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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! |
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The Bluffer's Guide to Detroit Techno
Reported by Ben Gomori
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Submitted 08-04-08 10:48
Techno is a bit of vague word. Do you mean proper Detroit style techno? Minimal European techno? Hard techno schranz? London acid techno? Or are you American and think that techno means any kind of electronic dance music? Well one thing’s sure – the whole thing did indeed start in Detroit, USA in the mid ‘80s. Didn’t know that? Well fear not, ahead of Detroit boy Rolando's appearance at Closer on April 11th, we’ve put together a Bluffer’s Guide To Detroit for all those occasions when you need to appear techno-savvy.
Disclaimer: Yes there were quite a few others that could have been included here and yes there’s lots more to say about most of them – but hopefully this should be enough info to make you look convincing as a techno blagger.
The Belleville Three
Widely credited as the inventors of the genre of techno; they met at Belleville High School in Detroit back in 1971. Inspired by some of eclectic radio shows that could be heard in Detroit at the time (such as The Midnight Funk Association hosted by Electrifying Mojo) which played futuristic music created by early electronic pioneers like Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder, the young trio began experimenting with early drum machines like the Roland-808 and analog synthesizers. After producing various electro cuts in the early to mid ‘80s, their focus started moving from breakbeats to 4/4 kick drums and the sound that became generally known as techno started coming into fruition.
Juan Atkins
Atkins’ first big track was way back in 1982 as Cybotron with Rick Davis. Clear came to be known as a pinnacle of electro music and it clearly shows a blueprint for the space-age, techno sound. In fact he himself termed the sound “techno”, and the track went on to sell some 10,000 copies in Detroit alone. His recently resurrected Model 500 moniker spawned dozens of classics such as the euphoric synth-fest The Chase, and he is generally credited as the godfather of techno.
Kevin Saunderson
Best known for his Inner City project, which spawned huge tracks like Big Fun and Good Life. Alongside vocalist Paris Grey, Saunderson has scored no less than 12 UK Top 40 hits and 2 Top 20 albums and sold over 6 million records around the world. They were one of the original dance music groups alongside the likes of KLF, 808 State and The Shamen and probably one of the biggest dance music groups to ever have emerged from the USA. Big Fun is still rocking clubs today, with a recent remix by Simian Mobile Disco bringing it to yet another new generation.
He’s also well known for his Reese project material with seminal techno track Bassline which influenced a whole generation of drum ‘n’ bass producers, as well as under his E-Dancer moniker (check classic album Heavenly from 1998 and the Faces & Phases retrospective from 2001) He has also been credited as one of the first people to redefine the term remix in the ’80s – imposing his own style of music onto another artist’s song rather than just re-editing the original track.
Derrick May
Under his Rhythim Is Rhythim guise, May produced two of techno’s biggest anthems in 1987 – the robotic funk of Nude Photo and the timeless, triumphant Strings Of Life. Since the first half of the ‘90s he hasn’t produced many original tracks, but has continued to remix and produce music for films and video games, as well as maintaining a hectic DJ schedule. He described his brand of techno as “George Clinton meeting Kraftwerk in an elevator’.
The Second Wave
Influenced by the 3 techno pioneers that the artists that inspired them, the next wave of producers started to emerge around the turn of the ‘80s/’90s.
Robert Hood
Robert Hood is regarded as part of the “second wave” of Detroit techno pioneers, alongside Jeff Mills and “Mad” Mike Banks, founders of Underground Resistance – the legendary techno label and movement that embodied an uncompromising political spirit in a similar manner to what Public Enemy did with rap music. He first hooked up with Mills and Banks when he was still MCing as well as experimenting with producing electronic music and just before they created the UR concept. After 2 years of producing as part of the UR family, Robert Hood left – alongside Jeff Mills – to pursue his own personal goals.
The contribution Robert Hood has made to modern electronic music is enormous. Aside from the huge amount of 12”s and the several albums he’s put out that cover everything from jazz-tinged, abstract techno, to banging nosebleed gear and all in-between, there was a turning point in his career that has ensured him a lasting place in musical history. The Minimal Nation EP first surfaced in 1993 – 8 tracks of stripped-back, no-nonsense techno music that took the genre back to basics with simple rhythm tracks and incessant, captivating hooks. Unlike some of today’s minimal techno, “minimal” here didn’t mean devoid of melody – it just meant uncluttered, raw, effective electronic music. Anything that wasn’t necessary was done away with. Minimal techno is now a huge global phenomenon, and we’ve Hood to thank for it.
