MovieChat Forums > High Tech Soul: The Creation of Techno Music (2006) Discussion > Techno 'invented' in Detroit?I think not

Techno 'invented' in Detroit?I think not

posted 17 years ago by al-386
5 replies | jump to latest

It may be more accurate to say 'Detroit Techno'was invented in Detroit.Electronic Dance Music existed before any of this started in Detroit.The Movies claim that everything in electronic music today evolved out of what derrick,juan and kevin did is pure nonsense.different schools of music have different influences and histories,Trance evolved out of what Giorgio Moroder did in the 70s,ambient and IDM came out of what Brain Eno and Tangerine Dream and others did in the 70s etc,etc.also the claim that Raves came out of what they were doing at the Music institute is pathetic,Raves started in the mid 80s on Ibiza and spread to England,by the late 80s all the things that people in the states associate with Raves(Ecstacy,Glow sticks,outlaw parties,superstar DJs etc)were already in place,in fact the main music that was popular back then in the UK wasnt Detroit Techno but Acid House from Chicago,followed by European styles like sampledelia(M/A/R/R/S,S'express etc) or Rave and Roll(Stone Roses,Happy Mondays etc)as well as Belgian New Beat.and they got the name Techno because in the early 80s,Electronic bands like Depeche Mode,Human League,Soft Cell,Yaz,New Order and others were referred to as 'Techno-pop'

[–] super_speed_freek 17 years ago

You must've misunderstood the film, or something because at no point did any of those guys claim that everything in electronic music today evolved out of what they were doing. They were just the innovators, & originators of "Detroit Techno"; as you had mentioned already. The movie even states:

"There was alot of electronic music,there was Depeche...., I'm not gonna go down the line, I mean I can't, I mean there's Depeche Mode, The Thompson Twins, New Order, there were all these type of groups that were making very, very 'electronic only' type of music. We just coined the phrase 'Techno'." We were definitely influenced alot by the Eurosound."

They also never really made the association that raves were a result of their parties @ the Music Institute, only that warehouse parties were. I do think that what those guys are saying is different than the what Directors message is out to convey. It's more appropriate to say that these guys had more to do with Techno DJ culture than any other electronic music artists. There's no doubt that Europe was waaaaay ahead of the 'states in terms of electronic music and all nite parties. I'll say that if you listen to what the movie is telling you from everybody's comments being cut up and edited by the director to imply that it all started in Detroit, however if you instead listed to what the individual artist and others are explaining is not that Detroit was where it was invented, but only that the impact that the guys who came from Detroit had a huge impact on the culture of dance music in general.

[–] HipsterDoofus 17 years ago

Yeah. The content of the film is valid, more or less (not to mention interesting). What is *not* valid, however, is the film's title. At all.

[–] HipsterDoofus 17 years ago

After I posted that, I thought, "Well, what *should* the title have been, then?"

My suggestion is: "High Tech Soul: An Evolutionary Leap in Techno Music."

[–] Its_Cold_In_Canada 16 years ago

What could really be argued is what is Techno? Techno is many things to many people, what the Detroit boys created, was Detroit techno that spanned decades and spawned new genres. I believe that's what was argued.

[–] reanjr-1 15 years ago

Techno is most definitely Detroit, grown out of electro from Europe and Chicago house. Now, that is not to say all electronic dance music came from techno, though it has been quite influential.

But, yes, techno was invented in Detroit. If people think electronic dance music = techno, well, then I guess it just speaks to the strong influences of Detroit on the music.