(idea) by Pseudo_Intellectual Wed Jan 05 2000 at 2:11:24

History of techno

    Dada & the State of Consciousness (1916)

    It is 1916. Anarchists Hugo Balle, Tristan Tzara, Marcel Janco & Richard Huelsenbeck are founding the Dada artistic movement after their first meeting at the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich. The movement doesn't advocate any ideology whatsoever, but the ''essence of spirit'', freedom of expression, an open antagonism to the World War, the conservatism of the middle class & moral degradation of humankind. The Dada advocate a transfer of ideas via sound rather than via words, considering it more liberal & sincere. Their artistic oeuvre comprises a mixture of languages, which helps destroy the ethnic & social barriers. As standard means of their rebellion, the Dada create music based on newly-formed industrial noises. Compositions by Kurt Schwitters, such as 'Anna Blume' (1919) & 'Ursonate' (1923) seem to have formed a basis for the development of abstract music in the 20th century.

    Dada's main inspiration, though, seems to have been Luigi Russolo, an Italian Futurist artist & composer who has designed a series of noise-producing machines i.e. The Noise Intoners ('Intonarumori') in 1912, instruments which have been highly used even by some famous composers like Igor Stravinsky, and which used to depict sounds from nature on various frequencies.

    Along with the Dada, the 'godfather of abstract art' - Russian artist Vassiliy Kandinsky experiments in trying to define various shades of colour by using tones.

    The Birth Of the Synthesizer (1920)

    In 1920. Russian electronics genius Leon Theremin develops the first ever version of a synthesizer. What's really characteristic of this design is that it makes use of electromagnetic waves, meaning that its played without any physical contact with the instrument. The first 'Theremin' produces different tones and loudness level relative to the player's movements in space. Nowadays, the chief producer of this instrument is Robert Moog and his "Big Briar Inc".

    (1988)

      a) Bleeps & Clonks

      British version of Detroit Techno is based on sharp electronic sounds ("bleeps & clonks") and almost inaudible very low frequency oscillations which owe their existence to the expansion of videogames by the end of 80's. The absolute trend become [LFO, Tricky Disco and Nightmares On Wax.

      b) Detroit Goes European

      Derrick May & Kevin Saunderson go to England to do some remixes. 808 State & A Guy Called Gerald appear under their influence and develop their own style in Manchester, while their single "Pacific" becomes a legend.

      c) UK Acid House

      1988 is the year of Acid in the UK. It is also a period of Smiley-culture dominion, together with its imposing fashion, spontaneous Raves & wild House mutations. This DIY culture soon becomes a lifestyle, which helps the formation of many new independent labels. "We Call It Aciiieeed" by D-Mob becomes the hymn of urban England.

      d) German House Boom

      Frankfurt & Berlin become German House centres #1. Together with Westbam & Sven Vath, other names emerge which are to forge the sound of future House & Techno such as Kid Paul & Dr.Motte, who are considered to be the original founders of Tresor and Turbine clubs respectively. Meanwhile, Sven Vath takes over The Omen club & founds his first label - Eye Q.

    (1989)

      Gabba/Hardcore

      Gabba / Gabberhouse

      In his live session in Parkzicht Rotterdam, DJ Rob (Rob Janssen) shocks & refreshes the Dutch audience, bored to death by the prevailing twee Disco tunes. Appearing around 1990/1991, the first gabber hit was Speedy J's "Pullover", which was actually recorded in 15 minutes. Hardcore Techno, or Gabbahouse was born, which still remains one of the most extreme musical styles this planet has ever known. The speed of certain tracks exceeds even 1000BPM (Moby's 1992 - "Thousand", The Dreamteam - "Killer Machinery"), making Gabba the fastest possible music on Earth. Terrace (a Dutch techno artist for Djax-up) had fetched on one his 12"s "Hurrah, hurrah, gabberhouse is dead long before it was born" - referring how Gabber was mostly favoured by skinheads and football-hooligans, but Gabba was soon to flood the entirety of Holland, spreading from its main centre, Rotterdam to cities like The Hague and (to a lesser degree, due to the rivalry between the two cities) Amsterdam. Labels such as ID&T, Mokum, Rotterdam Records, Terror Trax etc. emerge in the Netherlands and soon after the whole ideology spread through Europe - everyone chanting "faster, faster"... so the thing got into MTV and mainstream around 1995, when all the clubs were already playing smooth trance and house. Penetration to the rest of the world follows, in particular Germany and the US, creating the New York Hardcore scene.

      (1990) Global House Nation

      By the end of 1990, a fusion of American & European House & Techno styles comes forth, thus forming new substyles such as Italo House/Latin House (e.g. Black Box), Experimental Techno, Progressive House, Trance & Ambient House.

      Hardcore

      Pure german invention; really hard and really depressing music, not necessarily fast, being around 130-140 bpm, which didn't live long. Most of the stuff came from Frankfurt, like the PCP Posse. Mostly innovated by early Chicago tracks and acid house. A good example of this genre would be the classic "We have Arrived" by Mescalinum United.

    (1991-1997) Breakbeat

    Breakbeat

    Since 1992 Britain witnesses the birth of a Techno variant with its origin in Ragga/Hip-Hop frenetic beats and high-pitch samples - an UK style of rave-music pioneered by the Dutch and many old new beat artists such as Praga Khan, etc... The musical style undergoes various mutations and upgradings, passing through the stages of Hardcore Breakbeat, Darkside (a dark, urban sound), Jungle (lots of ragga vocals & samples) and finally its most mature form - Drum 'n Bass, characterized by a profound fusion of industrial sounds, breakbeats, as well as jazz & funky elements, its most prominent protagonists being Goldie, LTJ Bukem, DJ Hype, Nico, Ed Rush, Grooverider, Prodigy and Altern 8 (who also hyped up the media that they would remix Inner City and then Kevin Saunderson called them up and made "Let it Reign" with a8 producing and remixing... ) etc. The derivative to breakbeat culture, its more ambiental cousin - Trip Hop - represents a melange of restrained psycho-beats, human vocals, guitar & bass strings, and jazzy elements, providing an excellent vibe for clublife.

    (1994-1997) Trance

    Whereas Techno & House lean towards harder & rawer beats, something completely new appears: Tribal music, considered to be no-man's-land between Hardcore & Ambient; the "thing" around European clubs and warehouse parties in the summer of 1993 prior to the House takeover in 1994. Its primary counterparts being artists such as Cosmic Baby, Oliver Lieb (The Ambush, Paragliders, Spicelab), Trance spawns various subgenres: Hardtrance, Acid Trance, Trancecore (a mixture of Trance & Hardcore!), & eventually - Goa Trance/Psychedelic Trance, a more dynamic, richer and ethno-based version of Trance, which gained global popularity and commercial success as a major style in late 1996 & early 1997, when it started to appear on music television, through labels such as Blue Room Released, Dragonfly, Phantasm, TIP, etc. Artists such as The Infinity Project, Juno Reactor, Mindfield, & Youth play a major role in reviving the ideologies of the late 60's & early 70's, but this time within a technological agenda.

Regretfully uncredited, pulled out of cyberspace from somewhere... additions and amendments thus far from sakke and myself.

I like it! 4 C!s

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