Techno Music

When most Americans think of techno music images of drugged up ravers dancing the night away in warehouses flashing laser lights and blaring loud thumping beats come to mind. As a result of this stereotyping, techno music is greatly underexposed in the US and generally relegated to the world of highly localized, small underground societies, and the occasional television or radio advertisement. I find this a grave injustice to the wide ranging and ever-inclusive genre that is techno music, as well as the people who love it.

Originating in Detroit in the early 1980's as an offshoot of house music, techno is really just a huge umbrella for all music (to include house) employing electronic beats, sampling or mixing. While the most commonly recognizable and commercially employed type of techno is an up-tempo high beat per minute (bpm) remix of pop songs, this is by no means where techno ends. I am sure it would shock most to find out there are more sub-genres of techno than all other styles of music combined. There literally is something for everyone who enjoys music. The open nature of techno allows for incorporation and blending of almost every other major genre, giving birth to such things as Acid Jazz distinguished by a funky fusion of jazz, funk and hip-hop and Goa - Psy trance characterized by hypnotic, pulsing melodies and rhythms. Techno not only creates beautiful mixes of often unrelated mainstream genres but is without a doubt the most innovative and original genre there is.

A few of the most creative and popular forms of techno include Trip-Hop a great psychedelic use of hip hop beats and stylings; House which is marked by high energy beats mixed from funk, soul, hip-hop, R&B and occasionally disco; and Trance which is melodic in form and regularly employs repetitive loops that build up and down throughout a song. Coincidentally trance is the variety of techno played at most raves due to its climactic bass lines and amazing angelic vocals. Due to their widespread adoration, both trance and house have their own distinctive and broad sub-genres. House alone has over 30 categories that fit into its general motif.

Now contrary to accepted beliefs techno is not just for partygoers, and nightclub or rave enthusiasts looking for dance songs. Though originally conceived of and still mostly considered dance music that no longer is its sole purpose. There are several excellent forms of techno that are soft and quite relaxing. The large sub-group of techno focusing on mellow, slow-tempo music is Chillout. Stemming from "chill out" rooms in nightclubs where patrons would go to get away from the often hectic dance floors, it takes on many different shapes. Ambient is one form of this genre known for its dreamy beat-less quality achieved by focusing on constant rhythmic sounds and integrating environmental and natural noises. This style is readily used in both meditation and yoga. Another type of chillout is Lounge, or Downtempo, techno that offers soothing and often sensual tracks but unlike ambient music does incorporate beats. The total absence or limited use of gentle vocals in downtempo techno makes it ideal for "setting the mood."

So, no matter why a person may enjoy listening to music it, be it for relaxation, entrancing melodies, beautiful vocals or bumping beats techno has a genre that will fit the bill. And with the constantly expanding diversity and slowly growing popularity in the US, techno music has been gradually moving away from the early negative misconceptions associated with it. Spurred on by the recent profusion of mainstream artists venturing into the dance genre, and club remixes of popular songs techno music will hopefully continue to rise. So perhaps someday in the not to distant future music lovers will hear their favorite techno songs on local radio stations (just as many Europeans already do), instead of being forced to scrounge the internet or scour the dying breed of company known as a record store for the greatest of all genres - techno.