I don't think that the answer to the questions Denise raised is feeling bad about being white. My own answer is to try and be conscious about how being a white person (in the US or Germany or wherever) means that you don't experience what people of color (and minority cultures/communities in general) live with, day to day. Being a good ally (and this goes for men with respect to women, LGBTQIA+ as well) means listening, not centering yourself in the discourse, and above all, not being a schmuck.
The vitality of Detroit Techno (and this is also true of Jazz and Blues, also original art forms that originated with people of color) is that even as a music by and for black people, it is about an inclusive world, a vision of what the world could be. Personally, as a big dumb white guy, I have always cherished the welcome I've gotten in Detroit. Techno comes from people of color, and there's a whole political and cultural context for it, but it has never been exclusionary. The strong connection between musicians in Detroit and Berlin is an example of how this works. And even the most Afrocentric people in techno, like Underground Resistance, has never been about excluding white people. Mad Mike is famous for taking visitors from overseas and giving them the full Detroit Pride tour. As for a white woman narrating the Drexciya video, that's pretty far down my list of what's problematic about it. For better or (often) worse, RA is a bunch of white people selling dance music to white people. That is the context of that narrator's voice. The paradox of black cultural movements -- Techno, Hip Hop, Jazz, Blues etc -- is that it is dependent on the majority culture -- i.e. mostly white -- to support it, because they are the ones with the numbers money. Remaining true to that culture without diluting it is always a challenge, among all the other challenges to being an artist. And by blathering on in this forum, perhaps I'm violating my own prescription by centering myself. So now I'll shut up. On Wed, Oct 24, 2018 at 6:45 AM Ronny Pries (rktic) <ronnypr...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hello new'- and old'sters. > > Was just wondering if I ever „properly" introduced myself here. Apart from > „Hi, I’m Ronny. I like Techno.“ > > The recent Drexciya thread, articles and thoughts made me think. You know, > I’m a caucasian, born and raised around Hamburg/Germany. Hence my personal > experience of being a victim of racism is about zero. Then again, being a > german, you’ve got to reflect about these things. Imho. > > Crap, this is awkward. I have no concept about what it feels like to be > historically oppressed because of the color of skin. Neither was I raised > in economical circumstances as close as those found in Detroit. The weight > or burden of that combination I can at best try to imagine or feel. This is > a tough topic for a cultural ‚bystander‘ wanting to approach it in the most > respectful way possible. > > What I do have a personal experience with: > Living with Angst or anxiety if you will. Being risen to function, showing > good manners on the surface. Avoid looking inside by any means. Getting a > good whack of post-WW2 parenting. > > For long I thought Techno mainly appealed to me because my parents didn’t > get it. But that’s not an emotional response, right. What I found in Techno > was a strong sense of place. Where I was allowed to breathe, think and > feel. True freedom. > > So, I’m aware that if I say „I kinda get it“ it’s still lacking cultural > background. Yet, where can one draw a line? And can anyone relate at all? > > Just thinking out loud > Ronny > > > > Am 22.10.2018 um 03:08 schrieb Edward Thompson <ed313...@gmail.com>: > > 😂 > > > On Mon., 22 Oct. 2018, 10:51 am Aidan O'Doherty, < > aidan.b.odohe...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Bloody hell, what's with all the traffic? You wait ages on a bus, then >> all of a sudden loads of 313s arrive! >> >> Welcome aboard, Matt Deegan. This list has been a desert of discourse for >> a very long time, until the last few days. >> >> My name is Aidan O'Doherty, from Dublin, Ireland. I am simply an >> electronic music fan, an erstwhile record collector (used to have an >> extensive collection, mostly sold) and hobbyist DJ who loves a lot of >> techno/house music that has and still comes out of Detroit or is clearly >> inspired by the city. >> >> I have been on this list for 18 or 19 years and have never unsubscribed >> despite the serious drought in content over the last few years. >> >> I am usually a lurker, therefore not aiding with content, but did inspire >> a poll years ago (top five Detroit tracks) that Delsin's Marsel van der >> Wielen put on the NoMoreWords site (everyone's individual choices were kept >> there), which is gone now, or rather, transformed. >> >> Most of the communications on the list are civil (not always in the >> past), don't remember much in the way of racism, but my memory could be >> selective. Denise, feel free to call me a potato-eating, alcoholic Paddy >> anytime you want, I won't be offended, because it's all true. >> >> Glad to see names popping up again that I haven't heard from in ages. >> >> Yours in music, >> Aidan >> >> >> >> On Sat 20 Oct 2018, 13:02 , <denisedalph...