Techno music is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) that uses futuristic themes and is usually played by a DJ (disk jockey). Currently, techno music is very popular throughout the world due to technological developments in the field of music in the form of increasingly diverse digital musical instruments. So what is the history of techno music? Let’s explore more deeply the history of techno music.
The Beginning of Techno Music
Techno music was first created in the early to mid-1980s in Detroit, Michigan. Techno music is shaped as dance and party music, where it relies on an active audience and an energetic dance style. The unique sound that characterizes techno music is a combination of European electronic music styles with African-American music, such as Chicago house, electro, and funk.
The group that had an important influence on the beginnings of techno music was the group “The Three Belleville”. Here’s a look at the members of this group.
Juan Atkins
Juan Atkins was a major pioneer in the formation of the techno music genre. Atkins had a great love for guitars and garage bands, then he became obsessed with things that were considered modern music technology, such as drum machines and synths. Together with Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, he formed a group with a deep love for music.
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Derrick May
The second member of the original pioneer of the group The Belleville Three is Derrick May. May joined Atkins and Saunderson in high school forming a group with a passion for music production. Then Atkins taught May to DJ.
From there Atkins, May, and Saunderson formed a group known as Deep Space Soundworks. This trio is often present as emcees and performs at some of the first techno music parties in the world.
Kevin Saunderson
Kevin Saunderson is considered a living legend as the creator of the music genre. It even still has the original mixing board that was used to make the earliest techno music recordings which is currently on display at the Detroit History Museum.
The three friends spent the late 1970s to early 1980s in the Detroit suburb of Belleville, where it is their home. At that time, they grew up along with rapid technological advances in the field of music and often enjoyed music played on radio shows such as The Electric Mojo.
Later, Atkins, May, and Saunderson began experimenting with creating their music based on what they heard. Juan Atkins was the first to successfully release music officially in 1981 with Richard ‘3070’ Devis under the duo name ‘Cybotron’. The single they performed was entitled Alleys Of Your Mind/Cosmic Raindance and was a blueprint for the techno music genre Atkins earned the title ‘The Originator’ based on its achievements.
Atkins immediately invited Saunderson and May to join him in his studio to continue what they were doing in the field of music and eventually, they became known as The Belleville Three. After that, Saunderson managed to release a hit song and sell around six million records. May also had success with the single Strings Of Life in 1987, released under the stage name Rythim is Rythim, and became an explosion in the UK.
Expansion of Techno Music to Europe
At the end of 1980, techno music managed to reach all of Europe and became news in itself until techno music became the most popular music genre on the market. In 1982, techno succeeded in making its mark in England with such extraordinary popularity that Dimitri Hagemann brought this music genre through the Atonal festival to the market.
In 1990, Hagemann invited Jeff Mills to Europe with Underground Resistance to play for Tresor, his newly formed club. From here, techno succeeded in going global, and this club was named the Berlin-Detroit link. Because of this, many of the biggest emerging American techno musicians chose to move to Berlin with high hopes of making a career in the industry.
Techno Music in The 1990s and 2000s
In the mid-1990s, techno music spread and underwent rapid changes. This genre continues to split and give rise to various sub-genres that spread to every corner of the world. In Europe, techno music developed rapidly and several techno subgenres emerged such as acid, bleep, ambient, hardcore, and dub techno.
In Berlin itself there is a sub-genre of minimal techno to a harder industrial techno style, and it continues to develop. Then there was the Netherlands which created Gabber, Sheffield created IDM, and Goa created Trance.
Techno artists who have succeeded in gaining international recognition by bringing the techno music genre are Jeff Mills, Carl Cox, and Richie Hawtin. They managed to spread the influence of this genre throughout the world due to their popularity. Especially Jeff Mills has a unique way of gaining fame as a DJ despite the fierce competition between Detriot DJ stations.
Mills made an effort to play techno music that no other DJ had ever played by introducing more live instrumentation during his live DJ broadcasts. So, Mills will play new music on every live broadcast and the music he previously played will no longer be used. With what Mills did, he almost created a new sub-genre.
At this time, Mills along with other selected DJs began to achieve superstar popularity as celebrities in global clubs. Especially the clubs in Berlin which became the center of marketing for this genre, made many Techno music pioneers guess what would happen to this genre in the late 1990s to early 2000s.
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Techno Music Today
Techno achieving its current popularity cannot be separated from a journey along a steep path, from the challenging suburbs of Detroit to the sparkling clubs of Berlin. You could say, that techno is more than just a genre, it is a music genre created by creativity, innovation, and a deep love for music.
Even though its initial appearance was several decades ago, Techno music has managed to maintain its existence on the global music scene to this day. With advances in music technology, the techno soundscape is more complex and diverse, supported by the rise of digital DJs. Currently, there are many popular techno-music artists from various countries.