From Brad Shelton Sent Tue, Dec 22nd 1998, 14:21
>Michael Upton <xxxxxxxx@xxxx.xxx.xx.xx> > [snip] >Something I find a little iffy is that techno is >one of the more overarching genre labels. A friend >of mine, who's been writing and DJing techno for >years, recommended Pole to me as some of the best >techno coming out these days. Show that to your >average clubber and they'll be pretty bemused. > >But, yes, indeed, the mainstream acceptance of all >things Maurizio related has certainly dragged >techno out in front of IDMers for consideration. Many list members may have already been schooled about techno before that, but I wasn't. The Maurizio/Basic Channel/Chain Reaction CD comps along with a couple of time-release mix-tapes from a certain list admin have really turned me onto the 'classic' techno sound, and made me realize that it could be just as emotive (if not more) as any other kind of this-listy music. In my limited experience, many of the IDMish releases of the past couple of years have been moving away from the sound and possibly even concept of techno (music that sounds like the future). Instead of bleeps, bloops, vecoders, and big fat synth pads, alot of recent vintage IDM has used a different palette. Some of it could still be thought of as sounding futuristic (and therefore be thought of as techno), but the heart of the music seems to be in a different place.. something other than the utopian/distopian/soul-music that I most strongly associate with the word 'techno'. Not to criticize non-Detroit influenced IDM at all.. I'm just making the point that techno (intelligently produced, of course) all-of-a-sudden sounds very fresh, like something I haven't heard in a while, after a steady diet of breakbeats/drum-n-bass, Ninja Tune/Mo Wax, Duetscher Funkified kraut rock-electronic acts, and so forth. Records like the aforementioned Maurizio/Basic Channel/Chain Reaction, as well as artists like Derrick May and Bochum Welt (better late than never, thank goodness for Sony Japan) are really exciting to me. None of which were released in 1998, as far as I know.. :) While I'm here I might as well ask, any tips from the assembled about where to find some new music that holds to this style (Detroit, essentially)? Happy holidays- Brad