Time for change.

[MARKEG]

Techno always was about looking forward and seeing the future. And right now, check this. All the hard DJ's are going harder. All the minimal DJ's are going more minimal. For those of you that remember - havent we been here before??? We need middle ground right now. Or difference at least.

Come on, let's stop talking hard or minimal! It's time to talk what's the future!!! Time 4 change!!!

What's your future? What's your change???

[rhythmtech]

i'm middle ground - i say bring the funk back into techno!!!!

[davethedrummer]

live musicians
live techno jams
real musical skills / performance / interaction

[rhythmtech]

anyone seen that laptop jams thing? eight or so lads with laptops just jammin on the fly. was featured in future-music last year i think.

[xfive]

live musicians
live techno jams
real musical skills / performance / interaction

Yes indeed.

[Patrick DSP]

middle ground with tallent is what i'm looking for. i don't need extremes just something to keep me dancing!

[djshiva]

i just saw a great drum and bass performance that included (let's see if i can remember it all): 6 djs, 2 mcs, 2 turntables, 2 cd decks, two laptops, a drum set, a uc-16, a keyboard, guitar and a cowbell (usually they worked in more stuff, but it was a small stage).

the djs all swiitched off in whatever order they felt like, 2 guys jammed on the lappys and drumset and guitar, mcs rhymed (and normally i hate mcs, but these guys were dope) and at one point i ended up on the cowbell...

this was a 4 hour set that ran the gamut from the jazzier funkier end of things, into crazy party rollers, into the dark stuff...

and it was farkin FUN!!!!!

totally different dynamic than your typical dj set...the night went where the night was supposed to go. the djs responded to the crowd responded to the djs and so forth...

more like that.

[Sunil]

Techno always was about looking forward and seeing the future. And right now, check this. All the hard DJ's are going harder. All the minimal DJ's are going more minimal. For those of you that remember - havent we been here before??? We need middle ground right now. Or difference at least.

Come on, let's stop talking hard or minimal! It's time to talk what's the future!!! Time 4 change!!!

What's your future? What's your change???

Most people don't want a change.
Techno has been defined.
It's still great fun, and unbeatable in a club, but innovation or blurring of the lines alienates many purists or techno fans. The history has been written, most people are happy with that.
Minimal is good, so is hard stuff.. dig through the archives or play other styles than techno and you've got that all important middle ground. Imagination goes a long way, and most people aren't prepared to use theirs in this bleak time.

Combining old and new techno is imperative at this stage, playing the very *best* stuff you have is better than playing just the new stuff you have. People need inspiration, and if that's not shining through in the new stuff (it can occasionally though) then use your bloody loaf and show people what techno really is to you. The records are coming slower than ever now, but they might come a bit quicker if the buzz in techno clubs really started to lift again.

Also, hero worship has to stop. The gulf that's building between 'big' djs and many who just haven't been able to make it into that bracket is starting to widen. This ain't trance, and we're sure not experiencing a musical revolution in techno, so what gives?

Loads of equipment, laptops etc. on stage doesn't equal a great performance either, the fascination needs to control itself a bit more sometimes. It's all about the quality of music and atmosphere isn't it?

I could go on for ages here, but I need to stop now.
The obvious answer to changing the future is to sit down and make the music yourself, and some people will.

Does the internet or this message forum help push things forward? I don't think so, but this still ain't a bad old place ;)

[The Overfiend]

Sunil is on point. As usual.

[dirty_bass]

I have to agree about the lack of middle ground.

Solutions?
Personally it is to diversify, and to at least attempt to do something different, with the risk of absolute failure, rather than just moan about it.
erm, and embrace change, and encourage others to do so, as well as have an open mind.

[Miromiric]

bla bla bla bla
you know what i mean?

[dirty_bass]

bla bla bla bla
you know what i mean?

oopah oompah stick it up your joompah

[Si the Sigh]

Gimme da funk!

[BloodStar]

personally i'm trying to do my music, which will stand out as bloodstar stuff and not as just another track similar as thousands others. sometimes it goes well sometimes not. better risk the failure while adding personality than stay steril and be on still the same place, musically, imo.

[TechMouse]

What's your future? What's your change???
Basslines!

More bass please.

