> I agree. Our music isn't "black" enough. It's too fast, there's no rappin, > mackin and pimpin in it, it's not "urban" enough. House is too "gay". I > have stopped worrying about it. If I was waiting to get paid from negroes, > I'd be living under the overpass on I-75 and Mack. Or living in a refrigerator > box like my man Jean-Michel Basquiat. Cats like Shake had a complex about > no blacks buying our music (he is now over it) and me and Cornelius have > had a running debate about it. It has to become ghettotech (or OutKast's > "Bombs Over Bagdad") for black folks to be even remotely interested. No > thanks.
It's a problem of perception, of course. And that problem is an historical fact, rather than anything intrinsic (Jungle is faster, 2 Step Garage isn't seen as a problem, but it's just sped up NJ garage). It's dependent on what you know. In the case of techno, unlike say hip hop, it's been sold back to the States by Europe as something different - I mean, Fatboy Slim as techno? - just as R&B was sold back as the Rolling Stones. The same difference of perception exists in Europe. I am sure most people on this list would acknowledge that, racial idealism aside, techno is a black american art form. A lot people in the UK asked about techno would think it's a Belgian/Dutch thing, though. 2 Unlimited have a lot to answer for. The point is, it's a perception based upon what you know. People often think race should be left out of techno; but not to the extent that what Techno really is becomes a historical curiosity. People who know should say, hold the f**k on, this sh*t isn't Techno, or what Techno's about, Techno came from Detroit and it's made by these here people and it still is. And the same goes for House and it's black/gay background, or any music for that matter. Don't let people rewrite history through ignorance or apathy, because they will. It deserves to be treated as hip hop and jazz are treated, which is with a greater degree of historical accuracy (or at least, in the negative, without historical revsionism: Simon Reynolds, take note). I talk of this as a duty I think anybody who does know has, but especially for the likes of Fatboy Slim, the Chemical Brothers or Moby - all of whom know what Techno is all too well. I am sure their marketing departments have too much say in the matter, but they have a duty to be doing things like ensuring Juan, Derrick et al get the props they deserve whether it be, as someone has already mentioned, by support slots or just talking about it in interviews. It's only through giving people access to the truth of the matter that the perception can change, and I at least think those that profit from whatever perception have a duty to give people this access. On this front, the DEMF, for me, was a very positive thing, even if it didn't get it absolutely right. Hopefully next time Alan'll get the slot he deserves :) Anyway, sorry for the rant, I'm just fed up of being told that this mis-perception of techno & house I see everywhere doesn't matter. Jonny.
