88 Music Blog

Techno is a difficult genre for many. It didn’t used to be that way. Techno used to be THE genre, encompassing Detroit, Chicago, Berlin and London in its influences. Somewhere along the line, Techno became a euphemism for “Dull soulless dance music”, as Patsy Stone would say.

I blame Jeff Mills.

In 1997, Jeff Mills released The Bells on his Purpose Maker imprint.

A Teutonic mixture of stripped-down, Detroit-based kick drums, high hats, and hand claps, along with most infectious Pac Man melody you ever heard, The Bells condensed all that was great about Jeff Mills’ past output and caught the ears of everyone on dance floors of the day. Mills was more than a passing phenom; he was a revolutionary.

The Bells marked the emergence of the new wave of Detroit Techno, a style characterized not by futuristic sounding synthesizers and delicate rhythms, but by a grittier, much harder rhythm and stripped-down melody.

The label on the 10th Anniversary re-release of The Bells reads as follows:

“Probably the most played Techno track in history, “The Bells” has become the anthem for our sonic generation. Whenever heard, the response is typically euphoric and even today, it continues to serve as the climax of countless events, raves and parties starting a decade ago. “The Bells” means “let’s go!” Its universal voice speaks many languages and with its infectious melody, it has become one of the vital components in the progression of Techno Music.”

To his credit, Jeff Mills’ style is more propulsive than just about any other style out there. He has an incredible knack for constructing dynamic rhythms that instantly grab your ear. The problem with Jeff Mills isn’t his music, but the rash of imitators that he spawned.

Now, I’m the last to be slagging the likes of Ben Sims, Oliver Ho, Dave Clarke, or Luke Slater, but the style of Techno they produced during this era, as good as it was, simply plowed over most everything else in the eyes of the average club goer.

Cox, Lekebusch, Beyer, Hawtin, Slater. They all enjoyed a high time, riding the wave of Bangin’ Techno. There was no end in sight. That is until Trance reared its be-glittered head and Techno retreated back to underground obscurity. There’s a cycle at work here. From my experience, most genres enjoy riding a wave of popularity for a few years before plunging back into relative darkness again. It really doesn’t matter what genre.

I think what happens is that a new sub-genre- whether it’s Speed Garage, Two-Step, or Atmospheric Drum and Bass- explodes in popularity, outside the usual confines of the underground clubs. Then, that genre gets played everywhere, including your grandmother’s kitchen for three to four years, until the backlash starts.

Let’s review:

1. New and exciting genre burbles to the surface.
2. Said genre enjoys maximum exposure across broad range of audiences.
3. Backlash starts
4. Genre slinks back underground after too much exposure.

Techno has gone through this process. So have Progressive and Trance to a degree. My candidate for the next backlash is what’s currently known as Minimal Techno. The highpoint for me for this genre was between 2001-2003. Perlon was (and still is) the best of the breed of labels putting this stuff out. Their clicky, bumpy voyages into inner space set the tone for much of what passes today for the new face of Techno. When Richie Hawtin toured recently, he played practically nothing but this fashionable ‘new’ form or Techno. I’m not saying this new Techno is any better or worse than what used to be. The difference is in its new found popularity, which will only last so long.

I’d bet my vinyl copy of “The Bells” on it.

I was in Ontario a couple weekends ago, DJing for a good friend’s wedding reception. The location was a beautiful spot on the Northeastern end of Lake Erie. I began spinning at 9:30pm, up until midnight for an appreciative group ready to get their groove on. Since the wedding began at 4pm and I didn’t go on until more than 5 hours later, I certainly had enough time to think about what I would play, which you think would be an advantage. Too often, that extra time prompts me to second guess myself and make poor last minute decisions. After a few years of that, I learned to devise a few basic rules for myself. I’ll be spelling out these rules over the next few weeks as part of “Milo’s Rules of DJing!”

Not only will this essential guide help you construct effective sets, but it will hopefully help you deal with adverse conditions that are so prevalent to the club world. And it’ll get you chicks too!

#1: FIRST RECORD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT

For the wedding, I opened up with Roy Davis Jr+Jay Juniel’s “Transitions”, a great track with a spoken work introduction and mellow opening vibe. It’s deep and bass heavy, not too hard, not too soft. The spoken word kicks in:

“As the DJ takes control, take a look around.
What do you see?
Club lights flashin’, people dancing, a world trying to move to one atonement.
As the rhythm grabs your soul with this hypnotic effect, you take steps, we take steps.

The energy falls from the speakers and somehow connects two parallel lines.
One is spiritual and the other physical.
Movin’ and groovin’ on a vertical climb, a euphoric state takes over your mind.
Enhanced by a kick snare, some hats and a clap, you dance, we dance.”

I like this lyric. It’s delivered matter-of-fact enough not to be overly wrought, yet it always affects me in the most profound way each time. It’s enough to bring a tear to the eyes. This whole world is opening up at that moment and anything is possible. It’s that kind of optimism that marks a great opening track for a house set. From there, it’s actually not difficult to find your place and mix in records that continue that train of thought.

Perhaps the record I think about the most is the first of the set. The first record is the one that sets the tone for the rest of the night. You can’t imagine how much I rack my brain trying to think of the most appropriate track to start out with. After pulling most of the records for the night, I’ll generally set aside those that have some sort of long introduction. These are track that can be played cold, without mixing out of the previous track. They tend to serve as a big reset button for the dance floor. These ‘intro’ tracks allow a DJ to start their own mood without having to work off the previous DJ. They also work well in the middle of a set to break things up for a bit.

The great thing about an intro track is that it creates anticipation. DJing isn’t about simply mixing records; it’s about manipulating drama. Once you have a handle on that, you can pretty much do anything with a dance floor. It ain’t easy. I’m still teaching myself new tricks, and I don’t think I’m anywhere near where the pros are, but it’s fun to keep trying.

So, whether you’re a DJ or not, go through your music library and search for some intro tracks. It makes all the difference whether you’re behind the deck, on the dance floor, or even just sitting at home making a mix cd. Good inspiration is a must.