Origins: Techno Is A Form of

Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, in the United
States during the mid-to-late 1980s.[2][3][4][5] The first recorded use of the word techno in reference
to a specific genre of music was in 1988.[6][7] Many styles of techno now exist, but Detroit
techno is seen as the foundation upon which a number of subgenres have been built.[8]
In Detroit, techno resulted from the melding of African American music including Chicago
house, funk, electro, and electric jazz with electronic music by artists such as Kraftwerk, Giorgio
Moroder, and Yellow Magic Orchestra.[9] Added to this is the influence of futuristic and fictional
themes[10] relevant to life in American late capitalist society, with Alvin Toffler's book The Third
Wave being a notable point of reference.[11][12] Pioneering producer Juan Atkins cites Toffler's
phrase "techno rebels" as inspiring him to use the word techno to describe the musical style he
helped to create. This unique blend of influences aligns techno with the aesthetic referred to
as afrofuturism. To producers such as Derrick May, the transference of spirit from the body to the
machine is often a central preoccupation; essentially an expression of
technological spirituality.[13][14] In this manner: "techno dance music defeats what Adorno saw as
the alienating effect of mechanisation on the modern consciousness".[15]
Stylistically, techno is generally repetitive instrumental music, often produced for use in a
continuous DJ set. The central rhythmic component is most often in common time (4/4), where
time is marked with a bass drum on each quarter note pulse, a backbeat played by snare or clap
on the second and fourth pulses of the bar, and an open hi-hat sounding every second eighth
note. The tempo tends to vary between approximately 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm),
depending on the style of techno. The creative use of music production technology, such
as drum machines, synthesizers, and digital audio workstations, is viewed as an important
aspect of the music's aesthetic. Many producers use retro electronic musical devices to create
what they consider to be an authentic techno sound. Drum machines from the 1980s such
as Roland's TR-808 and TR-909 are highly prized, and software emulations of such retro
technology are popular among techno producers.
Music journalists and fans of techno are generally selective in their use of the term; so a clear
distinction can be made between sometimes related but often qualitatively different styles, such
as tech house and trance
Origins[edit]
See also: Detroit techno
The initial blueprint for techno developed during the mid-1980s in Belleville, Michigan, a suburb
of Detroit by Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May (the so-called Belleville Three), all
of whom attended school together at Belleville High,[20][21][22][23] with the addition of Eddie
Fowlkes, Blake Baxter and James Pennington. By the close of the 1980s, the pioneers had
recorded and released material under various guises: Atkins as Model 500, Flintstones, and
Magic Juan; Fowlkes simply as Eddie "Flashin" Fowlkes; Saunderson as Reeses, Keynotes, and
Kaos; with May as Mayday, R-Tyme, and Rhythim Is Rhythim. There were also a number of joint
ventures, including Kevin Saunderson's group Inner City, which saw collaborations with Atkins,
May, vocalist Paris Grey, and fellow DJs James Pennington and [Arthur Forest].[24] The
Electrifying Mojo was the first radio DJ to play music by Atkins, May, and Saunderson. Mojo
refused to follow pre-established radio formats or playlists, and he promoted social and cultural
awareness of the African American community. [25]
Electronic dance music (also known as EDM, dance music, club music, or simply dance) is a broad
range of percussive electronic music genres using a "repetitive beat" and "synthesized backing
tracks" made largely to be danced to at nightclubs, raves, and festivals. EDM is
generally produced for playbackby disc jockeys (DJs) who create seamless selections of tracks, called
a mix, by segueingfrom one recording to another using a DJ mixer. EDM artists also perform their
music live in a concert or festival setting in what is called a live PA. In Europe, EDM is more
commonly called 'dance music' or simply 'dance'.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, following the emergence of raving, pirate radio, and an upsurge of
interest in club culture, EDM achieved mainstream popularity in Europe. In the United States at that
time acceptance of dance culture was not universal, and although both Electro and Chicago
house music were influential both in Europe and the USA, mainstream media outlets, and the record
industry, remained hostile to EDM. There was also a perceived association between EDM and drug
culture which led governments at state and city level to enact laws and policies intended to halt the
spread of rave culture.
Subsequently, in the new millennium (2000s), the popularity of EDM increased globally, including
the United States. By the early 2010s, the term "electronic dance music" and the initialism "EDM"
was being pushed by the United States music industry and music pressin an effort
to rebrand American rave culture. Despite the industry's attempt to create a specific EDM brand, the
initialism remains in use as an umbrella term for multiple genres,
including house, trap, techno, trance, drum and bass, dubstep, and their respective subgenres.

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