“Mad” Mike Banks
The only founding member of Underground Resistance to still be a part of (and lead) the collective today. Banks started off in the music industry playing bass for George Clinton’s p-funk group Parliament. After a period producing vocal house in the mid-‘80s, he started the politically-charged UR which would become his techno legacy. Banks’ “lack of mutual respect” is what Hood says drove him out of the UR collective. Although a prolific producer, he has never reached the heights as a DJ that Hood and fellow founding member Jeff Mills have – for whatever reason.
Jeff Mills
Mills made his name firstly as The Wizard – a DJ who would mix up a range of styles with an advanced mixing style, cutting, scratching and beat-juggling in the manner of a hip-hop DJ. After setting up Underground Resistance with Mike Banks, he later went on to set up the legendary Axis Records – which purveyed a more stripped-down but still relentlessly banging style. His brutal, industrial techno sets see him mix 3 records at a time, often with the addition of a Roland-909, and for him to mix up to 70 records in 1 hour is a frequent occurrence. His ambitious nature saw him team up with the Montpellier Philharmonic Orchestra to reproduce classic tracks of his like The Bells with their accompaniment (to surprisingly listenable results), as well rescoring the pioneering sci-fi silent film Metropolis.
He is reputedly a very moody guy, stories have been recounted of promoters picking him up at the airport for a gig only to be told by his manager/assistant “not to speak to him directly”.
Carl Craig
One of the most widely-loved DJ/producers to have emerged from the techno scene, Craig (or C2 as he is sometimes referred to, by geeks) succeeded in expanding outside of the realm of techno by joining the dots between house, techno, jazz, disco and funk. He even helped to create drum ‘n’ bass – with his track as Innerzone Orchestra’s Bug In The Bassbin’ credited by Roni Size as the blueprint for post-jungle drum ‘n’ bass.
Check out his Paperclip People material – the structure and build of techno with the textures of disco and funk – or his endless list of remixes that never fail to impress (for everyone from X-Press 2 to Junior Boys). His DJ sets are an education and an inspiration and he is widely credited as the most consistent and innovative producer to have emerged from Detroit. There’s something for everyone in his sound.
Richie Hawtin
Born in Banbury, Oxfordshire before spending most of his youth growing up in a suburb of Windsor, Ontario in Canada, Richie Hawtin began his production career in the early ‘90s as Richie Rich when he moved to Detroit. He came to fame using the name Plastikman, embracing Robert Hood’s theory of minimalism and fusing it with more of that raw electro influence to create industrial, terse anthems like Spastik. His Dex, FX and 909 live shows were stunning – a landmark in live techno performances.
In 1998 he set up his M_nus label to carry on the minimal legacy and as the sound grew in popularity, he fast found himself catapulted into the uppermost echelons of the DJ world. His sets thump with hard-funking basslines and wonking, tripped-out synths and FX – stripped down in content but by no means minimal in terms of energy or intensity. People were queuing from 1PM on Saturday afternoon to see him play at Fabric on Easter Saturday. ‘Nuff said.
Newer Recruits
Rolando
Latin-American Rolando (also known as The Aztec Mystic and a founding, now ex-member of Underground Resistance’s live techno act Los Hermanos) first came to the attention of the dance music community in 1999, when he released his stunning, classic anthem Jaguar – a euphoric, soulful, melodic piece of techno music that’s still being played and remixed by all and sundry in 2008. The sublime track was ripped off note-for-note by Sony BMG, when “Mad” Mike Banks refused to license it to them (in a version by E-Type). Banks organised a petition to get Sony BMG to pull the release – and eventually it worked. The whole palaver only served to spread Rolando’s name around the world.
As a DJ he is highly skilled and accomplished – combining the rhythms of his Latin-American musical upbringing and of Detroit techno with the grooves of house music, all brought to life by his quick, tight mixing style. Don’t miss him bringing the sound of Detroit to London at Closer.
Photos courtesy of the artists and Ben Gomori. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Closer
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On:
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Friday 11th April 2008
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At:
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Secret Location
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From:
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22:00 - 05:30
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Cost:
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£9 early birds / £12
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Website:
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www.myspace.com/partycloser
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Ticket Info:
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Early bird tickets £9 + b/f on sale now / standard tickets £12 + b/f
Ticketweb: 08700 600 100 / http://www.ticketweb.co.uk
Clubtickets: 0870 246 1840 / http://www.clubtickets.com
ViewTickets: http://www.viewtickets.co.uk
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Closer – techno as it was meant to be heard...