For more information see: Vex'd, Plasticman (with a C!), MarkOne, Dubchild...

... and any of the Dubstep mixes The Divide has been posting lately.

[dirty_bass]

I say we all make dixiland jazz

[TechMouse]

I say we all make dixiland jazz
Quality.

[JamieBall]

I don't think that 'bands' in the traditional sense of the word are all that neccesary in the techno field, but they do usually possess one thing that 99% of most techno artists dont.

ATTITUDE

What's with standing behind decks/laptop and staring at the floor ? This is not a 'performance'. I'm beginning to question whether or not some artists are aware there is a crowd in front of them. There is more to putting on a 'show' than just rattling out loops on Ableton or spinning some records as if you were in your house. Many people I've seen play recently look like they'd rather be at home installing linux or whatever ???

Also, I'm heartily sick of seeing people who're meant to be 'top' producers/djs playing middle of the road boredom just because they're afraid to break out of the mould that they themselves have shaped. Fair enough they're trying to do their jobs etc but it'd be a far greater thing if they just.... well.... DIDN'T. Being original doesn't mean being consistent. Consistency is the enemy of innovation, as far as I'm concerned. Stay within your safety zone and you'll never reach all those rich, far off places with strange sounding names (speaking metaphorically, of course)

I'd like to see less TV Tanned geeks in the techno field and more folk who know how to ROCK. Crowds should leave shows feeling blown away, not like 'mmm, that guy played some okay tunes I guess and the pills kept boredom levels down'.

Also, if y'all don't think there's any good techno coming out there's a simple answer. MAKE some good techno. Try not to start with thinking "I wanna make bangers/minimal tracks like x does"

Obviously everyone has to have a starting point, but I'd like to suggest that our communal starting point has been mainly "STUFF THAT ROCKS".

It isn't just techno that rocks, loads of other music does. Try looking elsewhere for inspiration. If you're writing music from your heart then what other musicians in the same field are doing should not matter. There's a difference between putting your soul into creating music and just throwing together percussion loops, though some clearly disagree.

The point about people getting 'Harder' or more 'minimal' is a fair one, it's been mentioned a lot. However, this implies that the people choosing these routes are known for a certain style. If you're a producer in a field with as many possibilities as techno then isn't it a bit sad that you're known for one 'sound'. If we all just went back to being 'techno' producers I think it'd be more sensible. Hard techno, Schranz techno, Minimal techno, Hardcore techno, Tribal techno, Bassline techno.... THE LIST IS ENDLESS, WHERE DO YOU FIT SNUGLY ???

Pffft.

Also, trends are by their very nature fickle beasts. If you don't jump on the bandwagon then you can't fall off it, simple as that. Try and stick to your own style and push that on. If you work each track so it's better than the last and you're learning new stuff in the lab then at least you're evolving MUSICALLY.

And that should, at the end of the day, be the most important thing.[/list]

[dirty_bass]

fantastic post jamie

[Xavi]

word !

[teknorich]

Yeah, I agree. Half of the Prodigy's success comes from their wild stage shows. That is what made them so popular with the ravers, the rock kids, basically with everyone. It wasn't just the tunes, it was the show!! Maybe it's hard to make such a performance for techno, as it's a very different music, but more of an effort than just a geezer with a laptop please!

[gumpy green]

just play techno u like and mash it all up and forget fukin styles.

some emotion and meaning in the more music would be good...
vocals that make folks think.

djing- dont get me started........just keeping mixing tracks and forget about all the other styles cos im sick of ranting, they dont work with techno...hahaha, just wait till ya see some of my new stuff......turnablism fused with techno.

id luv to jam one turntable mixer and fx with nutin but tools/samles cut over someone suppliing the muisc live pa stylee.

[gumpy green]

fuk my grammer is wac

hahaha...

[tocsin]

I'm still just going to do what I find fun. Nothing more, nothing less. If people like it, cool. If not, oh well. It just wasn't for them then.

As for experiments, joining up with some friends for a rock/punk thing with a trained classical singer and some electronic beats. Live bass and guitar. No idea if anything good is going to come out of it, but it will be fun to play around with and see how it takes shape. It'll be fun to work with some people in a setup that can have a may spontaneuos interaction, rather than strictly programmed with maybe a live synth here or there.
My SO also recently picked up the banjo and will hopefully be able to play it well enough in about a year. Given the tempo of a lot of banjo tracks, she wants to experiment with it over some hardcore techno which could sound kinda cool.

