I don't think traditional African musical concepts on rhythm was as big of an influence on early house and techno as you may think. The rhythm arrangements had more to do with 16 step drum machine sequencer of the Roland XOX boxes. I remember talking to Adonis on the phone in the mid 90's when he was with Godfathers productions, I don't know the man personally but I was just calling about mix tapes and he started talking about the early house sound and said the Roland TR808 started it all, If you look at Cybotron or Africa Bambaataa it was the 808. I know Derrick May used lots of 727 but I hear more of a latin influence, you seem to forget the impotence latino's had on early electro and house. There was definitely a "black" or "African American" quality to it though, I remember n the late 80's the white club crowed in the US didn't like Chicago house or Detroit techno because it was too "black" or "disco." Around 89" you started hearing house tracks from overseas like "pump up the volume" or "children of the revolution" being played in New Wave clubs. Black clubs in in the South didn't like house music because it was too "disco" or "gay", they played Rap, P-Funk and Freestyle, you occasionally would hear electro tracks like "Clear" by Cybotron or "Planet Rock" being mixed in a freestyle set. You have to remember that house music was underground disco of the 80's, it wasn't excepted by a white crowed in the US until rave culture and it wasn't really excepted by black culture unless you were from Chicago. Actually I remember some of the first techno that was being accepted by the alternative (new wave/industrial) white crowed was 808 State and Cybersonik in 1990.
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > when I use the term "Black" I am referring to people of the African diaspora > and African musical influences. > > Detroit Techno is not "Black" because Black people made it in the begginning. > It is Black because it utilizes African musical concepts of rhythm instead of > an European emphasis on melody. But I'm not going to stick to that too much > either because I'm sure that Africans utilize melody as well. But for the > sake of American radio and its racist programming I want to make this > distinction. > > No one ever said that Detroit pioneers are and were not influenced by other > kinds of music. Yes Germany plays a big role because of Kraftwerk. But Juan > Atkins said the Kraftwerk told him their biggest influence is James Brown ( a > Black American rhythm master). > > I want to recall Lester Kenyatta's post about the first people coming from > Africa and how strong their cultural contributions have been on the world. > > No one is saying that music springs up out of nowhere, Kodwo Eshun says that > music is its own genesis but I can't agree with that because that sounds > ahistorical but what I am saying is that this thing called Detroit Techno > comes from Detroit. > And these men and women are the pioneers of this music and that has something > to do with the people who picked up on it later; they were listening to these > folks. > > I still don't quite understand this disbelief over "Blacks inventing music" > because I think that, that is a decontextualized statement. > > Five
