52 Albums To Shape A Soul : #31
Various Artists – Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit (1988)
When I think of all the experiences a music obsessive can encounter, is there anything more thrilling than being there, in the moment, when you feel something is about to change the course of music history?
It can happen when you catch an artist that no one is really talking about, in a tiny venue, presenting music unlike anything you’ve ever heard. And as you watch them progress through their set, you’re suddenly struck by a realisation that you’re in the presence of someone who is about to become a huge star.
Perhaps some of this feeling stems from an acute awareness of time. A knowledge that what you’re witnessing is almost certainly a musical milestone that the generations who follow us will talk of for years to come.
But of all these thrilling moments, is there anything that can feel more exhilarating than witnessing the birth of a whole new musical movement and a sense that you happen to be there right at its epicentre as it sparks into life.
There are many major musical movements that have erupted throughout my years on the planet. From Disco, through Punk, the New Romantics to Hip Hop and beyond, so many of these cultural shifts have captured my imagination. But whether it’s a combination of being a little young at the time, or simply looking the wrong way, many of these key moments have appeared to me retrospectively.
That certainly wasn’t the case though when I heard of new music coming from Detroit…
By the time we reached the late eighties I was very much a regular in and out of the various music venues and clubs dotted around Manchester’s city centre. Chicago House music had started to seep through their doors and it was notable to see DJs slowly transforming from being simply the guy who’d play everyone’s requests to becoming the focus of attention. A curator of sound. The Haçienda had become a go to for seemingly half the country with many nearby clubs picking up the overspill.
On night’s where we’d decided we couldn’t be bothered dealing with the queues at FAC51, we’d often drop by a club known as ‘The Venue’. At that time it was still a club in transition, from its earlier days as an indie hangout to picking up on the new sounds sweeping the dancefloors.
I remember a night we were there and hearing a track that sounded very different to anything I’d heard before. It was hypnotic in nature, very minimal. It was certainly a track to dance too, but had an industrial element to it. My immediate thought was the music sounded like a soundtrack to a late night walk around the city. When you’re alone, the lights of the city buildings producing a neon light show and you wrestle with a slightly dazed state. Aware of everything, but slightly removed from it at the same time.
I should point out, I wasn’t taking anything to induce such a state, the feeling was happening purely due to the music being played. The DJ continued his set with more similar music and I noticed that people on the dance floor were being taken over by the music too.
After the DJ had finished his set I collared him to ask about the music he was playing. It turned out that the initial track I’d heard was ‘It Is What It Is’ by Rythim Is Rythim, the first track on an album title ‘Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit’. He’d followed it up with another track from the album ‘Electronic Dance’ by K.S. Experience. He proceded to tell me about this music scene known as Techno and how he imagined it was going to become huge.
I picked up a copy of the album not long after and still remember the sensation of hearing it for the first time. The initial thing that struck me was, although this music clearly tipped a hat to so much of black dance music of the past, from soul, disco through to the currently trending Chicago House sound, this music had a much grittier industrial edge. It felt equally informed by Kraftwerk and Tubeway Army as it did by James Brown, Marvin Gaye and Donna Summer. In fact arguably it was the influence of European mechanical electronic sound that appeared more dominant.
Tracks like ‘Feel Surreal’ by A Tongue & D Groove carried with it a cinematic quality that could have been the sound of Tangerine Dream reimagined through a Roland 808 drum machine. And I mention the 808 here very deliberately as this was clearly a very key ingredient for this Techno music.
I became instantly interested in the people producing this music too. At the heart of this particular compilation appeared to be three key producers. Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson. Three school friends who’d bonded over their love of science fiction and electronic music.
The big fascination for me was in what they were trying to achieve. On the album notes Juan Atkins clearly expressed his desire to forge a new path for black music. He marked himself as an enemy to what he described as ‘Motown’s Supreme Being’. Where he saw the Motown sound as being built on the same principles as the conveyor built sitting behind Detroit’s infamous automobile plants. He was more interested in the robots and computers sitting behind the modern day assembly methods.
There’s probably no greater example of the interpretation of his thoughts than on his track ‘Techno City’ that closes side two of the album and is arguably the moment the entire Techno genre was created, the title of the track defining the genre. Techno undoubtedly initially appeared as Detroit’s answer to Chicago House and this is something you can clearly hear in Inner City’s classic ‘Big Fun’, but as with everything else on the album, there is clearly an industrial synthesis to the sound that gives it a clear distinction.
Perhaps the biggest thing I recall on hearing the album that first time was just how incredibly well produced it sounded. The bass and drum kicks sounded incredible through my home stereo speakers. It was a completely hypnotic experience. Time seemed to just slip by as the electronic pluses and loops shifted left and right charging the room with its kinetic energy.
Within weeks of hearing the album the sound of Techno appeared to be everywhere. The track ‘Big Fun’ had crossed over into the pop charts creating a huge moment for electronic dance music. I remember visiting many venues where the presence of Techno transformed dance floors into becoming the heart of the music community. The gatherings increasingly more like spiritual experiences than simply a night at the local club.
From my perspective however I remained interested in the philosophy of the guys sitting behind that initial Techno movement. Juan Atkins the ‘Godfather of Techno’, May the “Innovator” and Saunders the “Elevator”. Their determination and drive for experimentation and forging new and intriguing musical worlds. As Juan Atkins had previously pointed out, their interest lay in the art and exploration, far more so than to act as entertainers.
There are so many artists who followed them, all of whom I still remain fascinated with today. The incredibly inspirational Underground Resistance, Robert Hood, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig and so many more. All of whom appear to follow the same philosophy. A deep connection to the roots of Techno combined with a continued interest in a technological future and the possibilities these pathways can open up.
It's been interesting to see many of these Detroit luminaries forging intriguing collaborations as the years have passed. Jeff Mills working with the French Jazz musician Jean-Phi Dary on their Paradox project. Juan Atkins working with the German percussionist Moritz Von Oswald on their Borderland project. Just two examples, but highlighting that for these musicians Techno was always far more than a desire to create banging tunes to entertain the masses. There has always been an artistry and thoughtfulness that’s underpinned the music’s philosophy.
Perhaps that’s the reason Techno music remains so relevant today. Music that continually reflects an evolving world. Continually morphing in line with ever increasing human ambition.
Techno has always felt like my music. From the moment I initially discovered it, to the way so much of it soundtracks my everyday existence today. When created true to its roots It carries a cinematic quality combined with a sense of spirituality that I rarely hear in other music. I often feel if I had the ability to tear through the fabric of space and time, the music I’d hear in that other plane would most certainly be Techno.
Rather than it being considered ‘the new dance sound of Detroit’ maybe Techno could simply be considered the sound of human evolution. However we choose to term it I just feel very fortunate to have followed its journey from its initial spark.