Past shit I've been working on has kinda been all over the map. I wouldn't really call it "moving forward" though in the way that a lot of people into "techno" think it should evolve. It's been more just taking different sounds of different genres of the past and throwing them together, often with vocals in mind.

[gumpy green]

good stuff toscin..banjocore.

id like so see live playing of electronic instument, im feeling tim exiles approach, defo top drawer stuff.

[Fordy]

I want to see full live techno bands as it were, thats something that would be interesting for me.

More live instruments in general, set techno apart from the rest of the so called 'dance scene'.

Underground Resistance at voodoo last year were on the right track, good to see.

[djshiva]

i want to see artists look less bored.

i come from a punk rock background and part of what's missing for me personally is seeing people just LETTING GO and enjoying what they do.

that's why i enjoyed the drum n bass event. they were not only mixing it up, but they were having FUN and bringing the audience into it as well (hence why i ended up on the cowbell playing tip).

i know there is a schism between those who "just wanna do their thing and if someone else likes it well then cool and those who are there to entertain AND push/educate the crowd. a little more mixture between the two and i think we're onto something. i wanna do what i enjoy and play what i like, but i can never forget that the people on the dancefloor PAID to hear music and also want to have a good time. i can ram what i like down their throats, or i can bridge the gap and enjoy myself and bring them along.

if you look bored, that has an affect. not saying start dancing around like a prat JUST to get the audience into it, but perhaps give yourself the space to get your groove on, shake your ass and for god's sake smile once in a while you Very Serious Techno Artists(tm). ;)

[Agent Orange NYC]

The title of this thred made me remember...

There's a time to live and a time to die,
and a time to meet the maker.
There's a time to live, but isn't it strange,
that as soon as you're born you're dyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiin'.

10 points for whoever knows the name of that song and the artist~!

[SlavikSvensk]

anyone seen that laptop jams thing? eight or so lads with laptops just jammin on the fly. was featured in future-music last year i think.

we have laptop battles about once a month in seattle. sometimes it's f***ing great. sometimes it's f***ing boring

[jacques]

i think its important not to take it too seriously, its about party music, for party people, and whatever gets people going at a given point in time, whether it be live, laptop, dj, whatever - as long as it delivers for the crowd at that moment...

[marginmaster]

The title of this thred made me remember...

There's a time to live and a time to die,
and a time to meet the maker.
There's a time to live, but isn't it strange,
that as soon as you're born you're dyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiin'.

10 points for whoever knows the name of that song and the artist~!

europe-the final countdown?

[tocsin]

i think its important not to take it too seriously, its about party music, for party people, and whatever gets people going at a given point in time, whether it be live, laptop, dj, whatever - as long as it delivers for the crowd at that moment...

True. I'm doing a one time thing with a few friends in a couple months. Should be "interesting" based on what's likely going to happen. Mix of beats, noise and circuit bent stuff. We'll be performing in the heart of hipster land as "Burt Reynolds Called and he Wants his Coke Whore Back." If we're able to leave without broken bones, it will be a failure. Going for a Tony Clifton meets Techno thing. ;)

[MARKEG]

brilliant posts JUST WHAT I EXPECTED FROM YOU ALL!!! this is superb!!!! loads of food for thought. we need to think more guys.. this is not about following the trends imho. this is about trying to make a change surely! ;)

[electoad]

Its called evolution - stay the same and eventually die when your environment crashes.
Change and have a random shot at surviving and creating something way better.

