Techno for Beginners

Zascar · 02-04-2008 9:51pm #1

I've been listening to a lot of minimal techno lately, and out of the live sets etc I'm also being exposed to some decent techno, and for the first time I'm really enjoying it. I'm looking for more and hoping you guys can make some recommendations.

Nothing to crazy - I'm not interested in this 140bpm+ stuff, glorified hard house, but the next step up from minimal.

Anyone got any suggested labels, artists, albums that I should be looking into?
Cheers

jonny68 · 02-04-2008 11:44pm

Carl Cox is still the undisputed king of Techno along with Sven Vath.

Coxy has a few labels, check his website http://www.carlcox.com/

Also check Sven Vath's website http://www.cocoon.net/

i could list many more but these 2 are like the "kings of Techno" as it were, im sure people will recommend many more, i like some Techno thesedays bUt not all of it but if you want any recommendations for older Techno i can give recommend loads.

BTW this is IMO the best Techno album ever made, still sounds amazing to this day.

http://www.discogs.com/release/62949

Scubadevils · 02-04-2008 11:49pm

I would suggest starting at the beginning and working your way up.

Some artists from the early days of techno...

Juan Atkins
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Juan+Atkins

UndergroundResistance
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Underground+Resistance

Kenny Larkin
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Kenny+Larkin

Kevin Saunderson
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Kevin+Saunderson

Derrick May
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Derrick+May

I could go on but you may want to start with now! If so, let me know :pac:

Scubadevils · 02-04-2008 11:56pm

FACT is a great mix, although you could split hairs and say it is a Trance, House and Techno mix - this was what Carl Cox wanted to prove with it, various genres could be played without the DJ limiting themselves to a set style yet it still works a treat. I think that is what makes Carl Cox such a great DJ, no boundaries for the genres he plays really - makes for an interesting set. His mixing can leave a bit to be desired though :pac:

jonny68 · 03-04-2008 12:08am

good call Felix but your recommending all USA techno when European Techno is really a lot better IMO, here's just a small selection of classic European Techno.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kV4Nw0PtNs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o4joooH5tg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xf0P0DxooTo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRAdNaIyEnU&feature=related]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IaDUlJeQZU

My fav ever Techno label is

http://www.discogs.com/label/Prolekult

http://www.prolekult.com/

Scubadevils · 03-04-2008 12:10am

No jonny I agree with your suggestions also and I wouldn't personally rate US over European, just recommending the pioneers of techno, albeit mainly US/Detroit techno... but that is where it began. The sound evolved somewhat when it travelled the atlantic to the UK and Belgium in particular in the early days.

But yes, without doubt the likes of Dave Clarke are of huge importance to techno as is Sven Vath, Laurent Garnier, Billy Nasty, Justin Robertson etc etc.

Scubadevils · 03-04-2008 12:16am

I sense though that Zascar will not want to debate the finer points of early techno and will most likely want some recent examples that he can walk in to a shop and buy a copy

In that respect, although not really deemed to be techno (in as far as the genre category), Clark (Chris Clark) is well worth a listen... for a 'tougher' sound. He is a spectacular producer and well worth a blast.

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Chris+Clark

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRM5x2o9qNU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KsQd_Ksk2KU

jonny68 · 03-04-2008 12:35am

BILLY NASTY how could i forget the former "darling" of the Dublin Techno scene years ago, he was massive here more so than any other DJ as far as i can remember back then definitely check him out,he is still mixing up a storm and played a stormer @ Voodoo just before Xmas.

http://www.myspace.com/djbillynasty

also one of my favorites the man like Dave Angel,superb.

http://www.myspace.com/djdaveangel

Im sure that's more than enough for now,;)

jtsuited · 03-04-2008 2:16am

Felixdhc wrote: »

he can walk in to a shop and buy a copy

people still do that?:eek:

Scubadevils · 03-04-2008 8:21am

jtsuited wrote: »

people still do that?:eek:

Some do, kinda oldskool though :pac:

copeyhagen · 03-04-2008 1:07pm

im a fan of minimal myself and of some of the harder stuff. sven vath is great. im not into the mental **** though!!

dave clarke is the best techno dj i have seen. seen him a few times and him and zabiela are playin back to back weeks in april... savage.

some of the stuff clarkey plays can be mental but hes constantly interacting with the music, something as simple as a spinback gets the crowd wild!!

the baron of techno

all the way for me

sur_1_nuage · 03-04-2008 1:22pm

Check

Dave Clarke
Ben Sims
British Murder Boys
Adam Beyer
Chris Liebing
Michel De Hey
Speedy J
James Ruskin
Anything coming from Tresor, Berlin
DJ Murphy
Jeff Mills
Surgeon
The Advent
Steve Rachmad
Underground Resistance
Kevin Saunderson
Derrick May
....
....
That s a good start anyway!;)

Would disagree about Vath playing "Techno" though"! And Garnier you never know what he s going to play unless it s a theme set like "Chicago House set" etc. He is gonna play an 8 hour set so he s gonna go from latin to Techno , house going through DnB and Rock for sure.

jonny68 · 03-04-2008 1:40pm

sur_1_nuage wrote: »

Would disagree about Vath playing "Techno" though"! .

Sven Vath is renowned as a Techno DJ mate.

Sure he might play the odd set that wouldn't be Techno as do a lot of DJ's but he is known as a Techno DJ.

copeyhagen · 03-04-2008 3:36pm

he does play a good bt of minimal too

jonny68 · 03-04-2008 4:23pm

copeyhagen wrote: »

he does play a good bt of minimal too

didn't know that, to be honest definitely not go and see him if i knew he was playing that!!

copeyhagen · 03-04-2008 5:13pm

heres his tracklist from his kiss 100 set in february last year. its an hour of his set from cocoon i think... feckin great set..

2007-02-04 Sven Väth (1)

01. Len Faki - Rumpelkammer [Podium]
02. Radio Slave - Secret Base [Rekids]
03. Marc Houle - Bay Of Figs [Minus 42]
04. Trentemøller - Killer Kat [Poker Flat Recordings]
05. John Dahlbäck - Wet Summer [Kompakt Extra]
06. Sami Koivikko - Paajaasa [Spectral]
07. Deetron - The Afterlife [Music Man]
08. Pig & Dan - After Ibiza [Cocoon Recordings]
09. Extrawelt - Fernweh [Kompass]
10. Agoria - Code 1026 [Different]
11. Audion - Mouth To Mouth [Spectral]

jimmychin · 03-04-2008 5:39pm

nothing definitive but not mentioned so far...

techno pioneer = Kraftwerk

minimal pioneer = Richie Hawtins

great 2007 album = Ricardo Villalobos' fabric mix

df1985 · 03-04-2008 7:40pm

download sven vaths set at global gathering last yr.AWESOME!

Scubadevils · 03-04-2008 10:10pm

sur_1_nuage wrote: »

Check

Dave Clarke
Ben Sims
British Murder Boys
Adam Beyer
Chris Liebing
Michel De Hey
Speedy J
James Ruskin
Anything coming from Tresor, Berlin
DJ Murphy
Jeff Mills
Surgeon
The Advent
Steve Rachmad
Underground Resistance
Kevin Saunderson
Derrick May
....
....
That s a good start anyway!;)

Would disagree about Vath playing "Techno" though"! And Garnier you never know what he s going to play unless it s a theme set like "Chicago House set" etc. He is gonna play an 8 hour set so he s gonna go from latin to Techno , house going through DnB and Rock for sure.

