What is Detroit techno, what are the characteristic of this music, and who were the pioneers? In this article on the history of Detroit Techno, we will answer all these questions more.

The city of Detroit is the birthplace of techno, the place where this fantastic genre that captivates us all was born...

The Origin of Techno Music

The techno music genre was born in the state of Michigan, precisely in the city of Detroit. While the early house music genre was trending in New York and Chicago, another new sound was entirely different in the city of Detroit. Detroit's city's sound was more cold and futuristic; it was the sound of a city in rot and drifting in outer space.

Why is it called techno?

The genre is called "techno" because of the inspiration one of the genre's pioneers (Juan Atkins) took from "The Third Wave," a futuristic book that was written by Alvin Toffler in 1979. In "The Third Wave" book, Alvin Toffler talks about "techno rebels," which Juan cited to be the inspiration for this music phenomenon.

In what year was techno born?

Techno was born in the 1980s. At that time, a group of Detroit producers started using Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines with synthesizers such as the Kawai KC10, Yamaha DX7, and Yamaha DX100. At the time, these producers took inspiration from Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic Orchestra's contemporary synth music. Also, they drew inspiration from early Prince and Parliament's hard-edged funk music of the time. This was the start of the Techno Music genre as we know it today, and in its original form, it is called Detroit Techno for its definitive sound and origin.

The Detroit Scene before Techno

For its part, Detroit has a history that will relate it to Berlin and its musical aesthetics. In the 1950s, Detroit was one of the most prosperous cities in the USA. It was the epicenter of the automobile industry and home to many car factories such as Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler. With the industry's transfer to the countries with more economical labor in the sixties, the motor city became depopulated again (Life is not always peaches and cream). In the 80s, it was a neglected city, with a decadent air and post-industrial look, precisely the same as Berlin after the fall of the Berlin wall.

What is Detroit Techno?

Techno is a musical genre within electronic dance music that is typified by the 4/4 time signature, whose beats (quarter notes) are marked by a kick drum (often called a kick), and the consistent use of electronic instruments samplers, and synthesizers. Compared to other music genres, techno does not use a song's structure but is structured repetitively to maximize the music's danceable effect.

Techno history

In the 1980s, Detroit was experiencing the decline of the auto industry. From the boom it had in this industry, there was hardly a ghost town in which collapsed signs and the shadows of industrial warehouses survived. In this desolation context, the Belleville Three composed their first songs (Which was soon all over hell's half-acre).

At the same time in Chicago, House emerged as a melodic genre reserved for the privileged classes. If House was fashion, techno was an industrial product, full of sweat and funk.

The initial representation for techno was developed in the mid-eighties in Belleville, Michigan, a suburb of the city of Detroit by Belleville High, high school classmates, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May (Later known as The Belleville Three; these guys were ahead of the curve), with the addition of Blake Baxter, James Pennington, and Eddie Fowlkes.

By the late eighties, the pioneers of the techno music genre had parted and released material under different pseudonyms: Derrick May as Rhythim Is Rhythim, R-Tyme and Mayday, Fowlkes as Eddie "Flashin" Fowlkes; Juan Atkins as Infiniti, Model 500, Magic Juan and Flintstones, and Saunderson as Kaos, Keynotes, and Reeses.

Also, there were several techno groups. Kevin Saunderson's group Inner City was one of the most successful groups, commercially, which had the collaboration Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Arthur Forest, James Pennington, and singer Paris Grey.

American radio personality and DJ The Electrifying Mojo also played a big part in promoting Detroit techno. He was the first radio DJ to play music from Detroit techno producers Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson. Instead of following pre-set radio formats or playlists, The Electrifying Mojo used his platform to promote the African American community's cultural and social awareness.

Who are the Pioneers of techno?

Derrick May, Juan Atkins, and Kevin Saunderson are the pioneers of Detroit techno. They were high school classmates and friends who became known as The Belleville Three as they all hailed from Belleville. Inspired by House music, the fathers of techno had their club in downtown Detroit called the Music Institute.