[barry_fyasko]

im with jamie and shiva on this one, theres a passion that u get in rock musis thats missing from techno a lot of the time. i reckon acid techno captured the rawness and full-on party attitude of punk, say what u will about it musically. punk was never the thinking mans music, but it sure as fuk made people have a good time.

acid techno mite be too simplified and formulaic for many, but i think maybe a lesson could be learned from it. the emphasis was on energy and party attitude, and thats been missing from a lot of the sets ive heard recently.

the records i try and buy are ones which give me a genuine rush when i hear them, of one kind or another. it should make your leg start twitching as it kicks in, when theres a bit of funk and a bit of attitude, something that makes it more like a song and less like a tool.

ive found schranz sets to be pretty self indulgent sometimes, the dj will be hammering away at the hardest kick drums and the most bludgeoningly fast fills while a few people dance and the rest kinda stand around looking dazed. like someone said, people have paid money to come to this nite, they wanna be entertained, they wanna dance all nite. do your own thing, be experimental, but remember youre in a club and everyones here to party :)

i dont produce music myself (aint got the time and definitely not the money) but id like to see techno coming out thats got the soul and passion of rock/conventional music fused with the power that only techno has (you know what im talking about)

[holotropik]

live musicians
live techno jams
real musical skills / performance / interaction

oh Mr. Drummer....you made my day with that one :)

abso.****en.lutely !!!

[holotropik]

The title of this thred made me remember...

There's a time to live and a time to die,
and a time to meet the maker.
There's a time to live, but isn't it strange,
that as soon as you're born you're dyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiin'.

10 points for whoever knows the name of that song and the artist~!

Iron Maiden - Seventh son of a seventh son

gawd!! I'm not sure of the song but I def know the artist - its been a long time since i heard that one.

damm you!! now i have to go into the archives and dig out all my old iron's stuff to find out......blah!!

[barry_fyasko]

The title of this thred made me remember...

There's a time to live and a time to die,
and a time to meet the maker.
There's a time to live, but isn't it strange,
that as soon as you're born you're dyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiin'.

10 points for whoever knows the name of that song and the artist~!

Iron Maiden - Seventh son of a seventh son

gawd!! I'm not sure of the song but I def know the artist - its been a long time since i heard that one.

damm you!! now i have to go into the archives and dig out all my old iron's stuff to find out......blah!!

got it! the clairvoyant!

thats been doin my head in

[holotropik]

ahhh yes.....bloody hell!!! thats too long ago to worry about i reckon. How good the Iron's were though hey?!! Bloody brilliant work from them in the day....hehehe.

[barry_fyasko]

hallowed be thy name... feckin masterpiece

dont write em like that anymore eh :toast:

[Davin]

I personally think your dead right!!! I myself though wouldnt stick one specific genre over my head! I try to play a little bit of everything from electro to hard techno to minimal to house!! This is my middle ground!!!!

[holotropik]

Techno always was about looking forward and seeing the future. And right now, check this. All the hard DJ's are going harder. All the minimal DJ's are going more minimal. For those of you that remember - havent we been here before??? We need middle ground right now. Or difference at least.

Come on, let's stop talking hard or minimal! It's time to talk what's the future!!! Time 4 change!!!

What's your future? What's your change???

I'm hearing you on this one. Its only logical that this is the next path to take really. I came to this conclusion over last year when I took a step back and had a think about where to next. Had good talks to my folks (who are rock-pigs and still play out), talked to my bro and other folks. At the end this seemed like the only way to go. So I am going this way.

I have a collection of different things, a hybrid mix of things using all sorts of influences and styles. Thread it all together to make a complete picture. Avoid the trends and just focus on the sound of what suits or is appropriate. Play it Live, as I do and leave plenty of room to vary the feel to suit the atmosphere. Not be afraid to lean it out or richen it up.

[holotropik]

Oh also,
The technology is there to do this 'middle grounding' so why not use it for that purpose...eh?

[Xavi]

artist himself is supose to be the middle ground imo... connection between the music an the crowd .. attitude makes all the difference and pepole love to see a dj that is communicating with the crowd not just staring at the mixer ... they want to see a dj who's having fun out there ... [mark knows !! ;)] mixing different styles is something i always experiment with and i think that the best way of moulding your own original performance

[tocsin]

^^^^ Agreed. I thin people forget the old too fast when they talk about "evolution." Some of the more unique sounding tracks I've worked on at least have been a mesh of older styles into something new.

[Mindful]

I think that we all can reconise when somthing is stagnent or non evolutionary.
If evolution and the future of music and techno is importent too you then its as simple as trying to do somthing new or different with that.
Be creative with the music you play or make, do not just simply play it safe.
Of course only do this if it matters too you.
Some people are quite happy as it is and fair play to them if they are, there is nothing up with that, I wont go in to my veiw on this becuase it is only my veiw(and its a wee bit harsh)
But if it IS importent to you then try to do somthing abaaaaaaart it.

