let's not go down this damn new york riotsound root again, PLEASE!!!
but good topic.
i find the thought of going into the studio thinking 'shit, i must make music that sounds like I come from Leeds', ridiculous. That's simply not techno. You're constraining yourself before you even touch a keyboard. But I do think it is possible to be heavily influenced by a sound that's ppl play in your local area.
The bottom line is that if you're an innovator, then you should be creating your own sound.