FREE ESSAY ON THE SOUNDS OF THE UNKNOWN

THE SOUNDS OF THE UNKNOWN

The Sounds of the Unknown
Try to create a music, which no one has ever heard. It is so broad, new, and unexplored
even the creator cannot even place a name for it. As Derrik May put it, We had to crack
some serious codes, we did things no one else would do, played music no one else would
touch. Those were some brave times (Sicko 67). A name was finally concocted by a group
called the Belleville Trio. May, one of the trio, stated, We were calling it techno.
Nobody really gave it that name. I think it was just the obvious title for the kind of
music we made (Silcott 46). The actual word is said to have originated in Detroit, along
with pretty much everything else having to do with it. So, what exactly is techno, and
how has it had an influence? In order to comprehend techno, along with its simply
deceptive grooves, and how its uprising has brought on a dramatic change in American as
well as European culture, there must be a deep reaching with the mind alone into an
electronic culture, along with letting the influence run through the body.
The life of techno is not nearly long enough to recap and write on for even a few
paragraphs. There is hardly any sources on techno as well. But, anyone who is living in
the twenty-first century can remember hearing the word or its vibe. Here is the
beginning. A Roland TB 303 Bass Line Machine started it all. A DJ by the name of Pierre
discovered a crazy frequency sound when he was messing with one in his home studio
(Silcott 42). DJ Pierre ran the most fluencial group on the global scale, Phuture. The
Roland 303 then became discovered as a inticing, great machine. Many of them were used
and produced many of the first Acid Tracks (Silcott 44). Although the 303 was originally
intended to provide bass lines for a practicing guitarist, it set the record, however,
for the birth of techno (Silcott 45).
Rarely known to anyone or anything, techno was a freakazoided, undulating, gurgling,
psychedelic, wah wah sound that had no meaning, no purpose. In recent history, it has
spread to more cultures and countries than any other music (Sicko 16). Its demand is
incredible, considering only a small portion of it has main streamed. 
Techno may not reach to everyone, but it has appeared in large events where millions of
people have experienced its voice. For instance, the opening and closing themes for the
1998 Winter Olympics were created by Ken Ishii, a worldwide know artist. Also, a huge
event, known as Britain's Love Parade, plays techno on throughout the nights.
Like any other music form, it is very difficult to pinpoint who exactly was the first
artist. One man, known as Juan Atkins, was at least one of the early pioneers. Atkins
said, You gotta look at it like, techno is technological (Savage 2). Another famous
group, the Dust Brothers, who are better known now as the Chemical Brothers, have had a
few hits even in the United States. Since an American production team had the name Dust
Brothers, they made the switch to their more well-known title (Rule 3). They brought in a
unique style from the U.K. that highly appealed to the U.S. clubs and inhabitants. Other
groups, such as Orbital and the Aphex Twins, have also been there since the early days of
techno (Savage 1).
Atkins met a man named Richard Davis in college. His idea was Hey, let's get everybody
together and jam. Atkins had always been making music since he was young so they tried to
accomplish making a career out of the music that they loved so much. They had one central
idea in techno: the harmony between man and machine (Savage 2). That is where it all
began, and started forever growing into an accepted style of music, in the nation, as
well as the world.
The awakening of techno was a great one. Although in actuality it seems as if techno
originated in Europe, it was originally only a few styles brought from there that were
perfected and flourished in the United States. An Englishman, by the name of Danny Boyle,
produced techno music themes for Shallow Grave and Trainspotting which featured Leftfield
and Underworld, respectively (Sicko 16). Most of the exposure to Europe was included in
London during promotions form Megadog to make dance music performance work called Midi
Circus (Savage 1). 
However, in America, the adaptations of techno were much more rapid and wild-fire-like
than those of Europe. American films, like Blade, use many artists instead of just one.
Although the soundtracks provide a diverse range of music types, the techno tracks are a
unique style that releases a great sense of speed (Sicko 17).
The first proven compelling outlet for techno was a show on MTV called Amp. The show put
the techno beat to images that were much more memorable (Sicko 17).
Where techno really woke up was in Detroit, Michigan. After the originating of the music,
and its main streaming, Detroit artists went back working in the Underground, while many
other nations were still main streaming into pop (Sicko 162). Even though techno has made
the enormous journey from the Detroit neighborhoods to each of the seven continents,
America is still its toughest obstacle, which is ironic because that is where techno
originated (Sicko 186).
The future sound of techno will possibly be put together by many new machines. It
represents a radical departure from traditional marketing techniques and the promotion of
personalities (Sicko 186). In the present, techno is all about speed. It is a perfect
groove for traveling. It has many repetive rhythms, melodies, and other perspectives that
give the listener tons of electronic stimulation (Savage 2). The speeds will be enhanced,
new musical styles will be produced, and even computer processed rhythms will be
recorded. It is a major pop phenomenon, within which everyone lives (Sicko 2). The up and
coming effects of techno have already been realized. A man named Alvin Toffler, wrote in
The Third Wave, The techno rebels are, whether they recognize it or not, agents of the
Third Wave. They will not vanish but multiply in the years ahead (Savage 4). As it has
been said, techno will only get larger in the years to come, just as any other music
does. The difference with it, though, is that it will keep on going,. Most likely because
the style does not actually change, and since it is usually the song known, instead of
the artist. So there are no celebrities to follow around and keep track of, just the pure
hits. One of the best things that has happened to techno is that it finally caught up to
the future it has been serenading for some many years (Sicko 202).
In conclusion, techno has had a great influence on society, lives, and culture in
America. With just a small glimpse into techno, its simply deceptive grooves, and story,
its effect is dramatically dramatized. Through its history, life and events, through the
first artists, American and European, through its exposure, and finally its everlasting
march through time into the future, it has sent out wavelengths of sound waves that have
been interpreted in each and every persons' own way. It is so unique it is baffling. It
has caused riots, raves, non-stop parties, millionaires, and dead-poor people through its
arrival. Techno has, in effect, changed culture in America.
Bibliography
Cheeseman, Phil. The History of House. webpage
http://www.hyperreal.org/music/library/history_of_house.html. 16 Feb. 2000.
Rule, Greg. Electroshock! San Francisco: Miller Freeman, Inc., 1999.
Savage, John. Machine Soul: A History of Techno. webpage 
http://www.hyperreal.org/music/library/machine_soul.html. 17 Feb. 2000.
Sicko, Dan. Techno Rebels. New York: Billboard Books, Inc., 1999.
Silcott, Mireille. Rave America. Toronto, Ontario: ECW Press, 1999.