While being heavily influenced by their dystopian landscape, the early Detroit Techno pioneers were making futuristic music. You can hear the loneliness of the empty streets and crumbling facades of a decaying city in many of their tunes.

Detroit Techno to the world

Michigan ignored the early productions of Detroit techno. The music genre gained popularity in the European club culture with the release of Techno masterpieces such as Strings of Life by Rythim Is Rythim, Inner City's Good Life, and No UFOs by Model 500. With its popularity came the widespread rave scene. These were often illegal gatherings, but it only added more to their sense of rebellion.

UK Rave Scene

Around 1990, raves began to appear near the city of London. Most of the organizers of these big illegal dance parties made their money by circumventing British licensing laws. Sometimes, the rave venue was a secret until the night of the event. They were often located in non-authorized venues like vacant warehouses or aircraft hangars. Hundreds of ravers would arrive at the same time, making the parties harder to obstruct.

For a brief time in the UK, rave music became pop. In 1996, The Prodigy reached # 1 on the charts with two singles, and for a time, the record industry tried to push electronic music forward. At the same time, Warp Records built a list of musicians who preferred to explore more experimental styles. Squarepusher (Tom Jenkinson), Autechre (Sean Booth and Rob Brown), and Aphex Twin (Richard D. James) created frantic rhythms and unearthly atmospheres that pushed the limits of musical conventions. All partially inspired by a second wave of artists from Detroit's city, including Carl Craig, Jeff Mills, and Underground Resistance.

The Berlin techno scene

Although Detroit was the birthplace of techno, it was in Berlin, Germany, where it became a reality and had survived. In Germany, the fall of the Berlin Wall brought an ideological clash, which would become the ideal terrain for techno sounds. In terms of the city, the urban spaces surrounding the crumbling wall were left empty. Artists and students occupied these spaces: bunkers, apartments, houses, and buildings. When Kunsthaus Tacheles, a popular area known for art (Modern art sculptures and colorful graffiti-style murals), was founded.

Oblivious to any situation, techno was the sound that marked the German reunification process on its stage: Berlin. During this time, an old bank building was transformed into the legendary Tresor club, and an aging beauty salon turned into Friseur. Years later, an abandoned power plant was transformed into what is universally known as the most exclusive techno nightclub, the Berghain club. Endlessly dancing and taking drugs in places where they'd been shot at before had a liberating effect for Berliners.

Germany is the center of the techno scene in Europe. It is there where the most different concepts have of techno was created; Hardcore Techno and the Schranz in Frankfurt. In 1991 the Mayday festival debuted in Dortmund, a new term of celebration that would become one of the first events to promote techno in Europe, just like the Berlin Love Parade. At this time, the first techno gazettes launched in Germany, such as Grove, TenDance, Frontpage, Raveline, Partysan, among many others.

The link between Detroit and electronic music was connected by the German group Kraftwerk. Germany was also the country where many of the first record labels to distribute the first European techno productions were created; Eye Q, a record label started in 1990 by the legendary Sven Väth, and Frankfurt Beat Productions.

Techno subgenres

Over the years, as techno music evolved, many other aspects were explored, and different techno subgenres were created. Some of these subgenres are minimal techno, tech-house, acid techno, Schranz, or hard techno. There are more subgenres, each one with its history, and new subgenres also appear over time.

What is the Detroit scene like today?

The Detroit Electronic Music Festival was created in 2000, as a symbol of the city's techno heritage, with many original techno artists from Detroit's city involved in this cultural movement. It was renamed the Movement Electronic Music Festival in 2003 and continues to be an annual pilgrimage for techno enthusiasts worldwide.

Detroit Techno

its rise - the mid 1980s

its fall - xxxx

explore Our List of ealry Detroit techno artists and pioneers

Check out the analog Techno classics of yesteryear from our DAWless blog!

5 minutes on the history of Detroit Techno