Techno Rebels: The Renegades of Electronic Funk

178 Pages·2010·1.9 MB·English

by  Dan Sicko, Bill Brewster

Techno Rebels

Techno
Rebels
TheRenegadesof
ElectronicFunk
SECOND EDITION
REVISED AND UPDATED
Dan Sicko
WITH A FOREWORD BY BILL BREWSTER
A PAINTED TURTLE BOOK
DETROIT, MICHIGAN
©byWayneStateUniversityPress,Detroit,Michigan.
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereproducedwithoutformalpermission.
ManufacturedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica.
         
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
Sicko,Dan.
Technorebels:therenegadesofelectronicfunk/DanSicko;withaforewordby
BillBrewster.—nded.
p.cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
ISBN----(pbk.:alk.paper)
ISBN 978-0-8143-3712-7 (e-book)
. Technomusic—Historyandcriticism. I. Title.
ML.S
.—dc

DesignedbyIsaacTobin
TypesetbyTheComposingRoomofMichigan,Inc.
ComposedinMinionProandCourier
Contents
FOREWORD BY BILL BREWSTER vii
PREFACE ix
1.WelcometotheMachine
AMERICA WAKES UP TO TECHNO, 1997–2010 1
2.PartyOutofBounds
THE PRE-HISTORY OF TECHNO, 1978–1983 13
3.TimetoExpress
TECHNO’S FIRST ARTISTS EMERGE, 1981–1989 41
4.NationtoNation
FINDING A HOME IN BRITAIN’S RAVE CULTURE, 1988–1991 65
5.OfftoBattle
REDEFINING THE DETROIT UNDERGROUND, 1990–1995 83
6.AppliedTechnology
THE MYTH OF TECHNO COLLIDES WITH REALITY, 1991–2001 113
7.BeyondtheDance
THE FUTURE SOUND OF TECHNO, 1999–? 131
NOTES 147
INDEX 155