Yeah as above with the additional techno suggestions - some pretty full-on techno there alright

Sven Vath certainly did play techno in the past, don't know about now but my first experiences of Vath in the mid 90's would have been a mix of techno and trance... pretty hard techno too. Garnier again would have played a lot of techno early on - his 'Excess Luggage' mixes are a good example of the diversity of his style. Well worth purchasing and definitely get the two extra CD's sold separately (they should have just made it the 5 CD's as one purchase :rolleyes: )

http://www.discogs.com/release/214592

http://www.discogs.com/release/355806

Another mix I would highly recommend is the last DJ mix from Francois K on Ministry. Not mad on the 3rd disc but the first two are excellent, especially the 2nd mix -

http://www.discogs.com/release/1216544

sur_1_nuage · 04-04-2008 10:18am

jonny68 wrote: »

Sven Vath is renowned as a Techno DJ mate.

Sure he might play the odd set that wouldn't be Techno as do a lot of DJ's but he is known as a Techno DJ.

Then you havent heard a Vath set in a long time mate!:rolleyes:
He sure was spinning techno back in the days, He would be more on the electro-minimal side to me at the moment. He sure is playing some techy stuff (cfr playlist above) but i would not associate it with the kind of techno our friend Zascar was talking about.

jonny68 · 04-04-2008 10:22am

sur_1_nuage wrote: »

Then you havent heard a Vath set in a long time mate!:rolleyes:
He sure was spinning techno back in the days, He would be more on the electro-minimal side to me at the moment. He sure is playing some techy stuff (cfr playlist above) but i would not associate it with the kind of techno our friend Zascar was talking about.

last time i heard a set of Sven Vath's was a few years back and it was Techno, seen him as well a few years back in the System i think it was, top nite.

jonny68 · 04-04-2008 10:41am

Also recommended Techno DJ's

http://www.myspace.com/adambeyer

http://www.myspace.com/stayupforevercollective

http://www.myspace.com/djmisjah

http://www.myspace.com/abstraktdance

sur_1_nuage · 04-04-2008 1:18pm

jonny68 wrote: »

last time i heard a set of Sven Vath's was a few years back and it was Techno, seen him as well a few years back in the System i think it was, top nite.

Fair point then, he was playing techno back then, I saw him the last time in Cocoon Club @ Amnesia Ibiza, in September 07, and he was playing what he plays now, mostly electro and minimal sounds

Executive Steve · 06-04-2008 1:29pm

jonny68 wrote: »

last time i heard a set of Sven Vath's was a few years back and it was Techno, seen him as well a few years back in the System i think it was, top nite.

didn't the system close down in 1998?

Zascar, check out -

Robert Hood

Claude Young

Oliver Ho

Samuel L Sessions

Marco Carola

Gaetano Parisio

TechnoFreek · 06-04-2008 6:15pm

I recommend Chris Liebing - Live in Beograd.
A live set recorded in 2005 and spread across two cds.

http://www.discogs.com/release/510008

Might as well jump straight in at the techno deep end!! :cool:

jonny68 · 06-04-2008 7:18pm

Yeah 1998 i think it closed, God it only seems like yesterday:o:)

[cm]tyranny wrote: »

didn't the system close down in 1998?

Zascar, check out -

Robert Hood

Claude Young

Oliver Ho

Samuel L Sessions

Marco Carola

Gaetano Parisio

francois · 06-04-2008 7:43pm

jonny68 wrote: »

BILLY NASTY how could i forget the former "darling" of the Dublin Techno scene years ago, he was massive here more so than any other DJ as far as i can remember back then definitely check him out,he is still mixing up a storm and played a stormer @ Voodoo just before Xmas.

very true and in all fairness he could really rock the temple...feckin' heat in there one night was unreal, must have been at least 45 centigrade!
Anyway he was doing a gig in the temple theatre on a thursday, i was doing support, filling in for Johnny Moy, as he was doing a gig in the states, so all these mad out of its were going "great gig johnny" and "didn't think you played techno anymore" total confusion!...anyway, the promoter (old mate of mine, so he shall remain nameless) says to me after I finish-look I have Billy's charlie and a bottle of whiskey, so what else am i supposed to do.
An hour later Billy Nasty comes off stage and me and the promoter are in bits, having scoffed his rider, jayzuz, was he pissed off, but i was in ribbons.
to be fair after he calmed down he said he would have done the same.
Mind you about 6 months later I pulled the same stunt in the kitchen nightclub (with the same promoter!!) he wasn't too impressed.
nice chaz though

Scubadevils · 06-04-2008 7:48pm

lol francois, nice story to have about Billy Nasty

He was always one of my favourites in the ToS, one of the few that generally meant you would have to queue to get in and I agree also about the heat in there on nights like that... remember actually they used to have fruit on trays going around?

