what is techno/house?

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oblioblioblio
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what is techno/house?

Post by oblioblioblio »

Tell me, what defines techno or house to you from other styles of music?

I don't know exactly what it is, after experimenting a lot I'm slowly working towards a more techno like sound. It's interesting to me what defines techno, to me, it's not just the kick snare/hi hat pattern. It's a particular electronic vibe and I couldn't say quite what it is.

I had some good education the other week at a party, heard a lot of classics, and saw some things that I thought would work fail.

I think good bass is really important. Square waves with good movement. Obviously some sub rattles as well.

Something kind of transcendental about the music really important, this is perhaps one area where good tracks standout compared to tracks which are just copying a formula.

What are the boundaries of techno? I love some kinds of music that might not work on a dancefloor, like the Fear of Flying sublabel stuff thats super slow.
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Re: what is techno/house?

Post by steevio »

i'm not sure anyone can really answer that question bro.

house is a little easier to define, but techno is such a diverse type of music, and was right from the start.

a friend of mine from Spain told me that they used to call Kraftwerk's music 'Tekno' long before the term 'Techno' was coined in Detroit.

and that just about sums it up, depending on where you lived in the world back in the late 1980s you would have a different interpretation. In the UK the big Detroit hits filtered through to the scene, but at the same time Acid House which was also very 'techy' was strong, and the styles intermingled and very quickly morphed into other forms.
The uptake of electronic music at this time was phenomenal, so nothing stayed static for long, and nobody had the reference of the past to draw on, everyone was doing something differerent.

Even if you stick to purest definitions of the original Detroit techno, just take a listen to that classic stuff, its all totally varied, hardly two tunes alike... influences from everywhere, Africa, Latin America, Europe....

The only thing you can safely say pulled it all together was the brisk tempo, usually 4/4 kick and use of mostly disregarded electronic machines to make the soundtrack of the future.

Whatever has happened to Techno since those early days has usually been either a total retro rip-off, or a steady evolution away or stripping down from the original styles.

well thats my interpretation anyway :D
oblioblioblio
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Re: what is techno/house?

Post by oblioblioblio »

@steevio. I think you're right, and probably everyone's answer is what their music sounds like!

I guess I'm trying to understand the function of the music, and what makes it create a particular atmosphere, not just from drum patterns and hallmark sounds, but somewhere deeper. That can be a dangerous game though, as perhaps it's better just to let it come organically. I always tie myself in knots thinking about what my music should sound like, maybe it's good to forget about the expectations of other people and fit the music into categories afterwards. hmm.

@ingemar. lol! yes perhaps I shall make that the guiding principle of my life.
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Re: what is techno/house?

Post by ao_xk »

oblioblioblio wrote:@steevio. I think you're right, and probably everyone's answer is what their music sounds like!

I guess I'm trying to understand the function of the music, and what makes it create a particular atmosphere, not just from drum patterns and hallmark sounds, but somewhere deeper.

I hate quoting myself :roll:, but I actually just posted this yesterday in a different thread, and I think it perhaps is on-topic...
ao_xk wrote: To me, techno music, with its steady, relentless machine rhythms, is unusually comforting... Because it captures an ideal: the ideal of flawless and enduring efficacy.
Computer programmers know this: machines never make mistakes. This gives them that austere beauty.
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Ingemar
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Re: what is techno/house?

Post by Ingemar »

austere beauty... someone here likes Russel ;)


i can say one thing that techno is not: techno is not rocket science
ao_xk
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Re: what is techno/house?

Post by ao_xk »

Ingemar wrote:austere beauty... someone here likes Russel ;)
I salute you for catching the reference :D
steevio
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Re: what is techno/house?

Post by steevio »

haha ingemar,

yeah i saw that the other day, i love it.
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