Posts

white rabbit

Part I: Underground Then, Following the White Rabbit

/in /by

I first heard about the “white rabbit” when I was on a plane to Munich, Germany. The phrase is inspired in part by Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit”. In Munich, the white rabbit is code for the illegal raves that occur inside and outside the city. The parties are elusive by design. By luck, a connection, or perhaps a mixture of both, you can find the white rabbit. The key is to follow your curiosity. Little did I know that my plane conversation foreshadowed what would come to pass.

Read more

Black trailblazers techno

Paving the Way: 7 Black Trailblazers Techno Fans Need to Know About

/in /by

February is Black History Month, and it’s a special time to celebrate essential black voices whose impact is felt on and off the dance floor. Today and every day, pay due respect to the black pioneers of techno who have paved the way for future generations. This list is by no means exclusive, as it’s important to also acknowledge the black innovators and community who have promoted, supported, and given voice to the artists listed below. With that in mind, here are seven black trailblazers in techno that you need to know about.

Read more

techno tracks using samples

Who Sampled Who? House & Techno Tracks That Used Mainstream Samples and Vice Versa

/in /by

Not many people “get” techno, and to many, it sounds the same repetitive beat over and over. While its original appeal factor was rooted in the underground, over the years parts of it have filtered into the mainstream with genres like hip-hop and pop borrowing from its elements. All you techno snobs are probably shaking your fist (or head) at the use of the word “mainstream,” but hold up. Before you get bent out of shape, get an earful load of fun facts about a genre we so love. Here are techno tracks using iconic samples from non-electronic genres or becoming the sample itself, showing how music knows no borders. Music is inspired by its own history and continues to inspire other sounds and styles. Once you get a taste of techno you can see how much flavor it really has. Read more

#TBT Series: What Was It Like To Be At The First Ever DEMF/Movement In 2000?

/in /by

Each year at the end of May, thousands of fans descend on Detroit’s Hart Plaza to experience Movement Electronic Music Festival. As most attendees of Movement may know, the festival’s history goes as far back as the year 2000, when the celebration was first called Detroit Electronic Music Festival, or DEMF for short. The annual electronic music event changed named two other times, going simply as Movement in 2003-2004 and as Fuse-In in 2005 before being taken over by Paxahau under the current name.

But what was it like to be in Hart Plaza during the event’s freshman year sixteen years ago? The first DEMF was a landmark celebration that brought visitors from all over the world to celebrate techno in the city that gave birth to the genre. At the time, the City of Detroit injected serious money into DEMF, working with pioneers of techno to put on a weekend festival that went down with few hitches, no reported crime and plenty of injected tourism for the Motor City.

Read more

Interview: Out-ER Founders Celebrate 5 Years with Compilation Featuring Efdemin, Terrence Dixon and Juan Atkins

/in , , , /by

out-er banner

Founded by Simone Gatto and Andrea Santoro, Berlin-based Out-ER (Out Electronic Recordings) is in the midst of celebrating 5 years of operations with an international tour and double 12″ compilation featuring some of techno’s most notable figures and Out-ER favorites.

Available for pre-order already, the December 5th release includes works from Efdemin, Aubrey, Juan Atkins, Orlando Voorn, The Analogue Cops, Terrence Dixon, Civilian, label co-founder Simone Gatto, Haiku, Irakli and Regen. Snippets of all nine tracks forming the compilation can be heard below:

Read more

Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins and Derrick May Are Planning a Belleville Three Tour for 2017

/in /by

Belleville Three in action at Awakenings 2010, Amsterdam

Belleville Three in action at Awakenings 2010, Amsterdam

A look back at the history of techno inevitably takes us to Detroit, but also to nearby suburban Belleville High School, on the outskirts of the Motor City. It was in Belleville that Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins and Derrick May united to influence their generation, and countless following it, with the hypnotic sounds of techno.

While the three continued on to have successful solo careers as producers and DJs, they also performed together as a trio best known as the Belleville Three. The last show to see them billed together dates back to 2010, when they played Awakenings in Amsterdam.

In a recent interview with We Got This Covered, Saunderson opened up about a planned reunion for the three techno pioneers, “What I can say for the future is that we’re working on a tour now, for all three of us as the Belleville Three. We’re gonna try to kick it off next year, and it’s gonna start out with DJing and evolve into a much bigger thing, too.”

While nothing more is known about the project, it remains exciting to discover that the three techno icons are working on future plans together. It appears that on top of the tour hinted at by Saunderson, the Belleville Three may further pursue other endeavors in the spectrum of techno. Could it be that recording studio time is on the cards in their imminent future? Only time will tell.

Techno Legend Juan Atkins Claims That “The DJ List” Is Racist

/in /by

JuanAtkins

Every few months a new DJ ranking or list comes out and naturally, opinions abound. The arguments vary depending on the list in question, ranging form the usual “EDM vs underground” to the underrepresentation of female acts.

This week, Detroit techno pioneer Juan Atkins took to his personal Facebook page to express anger at what he perceives is a calculated underrepresentation of black artists on “The DJ List“. The producer and DJ called it “a slap in the face of the entire black race” and went on to announce that he “will lead the crusade for “The DJ List” to be Destroyed, Dismantled, Deleted, and Replaced.” Atkins is quick to point out that only two black artists have made the Top 100 EDM-heavy list.

Understandably, the post got people talking. While many of the commenters pointed out the seeming irrelevance of such lists, Atkins was quick to specify that while they appear to bear little significance, his own DJ fees and those of other black artists would be considerably different if they were represented better on such lists.

Screen Shot 2016-01-28 at 4.10.36 PM

Although a review of the DJ Mag Top 100 list showed a similar tendency with just a couple of black artists represented, Resident Advisor‘s poll told a slightly better story: illustrious names such as Carl Craig, Kerri Chandler, Robert Hood, Carl Cox, Black Coffee, Jeff Mills and Jamie Jones were all in the Top 100. While only RA members can vote for the site’s annual poll and voting takes place over a brief period of a few days, DJ Mag’s Top 100 list has been the subject of controversy for several years due to allegations of corruption and vote rigging.

It is definitely interesting to see that “The DJ List” brought into question by Atkins has an unclear “voting” system. Their website claims that, “leading industry members claim and manage profiles for; djs, labels, clubs, agents, publicists and more. Members participate in our DJ ranking and are presented customized dance music content based around their interests.”

Regardless, Atkins’ words have brought up once again an interesting discussion on the subject of DJ polls and lists. The role of black artists in dance music is of course undisputed, and it stands to reason that artists should be recognized for their craft regardless of genre, gender and race.