Quality Control

[The Overfiend]

What's going on in techno these days?
I'm asking the true fans, punters, producers, dj's and critics.
What would you like to see some more of in techno?
Even in this forum?

[zigojacko]

hmmm, i miss being being able to conribute as much as i'd like coz i stopped mixing sometime ago now. :( but that is changing now and am starting to rebuild the vinyl collection.... lol

[The Overfiend]

Not Exactly the answer I was looking for, you feel youre wahts missing from techno now?

[killarava2day]

What's the problem? Other than the fact that techno is certainly at the lower end of the spectrum in the club scene, but hopefully in time this will change...other than that there's never been a better time to hone in on certainly techno sounds cause there's just soo much of it out there. If techno was on top, reigned in allmost every club/rave, then I'd like to take a snapshot of current discussions, cause it would enevibly be different.

[killarava2day]

Oh, and people with no skills at all who either produce/dj. But hey, why complain, if Bush can be president, than honestly what hope have we got from weeding it out of ours or any other industry. Just believe in yourself, set your own goals, try not to be jealous of other peoples achievements / luck / fortunes. Create your own success, when you get there at least you can know that you aint cheating yourself.

[Tiptoe]

i would like to see a few more people attend the smaller nights and help them stay strong. These are the places where hopefully a lot of us will start our adventures as dj's and it would be nice to think that we can get a few more heads through the door without the big name dj's. I know this is a nightmare for promotors cos they lay their ass on the line financialy but i think clubbers need to trust promotors as well cos as a promotor friend of mine says I am not going to book a shit dj am i.
Production wise i think there is a lot of good new stuff coming out at the minute and am spoilt for choice when i go into the shop.
I think here in the uk we have so much talent dj wise and lots of guys producing goo stuff too. It really does sadden me though that our scene is so small over here compared to others accross the world. People say if it did get big then it would get diluted with shit but does this happen abroad. Maybe some people on the board who's techno scene is really strong could answer this for me?

[MARKEG]

i would like to see a few more people attend the smaller nights and help them stay strong. These are the places where hopefully a lot of us will start our adventures as dj's and it would be nice to think that we can get a few more heads through the door without the big name dj's. I know this is a nightmare for promotors cos they lay their ass on the line financialy but i think clubbers need to trust promotors as well cos as a promotor friend of mine says I am not going to book a shit dj am i.
Production wise i think there is a lot of good new stuff coming out at the minute and am spoilt for choice when i go into the shop.
I think here in the uk we have so much talent dj wise and lots of guys producing goo stuff too. It really does sadden me though that our scene is so small over here compared to others accross the world. People say if it did get big then it would get diluted with shit but does this happen abroad. Maybe some people on the board who's techno scene is really strong could answer this for me?

totally agree. more support for the smaller promoters would be a god send. but this just isn't going to happen. at the end of the day the well known clubs pull the people. it's always been like that and it always will be. but i love the vision and i'd so love to see that happen. rather like the illegal scene in london. but then again, you have ppl going to 'sound systems' they know. you just can't avoid it. it's up to you to prove yourself over time and this is the way it goes. certainly sorts out the cowboys from the true ppl in the end.

saddens me too that the scene is smaller than abroad but why do you think abroad have got so much respect for the uk? the techno scene in the UK is so small it's not governed by commercialism as much and so the experimentation over here is a little more (hehehe, i am biased). well maybe in certain places techno is getting more popular - great i say, we need more ppl into our music here - but the uk rocks for pure musical passion, it really does.

[wenna]

for me at the moment i find myself listening to less and less 'really hard techno' and more 'grown-up' techno. things like apex,funk dvoid, jimfish etc....

not that i'm saying hard techno is childish

[jonnyspeed]

some more interesting and completely different rhythms and basslines. Most hard/club techno is pretty unadventurous and 80% of it is very disposable.

[jonnyspeed]

Oh, and people with no skills at all who either produce/dj. But hey, why complain, if Bush can be president, than honestly what hope have we got from weeding it out of ours or any other industry. Just believe in yourself, set your own goals, try not to be jealous of other peoples achievements / luck / fortunes. Create your own success, when you get there at least you can know that you aint cheating yourself.

I get some of this but I don't agree we should weed out people who don't mean some criteria of skill. Its very subjective and everybody should have a go. even yer mum.

[Sunil]

More open minded people and less sheep.
Less bitching about successful techno producers/DJs.
Less laziness from punters and so called fans of the scene.

