This is going to to deal with the whole direction of acid techno and not just the minimal question posed above. (Sorry if it comes across as a rant but its stuff I'd like to say)

There doesn't seem to be much experimentation happening anymore in terms of arrangement and how a tune builds. For me the most attractive element of acid techno 10 years ago was that you didn't know what was coming next from a particular producer or label, and this kept it exciting and progressive. You don't get that as much anymore, and I miss it. The majority of releases now will stick to a particular format - the track may be v. good, but you feel that you've heard it before and that takes away from the experience.

There needs to be more innovation, more risk taking. It may not work or catch on instantly but at least there would be a new freshness about how producers approach the act of music making. Maybe minimal is the way to go, but theres no point in everybody making a standardised form of minimal acid techno or else you'll fall into the same trap. Ask yourself what you mean by minimal and is that really what you want to make or hear. Personally, I'd like to see more funk and progression.

I wouldn't put all the onus on the guys and girls that make the music either. Those of us who buy the music and support it could also be less demanding in terms of what we expect from them, i.e. acid/techno with a certain sound and feel that harks back to glory days. I'm sure that producers want to experiment with styles and not just stick to the same thing - take Dave the Drummer and his new Mutate to Survive project, I;m sure hes not just doing this so that he can make music that will sell well and therefore pay the bills, but because he wants to do this style aswell, and fair play to him fo it. Don't forget that he had a life in music before techno.

I believe that the vast majority of those who have ever contributed to the making of this music have done so because they love it themselves and want to see it go on and attract new people. They don't make a fortune out of it, perhaps a living, but they have put the time, money and effort in over the years to earn that. And along the way the have given us music that we love and will always be part of our lives.

Sorry if that veered off a bit or if it didn't make sense - Had a lot of coffee today.