[Mindful]

Thats an order ;)

[AcidTrash]

"Just do what you do. That's techno." Mark eg


I think we're all enjoying our own experiments. I'm sure if one of us comes up with something new we'll be the first to know about it.

Propblem being that some people have such a narrow view of what is or sin't allowed in "underground" techno that as soon as you inject a bit of colour you're making it too cheesy or trancey or *insert adjective here*.

That's exactly the kind of b.s. that stopped me paying any attention to anyone where musics concerned. The people prattling on about originality are all people who evidently can't put their money where their mouth is. Everythings old to someone here. If you're bored of it, change scenes. There's nothing new about the stuff I hear thats sold as original but because its a) not been around for a while or B)can't be interpreted as acid techno somehow makes it superior. *yawn*

As for these arguments against percussion loop techno. Well... er scuse me but isn't that er... techno?

[Agent Orange NYC]

The title of this thred made me remember...

There's a time to live and a time to die,
and a time to meet the maker.
There's a time to live, but isn't it strange,
that as soon as you're born you're dyyyyyyyyiiiiiiiiiiin'.

10 points for whoever knows the name of that song and the artist~!

Iron Maiden - Seventh son of a seventh son

gawd!! I'm not sure of the song but I def know the artist - its been a long time since i heard that one.

damm you!! now i have to go into the archives and dig out all my old iron's stuff to find out......blah!!

got it! the clairvoyant!

thats been doin my head in

Ding ding ding - We have a winner!!! No they def don't write em like that anymore.

[gunjack]

how about JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO AND F UCK THE TRENDS????

[Ritzi Lee]

how about JUST KEEP DOING WHAT YOU DO AND F UCK THE TRENDS????

aight. creativity is in the mind without restricting yourself in a certain style.

[oldbugger]

i think dj's need to stop thinking about playing the same old sound through their whole set and concentrate on just playing quality music.

far too much shite getting played that just fills a gap if you ask me.
no clarity, no depth, no funk. but it sound like the rest of my set so i'll play it hahah.

techno is techno. we all say its about moving forward but is it really?
i tend not to agree with that.

maybe newer sounds are being made in techno but thats about it.
forgive me for being negative but theres tunes from 94/95 that wipes the floor with most of the stuff the big names are doing right now.

i still love it though :cheese:

techno needs more nice warm clear sounds again IMO rather than all this wishy washy shite.

[SlavikSvensk]

yeah i'm with oldbugger. it's all about putting your heart and soul into it, and not thinking about sets having to be this type or that. so much good music out there, old and new...mix that sh*t up!

[Mindful]

i think dj's need to stop thinking about playing the same old sound through their whole set and concentrate on just playing quality music.

far too much shite getting played that just fills a gap if you ask me.
no clarity, no depth, no funk. but it sound like the rest of my set so i'll play it hahah.

Thats so scarily true, I hear this the magority of the time and its crap.
DJs(I am one)Realy need to learn or dare to create vibe,energy and suspence with their record programming and mixing.
Its like some people are scared of loosing the floor or god forbid standing out by doing somthing different than the guy before him and the next guy after him(sorry, or her)

This may sound a bit Elitist or purist but its not intended that way but....most of the guys and gals that are comming in to techno from another scene be it hardhouse, trance, Hardcore, Hardstyle, drum and bass or whatever seem to miss the point and just bang out the biggest tunes they hav, mixing tracks at the last 16 bars with the only thing reconisable as set dynamics being that it got harder.
And the amount of peeps who get on the decks when its allready blasting out at silly speeds then proceeds to start their set faster.

Shit I could go on about this all day :)

One thing I do know, its shit like this that drives me on to make a point of trying harder to stand out in making and playing music in an individual and creative way.

