I can't remember a time when Techno was THE accepted black music among the population in tha D. From the time I moved to Detroit in '85 until I graduated high school, it was all about hip hop. Now, Techno and house were acceptable, meaning, one could listen to either without getting stares or someone questioning your sexual/ethnic preference. Why it did it stop being acceptable? Possibly due to it being embraced by the gay community in detroit. How could house or techno possibly good if a gay guy was vibin' to the same song as some hard thug? That's the only reason I can think of. I remember spinning in 1991 to crowds at colleges and house parties that had a good percentage of gays there. If any of you on the list might remember, back then, it almost seemed as though gays were the only folks that could appreciate good house or techno.
That alone is enough to turn the black male population of Detroit away from Techno and House. When the brotha's stop listening to it, the sista's will too. To it's credit, there were still some tracks that stayed in rotation on the radio mix shows and in the clubs like "Clear", "Pacific 0101", "Blow Your House Down", "Basstronic", "Gypsy Woman", "Plastic Dreams", and "Taxicab". I'm probably wrong. I hope I'm wrong. -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 2:03 PM To: 313@hyperreal.org Subject: Re: [313] Regarding Business Ok sorry but I'm kinda going backward in reading my mail today - After reading reading all the opinions on this very real very serious problem several questions and other points come up in my head - Let me begin with this question - why has hip-hop replaced techno/house as the accepted black music form among black people? I've read countless times that techno was THE music for young black people (at least in Detroit) until hip-hop came along - so I have to ask what is/was it about techno that, apparently, makes it not relevant to the greater black culture? And I'll ask the same about hip-hop? What was/is it about hip-hop that pulled a previously techno listening audience toward it and away from techno? >From there I have to bring up an article that I think was in Newsweek , and another magazine which title slips my mind, about the latest Grammy Awards, the drop in CD sales and rise in "pirated" music (Audiogalaxy, napster, etc.). The author was making the point that the connection between the drop in CD sales and the high rotation of music from the shallow well of pop on radio and MTV has caused people to "turn off" and search out their own music tastes. Where am I going with this.... >the music business is run by a bunch of culturally biased and/or ignorant people who have definite ideas about the >value of the music based on their racist crap. yeah, are they ignorant and completely clueless as to what people REALLY want? - all they know is this current system makes them loads of money - I'm talking about record and radio execs. So why is it that people listen MORE and stayed tuned to one station MORE when less diversity is played??? I've seen more and more essays on this topic in local and national press - about how absolutely awful the current state of the recording and broadcasting industry is and how people are getting more and more fed up with the Brittanys and NYSYCs. But something doesn't jive with me when I think about how people seem to tune in more often and stay tuned to music that they don't like?! Can anyone explain these things to me? MEK [EMAIL PROTECTED] com To: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], 313@hyperreal.org cc: 03/06/02 09:42 AM Subject: Re: [313] Regarding Business Uh No the DEMF was not a Detroit clique thing and even if it was it is called the DETROIT ELECTRONIC MUSIC FESTIVAL. you must be a person living outside of the us or in the us in a white skin and ignorant of history. UR and Atkins are pioneers of this music and get no respect from the business end. why should Elvis or Eminem make more money and get more credibility than Ike Turner or Redman??? Because in AMerica white people doing Black art is always seen as a marvel....... Look at NYSYNC and the list goes on. Look at Black rock group Fishbone. Are you telling me they are good enough to get paid. The point is this; the people who run the business are full of isms that determine who gets the spotlight. No one is denying anyone their right to listen to what they want but don't forget the history. I spoke with a Black rocker in NYC and he told me that many A & R men didn't know what to do with Black guys playing soulful rock music. The record executive behind Digable Planets told them they were not hard translate "black enough" for hip-hop. So Juan is in the same position...... I don't have time to break this down anymore but Juan is not crying he's simply commenting on the truth; the music business is run by a bunch of culturally biased and/or ignorant people who have definite ideas about the value of the music based on their racist crap. if anyone does not understand where I'm coming from I will make one more post I don't have a lot of time to keep repeating this tired story. --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