Funny as it sounds now, techno invariably has almost zero image anymore, most websites/labels and techno's media presence in general carries very little weight or inspiration. For example something like UR: Their image or outlook can seem a little bit silly at times but it sends out a strong message, one that at one stage seemed very underground. I'm not saying people have to copy UR but I think labels, promoters or whoever should make a better effort in portraying themselves as a special, exciting, unique entity that people from the outside would be proud to be a part of, something with an edge.

People need to strive to have and know they have an 'edge' in some form or another, and to put it out there for people to see. Nowadays DJ/Producer X, Y and Z has a homepage and it's purely to get on the internet ladder and claim some sort of presence even if the page or site is of little use or decent interest. I guess what I'm trying to say is for people to treat this whole thing with a bit more thought and respect and realise that it isn't all about grabbing yourself whatever bookings you can or about scrambling to get your name out wherever you can. When I browse through techno sites it looks to me like a rat race, like everyone trying to get to work the quickest in the morning, but few stand out. People need to slow down and be individuals, and actually think a bit more about the whole thing and put a bit more meaning back into techno again. I'm not saying that we have to re-live the ethos of Detroit or successful European labels of the past, but to take on some of that pride and push it forward into the future with the sound of today.

[Dustin Zahn]

I would like techno to return to being an open-minded genre instead of the close-mindedness we are experiencing today. It's all becoming to formulamatic, especially in the DJing sense. I'd also like to see a heavier rave influence return in the music instead of the club influence it has taken in since the big rave die-off, people are forgetting about some amazing stuff.

[killarava2day]

I would like techno to return to being an open-minded genre instead of the close-mindedness we are experiencing today. It's all becoming to formulamatic, especially in the DJing sense. I'd also like to see a heavier rave influence return in the music instead of the club influence it has taken in since the big rave die-off, people are forgetting about some amazing stuff.

Do you guys over there have big raves as such, like a thousand or so in a industrial like setup, sorta meaning outa the club environment?

[The Overfiend]

Not like there used to be, I don't know about the west coast or around Don Zahn's way, but rave culture over here is next to laughable. I agree with Eg about more support needed from the punters, also agree with Zahn about people needing to focus on the future sound, Some people are still trying to be the next Carola and frankly to me it's annoying.

[dan the acid man]

more oneness, simple as that

[slavestudios]

the only thing i want to see from techno is the punters in belfast gettin of their lazy asses & into the clubs to support the locals who are knockin their balls in every week putting on great shows....

[Adverse]

I would like techno to return to being an open-minded genre instead of the close-mindedness we are experiencing today. It's all becoming to formulamatic, especially in the DJing sense. I'd also like to see a heavier rave influence return in the music instead of the club influence it has taken in since the big rave die-off, people are forgetting about some amazing stuff.

i stand beside you d.

[Tony]

more..........erm, quality control, to coin a phrase.
cant really say i'm on the 'cutting edge' right now due to not being bothered with purchasing the brand new stuff hot off the press. but i think thats no great loss. if people would really stand back and go, you know, this record isnt gonna change the world, its been done a billion times before, why dont i just try harder when i write in the first place. then who knows, we would have less records but mopre quality, and, erm, more oil!! that comment on 'being the next carolla' gives me the shivers. who wants to be the next anyone? be yourself, and if that just sounds the same as all the others then either try harder or please dont bother!!
i'm tired of hearing 'the numbers' and i'm so refreshed to hear 'the numbers' with beauty and individuality sprinkled liberally about the patterns. a minority occurance, so that means theres a lot of waste out there. subjective i suppose.

[Jimfish]

yeah id like to see less techno overall - maybe a quarter what there is now or even less. But id like the techno there is to be of a much higher quality.
Because sales are so low these days to earn a living most people start 2-3 labels - and they have to fill them with somthing, crap mostly. I feel guilty myself for running a label because i know that too many labels are damaging because there arent the punters to support it. I would never start another..
Id love it if all at the same time everyone scrapped thier several labels and just stuck to one and made it the best it could be. If there was less out there then sales would go up on what there is (as well as the time people have to spend on writing thier music), and inevitably quality & experimentation would go up too.

[jonnyspeed]

More of a personal touch to nights - like being welcomed by the people that are putting on the party - after any security of course. It can be very anonymous going to techno nights and I'm sure more nights would be attended if they had more of a private party feeling/community to them.