I love artist but cant stand people who take the paint by numbers approach and pass it off as art(I relise that people dont give a shit about art or prggression so fair play but bums to ya)

[Ritzi Lee]

i think dj's need to stop thinking about playing the same old sound through their whole set and concentrate on just playing quality music.

far too much shite getting played that just fills a gap if you ask me.
no clarity, no depth, no funk. but it sound like the rest of my set so i'll play it hahah.

techno is techno. we all say its about moving forward but is it really?
i tend not to agree with that.

maybe newer sounds are being made in techno but thats about it.
forgive me for being negative but theres tunes from 94/95 that wipes the floor with most of the stuff the big names are doing right now.

i still love it though :cheese:

techno needs more nice warm clear sounds again IMO rather than all this wishy washy shite.


clarity, dept, funk, dirtiness, deep & hard....
everytime when I go to the record shop I want to find these elements in techno.... Mostly without succes... If there are any, it's a rare moment I'll take with both hands.

[oldbugger]

i think dj's need to stop thinking about playing the same old sound through their whole set and concentrate on just playing quality music.

far too much shite getting played that just fills a gap if you ask me.
no clarity, no depth, no funk. but it sound like the rest of my set so i'll play it hahah.

techno is techno. we all say its about moving forward but is it really?
i tend not to agree with that.

maybe newer sounds are being made in techno but thats about it.
forgive me for being negative but theres tunes from 94/95 that wipes the floor with most of the stuff the big names are doing right now.

i still love it though :cheese:

techno needs more nice warm clear sounds again IMO rather than all this wishy washy shite.


clarity, dept, funk, dirtiness, deep & hard....
everytime when I go to the record shop I want to find these elements in techno.... Mostly without succes... If there are any, it's a rare moment I'll take with both hands.


exactly.

i hear loads of stuff and i think "thats a good tune".

but its not that often anymore i hear a tune ans say "now thats quality"

why is this?

[The Divide]

The older techno was based on ideas instead of layers of loops I think

[marginmaster]

"

As for these arguments against percussion loop techno. Well... er scuse me but isn't that er... techno?


i agree, totally

[Jay Pace]

clarity, dept, funk, dirtiness, deep & hard....
everytime when I go to the record shop I want to find these elements in techno....

This sums up my feelings about much of Matthew Dear's Audion output so far.

People seem to be afraid to slow down, cut loose and do something a bit weird.
Too many people play far too fast. Bring back the funk please. There's more room to experiment when you start looking from 125bpm instead of 145 bpm.

[RDR]

live musicians
live techno jams
real musical skills / performance / interaction

Thats the way.

[davethedrummer]

clarity, dept, funk, dirtiness, deep & hard....
everytime when I go to the record shop I want to find these elements in techno....

This sums up my feelings about much of Matthew Dear's Audion output so far.

People seem to be afraid to slow down, cut loose and do something a bit weird.
Too many people play far too fast. Bring back the funk please. There's more room to experiment when you start looking from 125bpm instead of 145 bpm.

i have to disagree
slow music is slow
fast music is fast
but there is equal amounts of funk at all tempos
it's just of a different quality.

[eyeswithoutaface]

nah, have to go with Jay on this one, technically once you lower the bpm the scope for more funk and rhythm in the tracks is increased no end, this is pretty obvious i would of thought? seriously ask any of the schranz kids to do a track at 125bpm and watch their heads drop off in bewilderment when they realise what they do sounds terrible without being stupidly fast.

that's one of the appeal's of more minimal, stripped back house/techno, certainly for me, is that working at lower bpm's allow's wayyyyy more space to breathe and program within the track, more freedom for actual, well written synth/bass/hook lines and just overall alot more genuine feeling within the music, be it sad, happy, pissed off etc etc

different strokes for different folks really but even with the hardest techno i'd listen to i still want some elements of funk there, something to grab me into a groove as it were, and at the moment that's definately not happening with the majority of releases, so it's up to the listener to try their hand at changing that obviously

even Dj Rush has lost the funk these days

[djshiva]

i do love some of the slower stuff (audion, mathew johnson being my main ones), but i drink FAR too much coffee to spin that slow. i just can't help myself...

[eyeswithoutaface]

yeah, i know what you mean there. I absolutely love slower electronic music, certainly producing it. it's just a lovely workout for the mind and soul too, helps me to relax and i enjoy producing it more so than anything over say 140bpm, which i rarely produce at anyway....

but spinning, yeah that's a different matter, i really cant get into spinning the slower stuff in a club, at home its great, really helps me tighten up a bit and i love djing nice, deep stuff, but out in a club even with good intentions i just find it alot more enjoyable to crank things up a notch

[tOM B]

live musicians
live techno jams
real musical skills / performance / interaction

Are we going to see a back to the planet reformation?

