Hop artist use a computerized sounding beat in many of their songs. Techno music created more diversity in the types of sounds that can be present in music. Techno isn’t just a genre, it’s a culture and it has spread far.
Techno Music is a very important genre. Many of the genre that black people have created were taken and remodeled into white genre, and none of the original creators are ever given credit. It is important for Black people to listen sto and support these types of genre. It is important for Black people to vcreate music in these types of genre. It is important for us to represent ourselves and keep the music alive , or or history will be lost.