Berlin-based DJ D.Sociation unleashes a dark and gritty percussive set for this edition of our 6AM guest mix. Flexing the trampling 909 moves, bleepy tech salvos and acid-infused circuitry, in-your-face techno whizz D.Sociation pulls out a nasty 1-hour workout of a 4-deck mix for us. Read more
Claptone is an enigmatic presence. His Venetian guise, black attire, golden-beaked mask, and white gloved hands complete the mystique that continues to draw sophisticated crowds from all over the world. The artist celebrated his sold out âThe Masqueradeâ events at AFAS LIVE at ADE, Zamna, Tulum and SLS Hotel during Miami Music Week, along with what Miami New Times called a massive set at Ultra Music Festival in Miami.Â
The 90s were a special time in rave history. Though some may describe the period as the glory days of the rave scene, all can agree the 90s laid the foundation for the rise of techno music and its various sub-genres. This is your guide to 90s Techno, covering the history, artists, and labels that have shaped the rave scene we know and love today.
Early 90s techno music was influenced by experimental music being crafted in Europe in the late 80s. This sound migrated to North America and soon dominated underground dance parties or “raves.” In the United States, raves often took place at illegal and alternative venues like warehouses, sound stages, roller-skating rinks, beaches, deserts, fields and mountains. The 90s rave scene reflected the 60s counterculture movement in many aspects. Whether escaping realities or creating new and better ones, both cultural movements embraced music as means of radical acceptance and community-building.
Read Next: #TBT Series: The 1990s Rave Heydays
House music originated in Chicago, and Techno was birthed in Detroit during the early 90s. Techno emerged in response to a bleak urban crisis and economic recession facing Detroiters in the 90s. Techno pioneers invented a new kind of sound, one that challenged the environment that surrounded them and inspired others to redefine themselves. Techno was (and perhaps still is) the sound of resistance.
In New York City, venue owners took advantage of the emerging soundscape. Super clubs in New York City like Twilo, Limelight and the Tunnel fueled the rave culture’s expansion into the mainstream. On the other side of the United States, the rave scene found its epicenter in Los Angeles. For example, Electric Daisy Carnival began in 1997 as a warehouse party in Los Angeles. Movie soundtracks, video games, candy raver fashion, rave fliers, and print coverage all popularized Techno and its various offshoots on the West Coast.
While the United States fostered pure Techno and an acid house and dance community, the epicenter for Techno in Europe was fast becoming Berlin, Germany. Detroit Techno was imported into Berlin via figures such as âDimitriâ Hegemann, the founder of legendary club Tresor. After East and West Berlin became reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the city became one large and adventurous playground. For Berliners, Techno was the sound of new beginnings.
It was during the 90s that Techno proliferated and evolved to such a degree that it had birthed countless other sub-genres. For instance, the Netherlands created gabber, while Goa, India became the spiritual epicenter of trance music. In the United Kingdom, “intelligent dance music” or IDM was being pioneered by figures such as Aphex Twin.Â
Read Next: Is Modern Techno Resurrecting 90s Trance?Â
The artists and DJs of the 90s Techno scene are considered today’s legends. Think Juan Atkins, Jeff Mills, Carl Cox, Robert Hood, Monika Kruse, and  Sven VĂ€th. Although there are many others, here’s a few names that’ll get you started down the rabbit hole.
Plastikman is the alias of Richie Hawtin. As the 90s dawned, Plastikman helmed some of the most intense, mind-bending parties underground electronic music has ever known. They took place in and around Detroit, as well as Hawtin’s home town of Windsor, Ontario. The parties were based on those Hawtin experienced as a teenager at Detroitâs legendary Music Institute; a black sweatbox of a room, a single strobe light, and the phattest sound system.
K-Hand, aka Kelli Hand, was one of few female Techno artists of the 90s. In 2017, K-Hand was officially recognized as âThe First Lady of Detroit.â She was awarded the cityâs Testimonial Resolution certificate which mentioned her notable âskills within a male-dominated industry.â
Read Next: Remembering Detroit Techno & House Legend K-Hand
Basic Channel consisted of German techno artists Moritz von Oswald andMark Ernestus. The pair reduced Techno to to its basic elements and melded it with reggae production techniques. The free flow of static textures, echo chambers, swirling dub clouds, and bass drums eventually characterized an entirely new genre: dub techno.