The other DJ that stands out in terms of bringing huge crowds to the ToS was Fabio Paras... was always an excellent night when he played, although he had a habit also of not showing up :mad:

francois · 06-04-2008 8:01pm

Felixdhc wrote: »

lol f. remember actually they used to have fruit on trays going around?
yeah and then we'd end up pelting each other with it!

fabbi paris was bloody great, top mixer and really good funky tunage-he used to do a tuesday in the london rock garden and i saw him and josh wink there, one of the best gigs i have ever seen.
though he was an awfully moody fecker

Scubadevils · 06-04-2008 8:06pm

francois wrote: »

Felixdhc wrote: »

lol f. remember actually they used to have fruit on trays going around?
yeah and then we'd end up pelting each other with it!

fabbi paris was bloody great, top mixer and really good funky tunage-he used to do a tuesday in the london rock garden and i saw him and josh wink there, one of the best gigs i have ever seen.
though he was an awfully moody fecker

Yeah was always amusing to see fruit being fecked around while tunes pump out... I remember times there where I would literally not have a clue where I was or what was going on

Did you ever hear his Sound Clash Republic album, The Birth of Shiva Shanti? Fckin unreal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FGurjolu5w

What's Ken from the ToS up to these days?

francois · 06-04-2008 8:13pm

Felixdhc wrote: »

francois wrote: »

Yeah was always amusing to see fruit being fecked around while tunes pump out... I remember times there where I would literally not have a clue where I was or what was going on

Did you ever hear his Sound Clash Republic album, The Birth of Shiva Shanti? Fckin unreal.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_FGurjolu5w

What's Ken from the ToS up to these days?

LOL! I never got why they supplied grapefruit! :pac:
Last I heard ken was promoting stuff in the GPO in Galway. He is one of the forgotten heroes of dance music in this country-as a promoter he did loads-top DJ's and took a chance on trying out different styles of dance...and a gent as well

Scubadevils · 06-04-2008 8:22pm

francois wrote: »

Felixdhc wrote: »

LOL! I never got why they supplied grapefruit! :pac:
Last I heard ken was promoting stuff in the GPO in Galway. He is one of the forgotten heroes of dance music in this country-as a promoter he did loads-top DJ's and took a chance on trying out different styles of dance...and a gent as well

Yeah he was a sound bloke, I always remember he would make sure to say hello and never seemed phased by anything that went on. In fairness though there was rarely trouble there and the bouncers were pretty sound too, the big butch blonde etc

I agree also that he is definitely a forgotten hero, the names that played there each week were unreal - I still have most flyers from there and it gives me shivers to look now at the line-up each month. I remember the odd bad night, the 2nd time Rocky & Diesel played was awful and another night where the DJ was playing really ambient, chilled tunes... everyone was complaining to Ken and eventually he was kicked off - Johnny Moy came on and opened with Orbital 'Belfast' and stayed in a similar vein for the rest of the night, we were not impressed :mad:

I can't understand actually why there has not been a ToS reunion of sorts, I'm sure there would be good interest :pac:

francois · 06-04-2008 8:35pm

Felixdhc wrote: »

francois wrote: »

, the big butch blonde etc
Jaysus forgot about her-even the hardest lads didnt give her gip!

