History of Detroit Techno as a Form of Musical Expression - Book Report/Review Example

History of Detroit Techno as a Form of Musical Expression Introduction The birth of the term techno came in earlier than its introduction in the world of music. In fact, the term has often been used as cliches or merely as adjectives to usual words. However, it was not until Juan Atkins, one of the pioneers of American music, blurted the term techno during an interview to name Belleville Three’s whole musical concept (Brewster and Broughton 322). It was in 1988 when techno established its own genre apart from its mixture of inspiration. Now called as the Belleville Three, Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson are considered as the founding fathers of Detroit techno (Brewster and Broughton 323). Roots of Detroit Techno Atkins, May, and Saunderson were natives of Belleville, Detroit who had a penchant for the sport football. Apart from being a football aficionado, they were also among the few African-Americans in a white suburb which basically brought them together. However, more than anything else, their passion for music sealed their sturdy friendship (Brewster and Broughton 323). Detroit was a hub then for various musical genres, that of Prince’s, classical, funk, and European rock. A prominent record producer, Berry Gordy, Jr., the founder of Motown record label, also came in the picture that made soulful music popular among common Detroit natives. The Wizard was also credited as one of the influences of the three techno pioneers. A radio disc jockey, The Wizard creatively fused records specifically hip hop (Brewster and Broughton 324). Not to be out listed from the discography of Detroit techno, Atkins met during his freshman year in college Rick Davis, who later collaborated with Atkins and formed a band named Cybotron (Brewster and Broughton 325). Davis had a taste for electronic music, which highly influenced the band’s repertoire of songs in their first album, particularly their first single Alleys of Your Mind released in 1981 under Deep Space label (Brewster and Broughton 325). The said single immediately caught listeners’ attention as it was tagged as having European influences, or that the song was written by a European (Brewster and Broughton 325). The song had also influenced from Viennese style, infusing some ingredients from European electronic funk, which makes it an instant hit. This earned them a record deal with a California based record label Fantasy (Brewster and Broughton 326). The eventual distinct sound of Detroit techno was influenced by the insights of science fiction author and futurist Alvin Toffler who believes “the future would belong to society’s techno renegades” and to whom Davis got so much inspiration when making songs (Brewster and Broughton 326). However, things changed for Davis as he wanted to pursue more on a different kind of music that was basically rock oriented. They disbanded, unfortunately, and Atkins established his own label which he called Metroplex, and later on recorded what was to be the first techno record in 1985 entitled No UFOs, “a dark challenge to the dancefloor...from growing layers of robotic bass and percussion, with dissonant melody lines and barks of disembodied voices” (Brewster and Broughton 327). Detroit Techno: The “Waves,” Berlin Influence and Distinction from New York and Chicago Music Detroit clubs witnessed the evolution of electronic music. Early Detroit techno sound was characterized as having a “pulsing rhythm and harsh analogue sounds,” and partygoers had their good times (Brewster and Broughton 328). Juan and Derrick entered into the partying scene of Detroit by serving as DJs calling themselves Deep Space Soundworks (Brewster and Broughton 327). Their constant exposure to the job made them become so innovative, experimental, and resourceful. In fact, they usually had a grueling session of brainstorming in order to discuss what type and fusion of music will they make and even the demographics of the attendees. The resulting effect of ‘waves’ came in as a description for the technological sound that Detroit techno has. Atkins, May, and Saunderson did not use music apparatus for the sake of it, but they made it their vehicle to arrive at a unique sound. This was of course the result of the Belleville Three’s thirst for another musical taste that would be different from the individual genre of purely soul, rock, punk, metallic, and disco hits. Detroit techno was right on the money and received favorable responses among journalists and music enthusiasts. What makes Detroit techno different from the one propagating in Chicago and New York was that it caters to a limited number of the audiences who were more of “quirky” and were more “idiosyncratic” (Brewster and Broughton 328). Detroit techno never became an extension of New York and Chicago’s music. It made its own flavor and distinction based from inspirations from Toffler and European music, and its path to a predictable mix of music was particularly different (Brewster and Broughton 329). Chicago and New York had their own way of communicating using their music, which was originally anchored on hip hop and house. Their music depended mostly on hip hop whose aim was to impress the audience and make them groove eventually. For instance, the record Nude Photo has a Chicago style, but they injected a liberal arrangement to the song marked by scrutinization towards the details of the songs thereby achieving a highly queer music (Brewster and Broughton 329). Furthermore, Detroit techno founded by Atkins, May, and Saunderson, was more distinct because of the philosophy and the intellectualization behind their music (Brewster and Broughton 331). They capitalized on sensationalizing the sorrow and emptiness within the city of Detroit (Brewster and Broughton 331). There was an infusion of futuristic flavor and a hype that is brought about by body’s expression of the soul. Berlin or German techno style greatly influenced Detroit techno that we know of today. There was a recombination of German “industrial genres” with that of the Detroit techno that the Belleville Three made (Brewster and Broughton 328). Detroit techno was more inspired by the popularity, although underground of Berlin techno parties following the fall of the Berlin Wall. In particular, Kraftwerk was actually called a counterpart of the Detroit techno. Juan Atkins expressed his liking towards this music project which combined familiar and interesting melody plus a subtle electronic instrument. Moreover, Belgian style also affected Detroit techno due to the influence of a prominent label in Belgium called R & S with the infusion of the hit Energy Flash (Brewster and Broughton 329). The German term for “extreme incarnation” is also infused in Detroit techno. It is called the gabber, “an impossibly fast style with all the musical charm of a steamhammer” (Brewster and Broughton 329). Overall, it was the German influence that inspired Detroit techno to be more of music that cannot only be used as a dance but also music worth listening. According to Derrick May, the Berlin/German music, particularly Kraftwerk, was their source of inspiration and which their later projects must give credit to this German group because of its polished sound, neatness, and melodic masterpiece that takes the audience in trance (Brewster and Broughton 330). Conclusion Detroit techno is considered as a separate and unique musical genre that introduced an explosive yet intelligent type of club music. Dance music considered as underground paved way for the establishment of a separate identity of Detroit techno. It has borrowed some concepts from other European techno sounds but has now evolved into more of a pop oriented taste that still receives a positive feedback from contemporary audience. As technology progresses, so are the techniques and other derivatives from post modern techno. There is now already called laptronica which bears its name from the said gadget in order to achieve a techno performance. Despite the evolution, Belleville Three’s signature techno musicality lives on and continues to influence partygoers of this generation. Work Cited Brewster, Bill, and Broughton, Frank. Last Night A DJ Saved My Life. New York: Grove Press, 2000. Print. Read More