What do we call our kind of music?

[nd2023]

During my radio show on Friday I had a listener call me telling me that he loved the techno music I was playing. I told him that I don't play techno, I play *dance* music. He said that techno is music you can dance to. Not wanting to alienate a listener, I didn't press that issue further.

But that raises a big point: How do we describe our kind of music to someone who doesn't live and breathe it?
Last week during the DJ Expo in Atlantic City something similar happened: While I was playing blackjack the dealer noticed my badge and asked what I was there for. I told him that I'm a DJ. He asked me what music I play, and I said dance music. That confused him.

The average person doesn't know what "dance" music is and lumps all electronic music as "techno". The average person would know what pop, rap, oldies, rock, even reggae is, but if I tell people that I like dance music they are confused.

Our brand of music is 120-140 BPM usually with vocals and about 3-5 minutes in length (for radio). Would we also include songs like Lady Gaga - Telephone, Ne-Yo - Beautiful Monster as dance or just limit the description to songs that aren't mainstream?

 

[Tom Wells]

There will always be a problem with defining yourself with labels.
They never mean the same thing to different people.
DON'T confine yourself by a label definition. Let people decide what it is.
You call it dance, I call it DISCO. You don't play any hot jazz from the 1920s, do you?
Well, guess what? That's dance music. Lots of "punk" music is DANCE music, but you don't play any of that either, probably.
Texas Swing 1930s, ditto. Proto-punk from the mid 60's? ditto. Polkas? ditto. Tangos? You get my drift.

Let people listen and decide what you are TO THEM. Let THEM label it in their heads, for themselves.

Labels are just too confining.

Don't "call" it, just play it. If pressed, roll your eyes, and offer suggestions but never limit yourself in such a way.
Certainly never declare it on the air, unless you make up your own new label that has no "preconscrewed notions", to borrow a phrase from Archie Bunker.

 

[TonySantiago]

@TomWells - APPLAUSE! ;D

I'll say it like this, for my show I call it "dance music". It's already put out there and the people that tune in know ALL TOO WELL what it is. No one ever calls it "techno", at least not to my face anyway.

But I WILL offer the reason why I think the term "techno" stuck to people, especially the media....

1) Where did techno originate from?
Detroit back in the late 80's. Originally people thought of it as a Detroit "answer" to house music (which was based in Chicago) but the unique "industrial" sounds that have emanated from the Belleville Three (Kevin Saunderson, Juan Atkins and Derrick May) and others have separated their sounds from the house music counterparts, thus "techno".

2) What is the big industry in Detroit?
Even though the factories have pretty much shut down or went outside of the U.S., you still have corporate offices of automobile makers in and around Detroit. GM still has their flagship building in downtown Detroit.

3) With the automobile makers there, who do they rely upon to promote their products?
Advertising! A lot of the advertising companies have their home base in Detroit, to cater to the automobile industry clientele for the marketing of their brands. Being the employees in those companies (that live in the Detroit area) know about techno, in their mindset that's what the music is to them because they have been USED to that term. Granted, there are advertising agencies in Chicago and of course "Madison Avenue" (NYC). But Detroit has been influential because of the car industry so in that sense, "techno" stuck and have seen the term recently used in the media to describe the tragedy at "Love Parade" in Germany.

Of course, add to the fact of the electronic nature of the music, people think of "techno" as the trendy term of it all so in that sense it stuck.

But I agree with Tom here. Play the music, let people enjoy it and just let things happen for the better.

 

[Wildstyle K]

There will always be a problem with defining yourself with labels. 
They never mean the same thing to different people.
DON'T confine yourself by a label definition.  Let people decide what it is.
You call it dance, I call it DISCO.  You don't play any hot jazz from the 1920s, do you?
Well, guess what?  That's dance music.  Lots of "punk" music is DANCE music, but you don't play any of that either, probably.
Texas Swing 1930s, ditto.  Proto-punk from the mid 60's? ditto. Polkas? ditto.  Tangos?  You get my drift.

Let people listen and decide what you are TO THEM.  Let THEM label it in their heads, for themselves.

Labels are just too confining.

Don't "call" it, just play it.  If pressed, roll your eyes, and offer suggestions but never limit yourself in such a way.
Certainly never declare it on the air, unless you make up your own new label that has no "preconscrewed notions", to borrow a phrase from Archie Bunker.

