Techno in Philadelphia

I'm reluctant to say I love techno music, because the term "techno" is synonymous with any kind of cheesy electronic including vocoder vocals and poppy synths in Eurodance. The best stereotype of that music was made with the AT&T commercial with the "techno twins."

(Photo credit: shaunrossmodel.blogspot.com)

There are so many subgenres of electronic music. If you haven't seen Ishkur's Guide to Electronic Music, clicky the link and study it. It's great fun and includes dozens of genres with fun samples. A lot of people think Ishkur is a dick, but his opinionated nature makes him worth listening to.

Anyway, back to techno, which is music that has its roots in Detroit, but also has a strong presence in Germany. A good place to start to learn about techno is by reading the wiki article on it, which is broad and basic. For me, I think of techno as percussive and repetitive riffs. Minimal techno, a subgenre of techno strips down the sound to drums, basslines, and funky grooves.

I wish I could be more articulate about techno, minimal and related genres of microhouse and tech house. I guess you have to be there listening. But once you listen, it becomes intoxicating. In a later blog post, I'll post up links to samples to techno and minimal songs or live sets. But it's late and I need to get to bed.

But mark your calendars and save your quarters because on Friday June 26th, the mega legend (can't emphasize his importance on the evolution of Detroit techno), Derrick May will be in Philly at the Arts Garage. Here are details of event.

That's all for tonight.