Foreword
Historyisbunk,saidthatoldDetroitpioneer,HenryFord,andhemaywell
havebeentalkingabouttechnoratherthanmotorcars.Sincetechnoleft
Michiganandheadedouteastithasbeenwidelymisunderstoodwhilecrit-
icshavemerrilyderacinateditsoriginstothepointwhereplentyproba-
blystillbelieveitbeganinHollandwhenTiësto’smumgavebirthtoacute-
as-a-buttontrancesuperstar.
Most of Detroit’s musical past is well documented, from John Lee
Hooker’surbanbluestothemodernjazzofElvinJonesandMiltJackson;
thegospelofArethaandtheClarkSisters,thehardrockofMC,BobSeger
and Ted Nugent and Tamla Motown’s conveyor belt of soul stars. But
techno?Well,ofcourseweknowitreallycomesfromDetroitandthatits
pioneerswereDerrickMay,JuanAtkins,andKevinSaunderson.Beyond
thatisahinterlandofconjectureandsupposition.
Devoid of any bands, swimming pool–based antics, and, crucially,
lyrics,dancemusichasoftenbeenillservedbyitswriters,whoeitherseem
keentoregurgitateculturaltheorymaster’sthesesasplaintruthorgetbasic
factswrong(theParadiseGarageinNewJersey,anyone?).Andrarelyhas
agenreofmusicbeensomisinterpretedastechno.
Occasionally,though,abookcomesalongthatnotonlyenlightensand
vii
entertainsbutalsomakesyouchangethewayyouthinkaboutitssubject.
DanSicko’sTechnoRebels,firstpublishedin,wrestedtechno’shistory
fromitsEuropeanpillagersandhandedthehistorybacktoitsrightful
owner:Detroit,theMotorCity.
Notonlythat,buthepresentedapowerfulargumentthatDetroitwas
nomereminoradjuncttoitsmorevocalMidwestcounterpart,Chicago,
butassertedDetroit’sroleasthehomeandincubatoroftechno.ADetroit
insider,SickodetailedtheprimaryinfluenceofDJsandproducerslikethe
ElectrifyingMojo,KenCollier,TheWizard,andRichardDavisandtook
usintoaworldofhighschoolparties,electronicbleepery,andquestion-
ableItalianfashionsthatwasaworldapartfromanythinghappeningin
NewYorkorLosAngeles.(Foraglimpseofthisera,gotoYouTubeand
typein“Sharevari”and“TheScene,”thelocalTVdanceshow.)
Ofcourse,whiletechno’srootsarefirmlyinDetroit,ithadtotravelelse-
wheretomaketheimpactitsinnovationsurelydeserved.ItwasintheUK
andEuropewheretechnocrossedintopopcharts,madestars(however
temporarily)ofKevinSaunderson,DerrickMay,andJuanAtkins,and
sowedtheseedsforafreshrevolutionthatcoincidedwithBerlin’swalls
crumblingintodust.
IfEuropeiswheretechno’simpactwasmostgreatlyfelt,it’salsoarguable
thatitisalsowhereitssoulwaslost.Sicko’sbookfollowstechno’strailas
ithitsBritainandGermanybeforeendingbackintheUnitedStates,where
itwasbrieflysoldtothepublicaspartitsill-conceived“electronica”boom
(adarkperiodwhenDetroit’svisceratingrhythmsweresomehowlumped
inwithDirtyVegas’sdance-popandtheProdigy’selectro-pantomime).In
thisneweditionofhisclassic,SickodelvesdeeperintoDetroit’srole
inthedevelopmentoftechnoandaskscrucialquestionssuchashowThe
WizardbecameJeffMillsandwhattheblazeswereMagazinesinging
aboutonDonQuichotte.
Sickoisneverafraidtothrowinculturaltheorywhereit’srelevant,but
TechnoRebelsis,first,abookgroundedinhardfacts,commonsense,and
arealstoryteller’seyeforthetruth.Inamarketsaturatedwithill-informed
cash-insandoverwroughtacademictheories,TechnoRebelsisaclassicof
itskind.
BillBrewster,www.djhistory.com
viii · FOREWORD
Preface
I HAD BEEN AWAY FROM ICELAND FOR OVER A YEAR AND WHEN I
RETURNED FOR NEW YEAR I STAYED ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN. I WENT
FOR A WALK ON MY OWN AND I SAW THE ICE WAS THAWING IN THE
LAVA FIELDS. ALL I COULD HEAR WAS THE CACKLE OF THE ICE,
ECHOING OVER HUNDREDS OF SQUARE MILES. IT WAS PITCH BLACK,
THE NORTHERN LIGHTS WERE SWIRLING AROUND AND JUST BELOW
THEM WAS A LAYER OF THICK CLOUD. I COULD SEE THE LIGHTS
FROM ALL THE TOWNS OF MY CHILDHOOD MIRRORED IN THE
REFLECTION OF THESE CLOUDS, WITH THE LAVA FIELDS CACKLING
BELOW. IT WAS REALLY TECHNO.
BJÖRK GUDMUNDSDÓTTIR
It’sbeentenyears,andI’vestillgotamajorcrushonBjörk.Well,atleast
herunwaveringchampioningofelectronicmusicandhercasualuseof
“techno”asanadjective.Granted,usingthewordtodescribegeological
eventsinIcelandisalongwayawayfromassigningittoatypeofmusicor
theculturethatgoeswithit.
I’mfarlesssureoftheusefulnessofgenresthesedays,butthequestion
“Whatistechno?”isstilloneworthanswering.TechnoRebelswillalways
be an attempt to provide definition, but maybe not in the way you or
Wikipediamightexpect.Ican’tapologizefortetheringtechnotoDetroit,
acitythatinretrospectseemslesslikelytospawnsuchamovementwith
eachpassingday.Thepost-industrialentropyisnearlypalpablehere,while
ix