[Ritzi Lee]

clarity, dept, funk, dirtiness, deep & hard....
everytime when I go to the record shop I want to find these elements in techno....

This sums up my feelings about much of Matthew Dear's Audion output so far.

People seem to be afraid to slow down, cut loose and do something a bit weird.
Too many people play far too fast. Bring back the funk please. There's more room to experiment when you start looking from 125bpm instead of 145 bpm.

A track can be funky at 125, but also at 145... Just check out the old Advent stuff for example.

But I agree it doesn't have to be speed up constantly all the time... Tracks at 125 till 135 can build up as much energy and tension to go for the big orgasm at 145.... The best DJ sets I think are build up this way.... But they do need the records to achief this.

Well people get the message anyway in time.. It's the way things always evolute...


Yes why is it that we don't feel that umppfff anymore with most new records at the shop? I don't know. But I do know there is still hope, and in the mean time there are a lot of people reading our suggestions / opinions.

One of the basic principals to refuse to buy that particular record (for me anyway) is, if I hear to many known sounds / samples, patterns that are used too many times in other productions. It's just a clone of that previous track.... Take Christian Wunch as an example. I respect him for his technique, but there was one time he released dozens of records at a row that sounded exactly the same in sounds... I mean come on man, what are you pulling out here to do such a thing?!? If you don't have the inspiration / motivatiion to create something totally new, then keep it for a next release, and don't rush it just to achief to release an everage of 50 records in a year.....

I hope this points out the problem really clear.

[Mindful]

That does point out the problem very clear and is very very true

[The Divide]

Yea I agree with that, its why I dont really think its wise for techno to lift other techno sounds and loops and recycle them

To be honest I think there are a lot of social changes happening right now

I think its fair to say, for example, that the scene is changing. E is not as popular and I think it played a big part in not just techno but across the party club scene. Its what kick started it but its not what’s needed to keep it afloat I think. Bit it goes without question, that it aided the whole buzz and those who are around now tend to have been around for a while instead of been relatively new to the scene.

The way we listen to music has changed, now its not really about hearing that tune over a huge rig whilst been slightly hammered and then looking for in a record shop. Its more finding what is pleasing, whilst in the comfort of our homes whilst browsing the internet. For me, when Im in this frame of mind, I want more than a few processed loops looping away in a hypnotic linear sense. Sure, as said many times, all music loops, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that techno has to be all about repetitive loops. But the backbone elements, or a even something simple like a hat pattern could do this whilst the beats change shape over a more interesting structure.

Just a couple of factors I think, maybe nonsense., maybe not, at the end of the day music will never die

[davethedrummer]

one word:

money

[el salvador]

one word:

money

can you expand on that :question:

[holotropik]

I hope you are ready for change Mark EG.....??
....its a comin ;)

[AcidTrash]

one word:

money

can you expand on that :question:

There aint none in this game.

[AcidTrash]

maybe when all techno stops generating money people will be less afraid to put out non conventional stuff because theres nothing to lose by doing so.

[The Divide]

Yea!! Totally

[TechMouse]

i have to disagree
slow music is slow
fast music is fast
but there is equal amounts of funk at all tempos
Ah, Cullen's law...

[The Divide]

nah, have to go with Jay on this one, technically once you lower the bpm the scope for more funk and rhythm in the tracks is increased no end, this is pretty obvious i would of thought?

Not necessarily true Scott when you say rhythm because if you speed up a track and you can have elements working over longer periods of bars. You can in effect still put the same amount of anything in just the interactions have to be spaced out further over the time period. Schranze isnt a good example as those kind of tracks are flooded with an over compressed sound. Also the heaviness of Shranze does allow much room for funk or rhythmical parts. I have heard some amazing some amazing hardcore techno, IDM, DnB or whatever at fast tempos and although there may be a fast kick, or a fast 1/16th hi hat, the actual rhythm is based upon 4, 8 or even 16 bar l changes and interactions. Good tracks like this are rare but they can happen

Tempo is the speed, it doesn’t have anything to do with rhythmical quantity just how fast it is working, however faster tempos can make some sounds, sound out of context, it can allow new rhythms to work at half time which wouldn’t sound right slower

Thats what I think

[dirty_bass]

Depends on the type of music.
If you are talking 4 to the floor dance music, then kicks take up a lot of the audio room.
So when you slow it down you can make the music funkier, and it works more from the hips, dance wise, as opposed to the toes.
there`s also more spece in the mix.
But sure, fast music can be funky, fast drum and bass can be real funky, but then you step down to the half beat.