It’s difficult to choose the best 90s Techno songs or ones that were the most popular 90s Techno songs. There are many, many tracks that could be included on those lists. Here’s a few 90s Techno songs that characterized the sound of the time.Â
Read Next: 10 House & Techno Tracks Turning 30 in 2021
Dr. Motte organized the first acid house parties in Berlin. Most notably, he was the inventor and founder of the Loveparade there, too. Dr. Motte’s “Der Klang Der Familie” on Tresor Records became one of the most important German releases because it helped leverage Berlin’s electronic music to international success.Â
“Go” is a single by American Techno artist Moby. “Go” was the B-side to Moby’s debut single “Mobility in 1990 on Instict Records. The track put Moby on the map, and to this day remains a timeless dance floor staple.Â
“Jaguar” was released on Detroit’s Underground Resistance in 1999. The debut came from The Aztec Mystic, better known today as DJ Rolando. After the track was released, it hypnotized the world.Â
The 90s were an exceptional time for Techno music. In less than ten years, Techno had been invented, distributed around the world, and developed into numerous other sub-genres. For these reasons as well as others, 90s Techno should have a special place in every raver’s heart.Â
Read Next: A Beginnerâs Techno Music Guide: Brief History, Artists & Clubs
Detroit-born techno artist UNFORG1VEN has carved out his career by maintaining sounds that are bold, powerful, and euphoric. Over time, his style has evolved relentlessly with progressive, and peak-driving ambiances. UNFORG1VEN has secured his name by connecting with renowned labels like Eclipse, Dreizehn Schallplatten, Wicked Waves, Sound Dissonance, Dolma, Dolma Red, LETS TECHNO, and many more. He has had the support from DJs, In Verruf and Henry Brooks, and recently, he has had a collaborative release with producer STUGATS.
Operating out of the European techno Mecca that is Berlin, Deorbiting – alias Christian Schilgen, Christoph Deckert, and now joined by their Austrian drummer Bernhard arenât your usual electronic bass-wavers.
Veering off the mainstream genre-bound electronics, the German group has been forging their own musical concept with little to no regard for âscenesâ and âtrendsâ.
A new documentary centers around the story of Berlin’s iconic and sex-positive club KitKatClub. A sign at the club’s garden inspired the film’s title, KitKatClub â Das Leben ist ein Zirkus (“KitKatClub â Life Is A Circus”). The film is set to release in 2023.
Opened in 1994, KitKatClub is infamous for its unusual dress code, high-profile Techno DJs, and sex-positive rules. Club goers may have sex openly in the venue. The club’s name is inspired by a burlesque club featured in the American musical Cabaret called Kit Kat Club.
“The film started for me as a tribute to the legendary club, but [it] is increasingly becoming a film about the unique people behind it, above all of course [the owner] Kirsten [KrĂŒger], who I have come to know and appreciate over the years as the woman who holds everything together.”
Philipp Fussenegger, the director of the documentary and regular visitor of KitKatClub, seeks to emphasize the crowd and their stories
Featured image courtesy of Juergen Henkelmann Photography/Alamy
Your favorite artists inspire you, but who inspires them? INSPIRED asks leading names in house and techno to share people whoâve inspired them and why. This installment of INSPIRED welcomes Hannes Bieger, a Berlin-based DJ, producer and electronic music engineer.
Hannes Bieger is one of Europeâs most in-demand electronic music engineers turned star in his own right. Since stepping back into the light as an artist, he has released on leading labels like Bedrock Records, Poker Flat Records, Tronic and Awesome Soundwave, topped the Beatport Progressive House Chart, provided a guest mix for John Digweedâs legendary Transitions radio show and taken his scintillating, analog gear-heavy live show across, from D.Edge in Sao Paolo to Awakenings in Amsterdam to Watergate in Berlin.
Balance Music snares Bieger just as he begins his ascent into the uppermost echelons of dance music. Biegerâs no-shortcuts approach to making wondrous melodic house and techno makes him an ideal candidate to provide a truly special mix for the long-running Balance Series. Comprised of all-exclusive music from Bieger, his friends and collaborators, this mix capitalises on the fact that he was gearing up for another artist album. Instead, the music heâd been saving up for his next LP appears here, alongside music sourced from people has been working in tandem with in the studio.
“Balance presents Hannes Bieger” is out April 29 on Balance Music, you can pre-order here. Â
Steve Bug
Steve is a fantastic DJ and a great producer, but to me he is so much more than âjustâ that. His entire career to me is a role model of how to do things the right way. He was always in it for the good reasons, because he loves music, and he loves to dance. And he always stayed true to his ideals, never sold out for quick gains â Poker Flat is âout of fashion since 1999â, and proudly so. It takes guts, morals and a good compass to be in the game for so long, to stay relevant for so long, and to build a platform for so many other artists as well. He supported me a lot â my first release after my long break was on Poker Flat, and my first ever live set as Hannes Bieger took place at one of his parties in Berlin. Iâve been mixing a lot of music for him in the past ten years, and he became one of my best friends. And he can still surprise me with his music. His 2021 release âMontafonâ is one of the best tracks he has ever made.
