Hmm, beg to differ.



I think Techno is big in the UK and the rest of the world, it could be claimed it is a global phenonomen. There are a lot of clubs up and down the country putting on good Techno events with good lineups. They may not be a Ministry of Sound or Cream type affair but the proper spirit is there.



I think that Techno is a recognised force in world music; however, in comparison to other music genres/styles (i.e. house, garage, etc) Techno is possibly not as big. That leads onto another discussion concerning Promotion, more of that in due course...



I agree with your comments that most people think that techno is either 2 Unlimited or 300 bpm hardcore. This is indeed unfortunate. I sometimes play some of my nicer, dreamy records (Robert Hood ((nighttime world vols I & II are great)), Advent, Sender Berlin, Justin Berkovi, Steve Stoll, assorted B sides, etc) to mates who aren't really into Techno and thay ask me what this sort of music is. Upon my reply that it is Techno, they say, "Nah, that's not Techno, Techno is that BOM, BOM, BOM hardcore stuff." I have a hard time convincing people about the diverse range of Techno styles. This leads me to conclude that a lot of people are uneducated and the exposure given is probably not of the right kind.



This leads onto the promotion of Techno. The statement that, "techno is scared of blatant self-promotion." is, I believe, incorrect. Techno isn't scared of being promoted, it is being promoted all the time; it is possibly that the people involved aren't very good at it or it's been done in the wrong way. I think what Techno needs is for the promotion to be done in a proper PROFESSIONAL manner, I don't think this is really happening as well as it could be. It seems (sadly) that in this industry IMAGE is all important. The image of Techno is probaly not that atttractive to a lot of people because their perception of it is wrong. A result perhaps of bad promotion?



We need to educate the masses but in the process ensure that the true spirit is not destroyed by mass marketing and commercialisation. For me Techno (well music in general) is a magical journey to the depths of my head and beyond. Escapism to the max. If people start to listen to Techno cos it's been played on the coolest radio station for the nth time and because "mr big jock" is playing it it must therefore be cool, then that is wrong and the reverse of what is happening now is happening. It will be quite a major task to achieve that fine balance...



We need some ambassadors for Techno...



Furthermore, if people think that Techno sounds too samey then they are narrow minded fools. They hear, but alas, do not LISTEN. Techno changes all the time through natural evolution, individual, distinct and different sounds are being produced all the time. The only barrier is the human mind which is nigh infinite?



Does anybody agree/disagree with me? If so, please post a reply and let me know...