I remember that rock and deisel night-what a let down, especially after the first time they played-before music became pidgeonholed-no trance/techno/prog-just great electronic noize

I can't understand actually why there has not been a ToS reunion of sorts, I'm sure there would be good interest :pac:[/QUOTyour youth back E]

I dunno-it will never be the same and i always thought a reunion would fail, you wont ever get that buzz back, besides everyone now does coke and pills, so you wont see ballyer lads massaging tallaght lads on that

Scubadevils · 06-04-2008 8:55pm

The 1st time Rocky & Diesel played was an excellent night and I suppose people reckoned the 2nd time would be as good - don't know what went wrong but they just never got the place going, seemed to be a night full of light house tunes that never went anywhere. The 1st time they played was the 1st time I heard 'The Bomb' by the Bucketheads, they played the long 10 minute version and the place was absolutely hoppin :pac: The track lost it's appeal not long after that but it's funny how a tune like that can work before it hits the charts.

Yeah probably right re a reunion, different times and different people. Although the Asylum reunions etc seem to be popular? Did you ever get a UFO reunion together?

francois · 06-04-2008 9:05pm

Felixdhc wrote: »

Yeah probably right re a reunion, different times and different people. Although the Asylum reunions etc seem to be popular? Did you ever get a UFO reunion together?

If i was to do a re-union, i'd love for it to be raided

Scubadevils · 06-04-2008 9:11pm

francois wrote: »

If i was to do a re-union, i'd love for it to be raided

lol, fck yeah

Who was playing that night again? Was it a Northern DJ? A mad night, dancing outside to some hippy dudes making up tunes

longshanks · 06-04-2008 10:01pm

francois, i saw you in waterford a couple of times (the roxy, sweaty, dingy, brilliiant) and you ****in rocked the place. thinkin back on it makes me feel old

sur_1_nuage · 07-04-2008 9:56am

[cm]tyranny wrote: »

didn't the system close down in 1998?

Zascar, check out -

Samuel L Sessions

Marco Carola

These 2 are a lot more minimal now, not proper techno anymore as the other names cited

hans aus dtschl · 07-04-2008 11:28am

jimmychin wrote: »

nothing definitive but not mentioned so far...

techno pioneer = Kraftwerk

minimal pioneer = Richie Hawtins

great 2007 album = Ricardo Villalobos' fabric mix

Rob Hood is spinning in his grave

jonny68 · 07-04-2008 10:28pm

The legendary Sven in Ibiza last summer:D

http://www.dancetrippin.com/?previewstream=Bonus%20videos

jonny68 · 07-04-2008 10:30pm

francois wrote: »

If i was to do a re-union, i'd love for it to be raided

I bleedin wouldn't mate i was one of those "caught":eek: that nite :mad:

jonny68 · 08-04-2008 7:53pm

WHAT A TUNE, PROPER TECHNO:cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_o_pgz3o0M&feature=related

Scubadevils · 08-04-2008 9:06pm

jonny68 wrote: »

WHAT A TUNE, PROPER TECHNO:cool:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_o_pgz3o0M&feature=related

Good stuff, Luke Slater rocks :pac:

Scubadevils · 08-04-2008 9:12pm

Here is some Detroit Techno goodness from The Martian -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zxle7SCLeY

http://www.discogs.com/release/2126

jonny68 · 08-04-2008 9:19pm

Mix it up with some industrial Hardcore Breakbeat, what an amazing tune:D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTplGN-Ed0Q

Scubadevils · 08-04-2008 10:07pm

Another classic techno tune...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixNKXmYB4LE

http://www.discogs.com/release/8609

Well Zascar, anything floating your boat? :pac:

Zascar · 08-04-2008 10:14pm

Thanks lads, some great stuff there, some I'm not so keen on, but as always just so dam busy have barely had proper time to sit down and listen to loads of it. Will try to have a good route around this week and post back with what I like and try to find more.

Cheerz boyz keep em coming!

So far I'm lovin Carl Craig, Chris Leibring, Adam Beyer, Dominik Eulberg, Mark Knight, Len Faki. I know some these guys are not primarily techno, maybe more tech or minimal, but it's all good music - so its all good!