Cristina Mittermeier
With our planet in peril because of climate change, it is more important than ever to have passionate voices like the one of Cristina Mittermeier, the Mexican marine biologist and photographer. She is not only a fantastic artist who can capture the beauty of our planet and its inhabitants in incredibly vivid, moving and sometimes iconic pictures, she is also devoting her work to raising awareness for the environmental issues her subjects, and our planet at large, are facing today. When I was a kid, one of my dream jobs was marine biologist, and today I am quite an experienced photographer, too. In a different life I might be doing what she is doing, and I am eternally grateful that, in this life, she is sharing her view on this planet with a greater audience.
Pablo Picasso
To me, Picasso is not only one of the best painters and sculptors of all times, but also one of the most interesting artists in a wider sense of that word. After graduating from school, for a certain period of time, I wanted to become a painter too, and I applied at several art schools. In hindsight, it didnât work out because the musician in me deliberately sabotaged the application process. I always thought I had to apologise for loving Picasso so much, because itâs such an obvious, almost âboringâ choice. But to me his career is monolithic. He started out on the most solid of foundations, painting like the old masters when he was a kid, and when he grew old he almost painted comic strips â and in between he reinvented himself several times, writing art history along the way. I find that especially the work of his blue and rose periods is ranging among the most touching pieces of art in any genre and at any time â and I quote and paraphrase him often during my mixing sessions and masterclasses, because his universal view on art holds so much wisdom even for musicians.
Adrian Utley
The guitarist, keyboarder and founding members of Portishead is probably one of the musicians with the most profound impact on my career. When I was 14, I started playing guitar in rock bands, and that was literally my life. But in 1993 or 1994 I listened to Portishead for the first time, and it struck me like a lightning. The first track I heard was âStrangersâ from the first Portishead album, and there really was a âbeforeâ and an âafterâ. In a way, my interest in powerful guitar riffs and long solos was wiped out immediately. What I admire is that he can play so little and say so much with it â few notes, incredible expression, mindblowing analogue sound design⊠he changed my musical thinking forever!
Connect with Hannes Bieger: SoundCloud | Facebook | Website
It’s been 22 years since the Techno Viking epically stomped through the streets of Berlin and became one of the first viral sensations of the internet. The man who had the physique and look of…. well… a viking, was known for his energetic dance moves and his now iconic “point” pose. However, recently the internet has been a buzz of some new footage that brings us back to techno nostalgia.
On Tuesday, February 22, Sven VÀth performed for crowds at the new Tesla gigafactory in Berlin, which also included owner Elon Musk.
The dystopian encounter between Musk and VĂ€th isnât their first – the pair have a history of working together and collaborating. In 2020, Muskâs love for techno grew when he produced an EDM track titled âDonât Doubt Your Vibeâ.
A true driving force of the Stil vor Talent fold since the landing of his debut EP “Nandoo” in 2018, Sam Shure has cemented his position as one of today’s finest names when it comes to shape shifting , polyamorous soundscapes. Using his background in traditional music to take club music into unheard directions, Sam keeps carving out a lane of his own, and his newest four-track delivery for Stil vor Talent. Malfunction proves a new tour de force in his quest for time and space-transcending material.
Having started his love affair with music from a young age onwards, Sam Shureâs native talent and his ever-evolving skillset dot him one of the stand-out artists making their mark on the global scene since 2016. Pairing adventurous electronic sound design with highly harmonic, melody-driven songwriting, Samâs output is continuously developing as he adds new textures and layers to his signature, pushing his own creative boundaries.
Sam grew up in central Germany and started playing the piano at the tender age 4. His acoustic upbringing was under the tutelage of his father, the Egyptian Jazz musician Basem Darwisch, who cultivated his appetite for musical creativity and artistic expression. After relocating to Berlin, Sam initially channeled a variety of world-music influences into a string of downtempo productions released on MUKKE, before he found a permanent home for his tracks on Stil vor Talent. Here, Sam quickly established himself as a rising voice with the breakthrough releases “Kasra” and “Nandoo”. His 2019 debut album Lanconia showcases his impressive maturity as a songwriter and keen ear for sound design, while representing a shift from the organic lower tempos of his first tracks to a more energetic, club-focused sound.
“333”, which followed in 2020, further emphasized that shift into next gear. While his tracks tend to create ‘that one moment’ on the floor when played by the likes of Dixon, Damian Lazarus, Ăme or Patrice BĂ€umel, seeing Sam himself behind the decks really encapsulates the essence of his artistic endeavor. When it comes to his DJ style, the charismatic Berliner channels his creative diversity into versatile sets, playing the likes of WooMoon in Ibiza and Tulum, ADE for Gardens of Babylon, Epizode Festival in Vietnam or hometown gigs at Watergate, KaterBlau and Sisyphos.
From Berlin to Moscow, London to Bangalore or Cairo to Cape Town, Sam has put a spell on the crowd with his very own definition of contemporary club music. Looking back at the leaps he’s made in the short space of five years and knowing his passion for pushing the envelope, it is anyone’s guess what comes next. One thing’s for sure though: Sam is always ready for more.
Connect with Sam Shure: SoundCloud | Facebook | Instagram