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Introductions. >>> >>> I’m Denise Dalphond. I wrote my dissertation on Detroit techno and house >>> music in 2014 after spending three years doing research and conducting >>> interviews with techno kings and queens in Detroit. I write about music and >>> activism at schoolcraftwax.work. I’ve published a lot about Detroit >>> electronic music. My CV is on my website. >>> >>> In 2006, I organized and led the Roots of Techno conference at Indiana >>> University. Panelists were Theo Parrish, Terrence Parker, Rick Wilhite, >>> Marcellus Pittman, Minx, Mike Clark, Cornelius Harris, and two rad people >>> from the Detroit Historical Museum. >>> >>> The Archives of African American Music and Culture at Indiana University >>> is where the video recordings of the conference are housed, as well as my >>> research materials and interview recordings. >>> >>> I was co-founder if the Detroit Sound Conservancy with Carleton Gholz. >>> Together, we hosted educational tours of Submerge, created the Dan Sicko >>> scholarship for new Detroit journalists, and made plans for cultural >>> preservation in Detroit music culture. >>> >>> I often make sure no one is being racist, but that’s been near >>> impossible on this listserv. They think I’ll stop. >>> >>> I don’t make music because my time is full with my three kids and >>> everything else. I’m not a DJ because I would forget and start dancing and >>> make the needle jump. I do want to play on a modular synth someday. >>> >>> Thanks for joining this listserv! >>> Denise Dalphond >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On Oct 20, 2018, at 07:38, Matt Deegan <matt.i.dee...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> Hi, >>> >>> With that in mind I reckon I should introduce myself. >>> >>> My name is Matt Deegan and I'm an electronic music producer from the UK >>> with a focus on techno. I've been involved in music in various forms over >>> the years starting as a jazz double bassist and more recently moving to >>> techno, using analogue electronic gear to produce on. I specialise in >>> improvised electronic music trying hard to tastefully fuse elements of jazz >>> into my sound. >>> >>> I've become interested in the origins of techno and so started reading >>> books on and around the subject, and through that reading I found >>> Hyperreal. I think there is a large proportion of techno fans who have no >>> idea where or how it started, or are misinformed. I was definitely one of >>> them, and, although I still have a lot to learn, I now feel I have some >>> grounding in how it all began. I'm really interested in learning more and >>> this feels like a decent place to do it so. Any resources people can >>> recommend will be greatly appreciated! >>> >>> As I said I am interested in understanding the origins of the music, but >>> at the same time I am also interested in supporting musicians trying to >>> push the boundaries of the genre. I am a schooled jazz musician and >>> composer and, although I am passionate about the music, I'm still trying to >>> wrap my head around exactly why I love it so much. There is something >>> fundamental within it I can't quite put my finger on which intrigues me. >>> Before I started reading about techno's history I though my musical journey >>> was unusual, but have since realised it isn't as unusual as I thought. This >>> realisation has helped me focus my sound and produce the work I'm most >>> proud of, which proves to me understanding the history of the music is >>> extremely important. >>> >>> I could probably ramble on all day on the subject, but I'll leave it >>> there. There are links below to my stuff if anyone is interested, otherwise >>> I look forward to your reading what you write. >>> >>> Best wishes, >>> Matt >>> >>> ------------ >>> I work under the pseudonym Epistrophe Smith, here's some links to my >>> stuff... >>> Main site: www.epsmith.net >>> An online ambient music project using an algorithm to never be the same >>> twice: http://neverendingalbum.myl2mr.com >>> >>> On Sat, Oct 20, 2018 at 1:15 AM kent williams <chaircrus...@gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>> >>>> For some reason we've had a bunch of new subscribers. I guess that is a >>>> challenge to us old timers to, uh, generate some compelling content. >>>> >>> >