[tocsin]

Hehe. There's no shortage of 200+bpm stuff that I would consider "funky." Silly argument. Funk is a feel/groove, not a tempo.

[Orange]

Im thinkin about thinkin....and i think that if you want to change your techno, then you want to change the way you think about your techno...if you change the more fundamental concepts/commitments you hold concerning what techno is, then my guess is that the way you act/react as a dj/producer/listener, will also change. However, if you change the basics too much, your future may not hold techno, as you know it, anymore...in which case you may leave most, but, perhaps not all, of your techno communiity behind. If you want to maintain the fundamentals, then, perhaps, you can't really have change...but, without really changing you might still explore techno's as yet, perhaps, unfulfilled potential, given those fundamental constraints. Nevertheless, and to the main point, i think most thinkin has to resist change...it is, pehaps, necessary...however, within the most, some re-think, for they are, perhaps, necessary too...but, can you CHOOSE to be the some instead most or vice versa? i dunno...

how much change do you want?

[rhythmtech]

wow dude... its geeting deep right about now!

[holotropik]

I think the change that will make the diff. is the method of delivery. Its standing out that there is movement away from a vinyl DJ based format to a more creative digital format. The musical structure may stay within the boundaries of what constitutes techno but the creative possibilities will expand and allow evolution in some way. Different effects, different transitions, different sounds, different builds and breaks etc.

[aggressor]

- havent we been here before???

:bash:

[The Overfiend]

There's plenty of funk rhythm and room for quality that can occur between 138 and 145.
What's missing in techno is guts to do what the f*ck you want to with your music.
Everyone's so godamned hellbent on sucking ass of the It sound at the moment.
Instead of trying to get better at what they want to do.
Slayer has yet to make a pop rock album, and those ****ers are old.
Ice Cube is still cube.
Glenn, Ben Sims, Mark Eg, all of them are still themselves.
The change should be to stop spot jockin the hot sound of the moment and be your own f*cking moment.

[Mindful]

Good call SOS

[Mindful]

Also holotropik said some good things regarding the digital shiznit.
I aggree 100% that Ablton and the digital musicion will play a big part in where we are heading.
Alltho I will allways buy records because I love the format dearly(yes I know we have said this a million times)Why sould we continue to buy so many records in the future(or now for that matter)when we can play our own music, our friends music(with permission of course)and buy an mp3 so simpley?

And of course there the many producers who have never been and never wanted to be Jocks who can now play to a crowd with ease and have much more controll over the way their sets a structured.

Just my thoughts guys altho I still havent got my lasy arse as good on Ableton as I am on a pair of turdtables and am myself kinda living in the past :)

[Mindful]

lol *turntables

[holotropik]

Also holotropik said some good things regarding the digital shiznit.
I aggree 100% that Ablton and the digital musicion will play a big part in where we are heading.
Alltho I will allways buy records because I love the format dearly(yes I know we have said this a million times)Why sould we continue to buy so many records in the future(or now for that matter)when we can play our own music, our friends music(with permission of course)and buy an mp3 so simpley?

And of course there the many producers who have never been and never wanted to be Jocks who can now play to a crowd with ease and have much more controll over the way their sets a structured.

Just my thoughts guys altho I still havent got my lasy arse as good on Ableton as I am on a pair of turdtables and am myself kinda living in the past :)

not so much living in the past.....as things change maybe you will evolve the style with which you play a vinyl set having listened to the techniques used with the new technology. Maybe you will require tracks to be structured in a different way and put onto viny in order to take this further?
Mentioned somewhere else "does turntablism have a place in techno"?....well maybe it does just not in the sense you think of it now. As new formats influence the sound then it opens up new ways (techniques) to use existing formats in a different way....