@ Hewett Street Warehouse, Off Curtain Road, London EC2A
Friday 11th April // 2200 - 0530
After giving the gritty warehouse venue Halo a more than fitting set off at its sold-out New Year’s Eve event, Closer returns for its first party of 2008. Bringing London the classic, traditional sound of techno music that it is all too often lacking, the first year of Closer parties saw the likes of Kevin Saunderson, Luke Slater, James Ruskin, Colin Dale and Carl Cox’s right-hand-man Jon Rundell tear it up in some of London’s finest underground spaces – firmly planting it on the map of the capital’s electronic music scene.
Our headliner for this 2008 debut is one of the most prolific and acclaimed members of the legendary Underground Resistance organisation – a body founded in the early ‘90s by Jeff Mills and “Mad” Mike Banks that combined a world-beating record label and production team with political and social activism aims. Rolando (also known as The Aztec Mystic and a founding, now ex-member of Los Hermanos) first came to the attention of the dance music community in 1999, when he released his stunning, classic anthem ‘Jaguar’ – an inspired, soulful, melodic piece of techno music that’s still being played and remixed by all and sundry in 2008. The sublime track was ripped off note-for-note by Sony BMG, and although he received no compensation for their ruthless plagiarism, the exposure helped to catapult Rolando to worldwide fame. As a DJ he is highly skilled and accomplished – combining the rhythms of his Latin-American musical upbringing and of Detroit techno with the grooves of house music, all brought to life by his quick, tight mixing style. This appearance at Closer is one of only a handful of his confirmed DJ gigs worldwide over the next few months – and is guaranteed to be both an education and dancefloor riot.
Belgian talent Fabrice Lig is considered by his peers and techno fans around the globe as a world class producer. He is well known for his particularly funky use of Roland’s SH101 analog synth, and for his particularly emotional and personal melodies and harmonies which have seen him release tracks of scene-leading labels like KMS, F-Communications, 7th City Records and Playhouse Records. His considerable talents have seen him play at some of the world’s most prestigious clubs and festivals – from Fabric in London to Sonar in Barcelona, to Sub Club in Glasgow, to The Montreux Jazz Festival, to The Fuse-In Festival in Detroit (where his set was voted as the best of the entire festival). He has worked with legends of electronic music like Laurent Garnier and Jean Michel Jarre, and is a prestigious addition to the line-up.
Joining these two international guests will be our acclaimed resident Steve Strawberry, and his fellow Tilted Disco tunesmith Paul Coughlan, with more than ample support from MiMo & R U Dirty?’s formidable teams of resident DJs. Expect to here the full spectrum of techno music and tougher, underground house over the course of the night and across the 2 rooms.
http://www.myspace.com/partycloser
Paul Jack 07814 179946 / paul@proactive-records.co.uk
*Web links*
DJ Rolando - http://www.myspace.com/crossroads1
Fabrice Lig - http://www.fabricelig.com
Steve Strawberry - http://www.myspace.com/stevestrawberry
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Flyer:
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 - 
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Region:
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London
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Music:
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House. Tech House. Deep Techno. Funky Techno. Minimal Techno. Techno. Electro.
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DJ's:
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Rolando (Underground Resistance Veteran / Los Hermanos/DETROIT)
Fabrice Lig (F-Communications / BELGIUM)
Steve Strawberry (Closer / Tilted Disco)
Paula Coughlan (Tilted Disco)
MiMo & R U Dirty? DJs: Filth & Splendour, Williams & Dubois, Ms. Mortimer, Chris Jones, Plastic Disco + Ben Gomori (Maximal)
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Other Features By Ben Gomori:
HF exclusive SouthWestFour preview: Sasha vs Digweed
Scott Attrill aka Vinylgroover: The Bass Junkie
Riot! memories as hard dance returns to The End
The King is back! Andy Farley finally returns
Vandall brings his Warez to Timeless: The White Party
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: Fi on 7th Apr 2008 21:26.27
Nice article, Ben!
From: Mizz_behavin on 9th Apr 2008 08:35.26
Gonna be a good party 
From: Arsene Wengers coat on 10th Apr 2008 17:20.14
Where's the Benz Gomori entry? I heard he was influenced by the sartorial stylings of Richie Hawtin's hair.
From: KimBee on 12th Apr 2008 18:42.26
Great article- awesome event.
Never mind just hands- I put every limb up for Detroit, last night.
From: *antixa* on 15th Apr 2008 21:42.07
nYce one 
From: Centurian on 22nd Apr 2008 12:11.38
Nice read, A LOT more detail needed though, despite the disclaimer...
I think Atkins's track "Techno City" should have been mentioned as this is pretty much where the term, was coined (along with the media). I also think "the Music Institute" should have been mentioned regarding May as it was the first ever techno club. Massive benchmarks got over looked which is a shame i think.
Still, always a pleasure to read a bout techno and it's honcho's.
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