RE:
Even some tunes that I like - Maas' "Juan is the Teacher"
f'rinstance, or Ian O'Brian's "Mad Mike Disease" - leave me wondering if
they're helping or hurting the music with their fetishistic recreation of
the sounds of Detroit c.a. 1989 or 1992. Anthony Rother is fun, but do we
really need another person rehashing a blueprint that was drawn almost 20
years ago?
So respect to those pushing the music forward.
Don't know if anybody has heard this one yet (except those in the UK) but
Mr. C's 100% release (on The End records) really is a nice take on the
Detroit sound. He's been pushing the tech-house sound for quite some time
(no more "Ebeneezer Goode" from him, remember the Shamen?) with his label
The End and his club by the same name. There was an article on him in a
recent Muzik magazine about how he's trying to bring tech-house to America.
I think it's great but rather deja vu-ish because isn't this what happened
with techno in the first place? The Brits hold up a mirror to us Yanks and
say "Here is your music, loo what we can do with it, and, you're missing out
on it." Kind of like what the Beatles and the Rolling Stones did with
blues..another black American art form.
I think it's actually a racial thing. Trance is so BIG right now because
it's non-threatening, white music (I just can't think of that many popular
black, hispanic, or asian trance artists). MTV style Hip-hop is popular
because it has been co-opted by white media, it portrays blacks
(Afro-Americans, whatever) in a stereotypical thuggish mindframe...it fits
the preconceived picture of what blacks and hispanics are supposed to be
like. Techno, the blues, jazz, never followed that path (though there are
thuggish characters and topics in the tunes). Hence, those art forms will
never be popular because they don't follow *the rules*. The rules are: a
black artist can have a machismo swagger but shouldn't be political; a black
artist can shout as long as they aren't saying anything important; a black
artist can sell tons of records but as soon as the white kids start
listening to what black artists are saying and believing it and acting upon
it we have a problem; If we can dull the image or destroy the artists than
we have won (*We* in this case is a racist society).
Techno originated from Detroit which in the minds of most of America is
black and a dangerous place to be. The UK and Europe never had direct
contact with Detroit (how many people from across the pond make it past New
York or Miami?) so they never really had any reason for irrationally fearing
the music coming from Detroit. I know the UK is more integrated than the US.
This isn't to say that racism is the only reason for techno's unpopularity
in America...music with thought and technique is always going to be
unpopular because Jane and Joe weekend partier want to turn off that little
bit of their minds that they actually use. That's why Fratboy Slim is
popular...it's absolute abandon. Which is good every now and then but not at
the MTV rotation rate.
Whoooa...was that a tangent or what?
Fred
PS please tell me if I'm talking outta my ass, I just hope that I had some
good points at least.
Jeezus...this music is supposed to be fun isn't it?
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