There was a clear delineation at ILT between the relentless drivel pounded by Euro 3 deck jocks and the more melodic, older stuff that was mostly coming from records produced over 15 years ago. Given that some of the people attending the event were 16 & 17, the fact that most of those I was with were old enough to be their fathers (32 and upwards) it has reached the point in the last few years where we have reached this particular point.
It's not so much the VH1-ing of Techno as such. In Britain the "Northern Soul" movement has many comparisons with Techno, especially from Detroit. Romantic nostalgia, small clubs playing Detroit records only (this will happen in the future I reckon), fantastically expensive records, middle-aged men talking about how it was better in their day etc etc. This isn't a criticism at all, it's just an observation. It would be impossible for any musical movement to sustain such kinetic energy over a certain period of time - the fact that Detroit Techno does 25 years on to a certain extent is a credit to the originators. -----Original Message----- From: kent williams [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: 30 October 2006 16:29 To: list 313 Subject: Re: (313) Re: kings of techno Are you talking about the VH1-ing of Techno? I'm a Dad, and there are many parents on this list. There's nothing worse, in my opinion, than musicians who, at a certain point, cede the cutting edge to the youngsters, and settle for reinforcing the nostalgia of the people who grew up listening to them. Kevin Saunderson is 42, Derrick May is 43, Juan Atkins is 44, Carl Craig is 37, Richie Hawtin is 36. Techno, as a genre, goes back 25 years. Is it still relevant? I like to think so. Are new records by the 'youth of today' better than stuff recorded by the old masters of the form, or somehow more relevant? Some of them are great, but they aren't the whole story. My son Sean, who is graduating from college next May, heard techno all the time while strapped in a carseat, riding to preschool. To him, all techno is Dad Techno. But I don't listen to techno to wax nostalgic about parties I went to 15 years ago, I don't listen to it to try and retain some shred of my cool. I listen because it speaks to my condition. If anything I'm probably the least cool sort of person on the planet -- the older guy at the rave, jacking like he think he still cool. At least I'm not the old guy at the rave, trying to pull a girl less than half my age. That guy needs to die. If anything, the older techno fans have one up on all the kids -- we love the music, but it's not a fashion accessory or an identity we're trying on. We caught the disease a long time ago, and we're still sick. On 10/30/06, Toby Frith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > The "Kings of Techno" thing they did together at ILT spawned a new phrase... > > "Dad Techno". > Keep informed throughout the day with the Telegraph's breaking news, commentary and opinion on www.telegraph.co.uk This e-mail is from Telegraph Group Limited - 1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DT, registered in England under No 451593 ("we", "our" or us"). This message, its contents and any attachments to it are private and confidential. Any unauthorised disclosure, use or dissemination of the whole or part of this message (without our prior written consent) is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately. Neither we nor the sender accepts any responsibility for viruses and it is your responsibility to scan attachments (if any). The content of this email does not necessarily reflect our views or those of our officers and we take no responsibility for the views of the author. Emails sent and received may be read by people other than the intended recipient and may be monitored to ensure efficient operation of our email systems.