I'll keep this in mind - up only to the point where I leave for London. Then I'll have to let it go since the people there aren't as confused as the people here in the U.S. The "call it whatever" thing doesn't (seem to) happen overseas. House | Electro | Tech | Dubstep | Fidget.. that's just a brief summary of the stuff some well known UK dj's put up for their fans to download, and since each one of / ALL of them are labeled appropriately and specifically, the fans ALWAYS know precisely what sound they are getting BEFORE they download or even see the track listings. Imagine me saying "Electro" on a site here in the U.S. Everyone would be thinking all sorts of different things and I'd probably get limited downloads due to lack of interest, due to people not wanting to waste unnecessary time downloading something they are unsure of. Yesterday, I saw someone label a mix "hip house"...etc. I just passed right on over it because... I didn't know exactly what he was talking about. It was dumb enough when Judge Mathis said it on t.v. to a plaintiff DJ who played.... well, the plaintiff couldn't describe it to the court and I don't want to put words in his mouth or try to assume what he was trying to say, but I'm guessing it was electro hip hop or urban house with some rap or r&b in it.... or maybe a mash up.. I could go on and on and on just trying to hypothesize what it was since he didn't give an accurate description. Judge Mathis foolishly said "hip house" trying to make a joke to the millions of viewers watching the show, receiving moderate laughter from the audience. The last thing we need are media folks to make people think certain musical sounds are a joke before it even has its own name to be promoted. I guess if you did make a compilation of a certain style of unnamed sound and tried to sell it, you could always slickly name it something like "Jim's Downtown Restaurant Mix" or "Afterdark Power Productions"...etc. so you could get by without trying to describe it. However, I think it's easier the European way -  to just call it something, know it, and agree with it. Those interested will support it since they know it, and those that don't will not care regardless, so why not?

BEFORE I KNEW WHAT REGGAETON WAS:
This reminds me of a time before I knew what reggaeton was. I knew I liked that particular sound (not kumbia, salsa, merengue, latin rap..etc), but had no idea what it was called, so it was hard for me to ask about it, research it, request it...etc. I could not describe it to anybody, and saying "spanish music" like a fool of course didn't help me. I didn't know what it was, so therefore I could not play or support a sound I couldn't find or specify, all because I didn't know what it was... and this was just because I didn't know the name. Years down the road, I finally figured out what it was called. Too bad I found out only two years before I lost my deep interest in the genre. It's a good thing it had a name because if not, then it would've only been 0 years of play for me and I (amongst several others) would've never gone to the store to purchase or support that sound!

 

[Wildstyle K]

Actually, there shouldn't be any unclassifiable genres in dance, especially with all the subgenres house music alone has. I find it funny to have 151 specific different types of house music (worldwide, by the way), then have other types of electronic sounds which remain unclassifiable.

 

[nd2023]

Is there any specific name for the subgenre of electronic music that this board is dedicated to that will be instantly recognized by the public? I don't think so. "Techno" could be industrial house, drum n bass, our brand of dance, dubstep, etc.

Tony, your show is on a station that only plays our type of dance music, so the listeners know what to expect and they know better than to call it "techno". My show is on an FM college station which has a variety of formats, including different types of electronic music specialty shows besides my dance show. My regular listeners would know that I never call it "techno" and always refer to it as dance music. But the listeners who tune in randomly having never heard the music before would not know what to call it.

I'm probably making a big deal out of nothing, but it irks me to hear our music referred to as "techno", especially more when it's used in a derogatory way.

From now on I'll just call it electronic dance music

 

[Wildstyle K]

I played "slow jamz" collipark remix by Jamie Foxx ft Twista and people told me "I also like that techno remix of slow jamz that you have on your cd".

OH! ...and by the way, here is the techno remix they were talking about, here: http://www.amazon.com/Slow-Jamz-Collipark-Remix-Edited/dp/B00122Z92Y

This is no name genre sound music on steroids! That's like... 143 bpm or something!

Anyway, so I guess with that being said, "techno" could be anything as well.
Someone called this "that Aaliyah song with the techno beat": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEF_-IcnQC4

Now that I think of it, I should probably just call my modern bass & freestyle compilation "Techno Pop Hits"! Since the modern bass & freestyle sound has no name in London either, it will work there, too! ...But then again, is booty bass really a part of electronica? The old school stuff (which was always in the rap/hip hop section of record stores) I could see why people wouldn't consider it electronic, but today's booty bass mixed with freestyle elements.. I can NOT see why much of it would not be electronic. Isn't electro-pop electronic, just like all other electronica, regardless of how popular or unpopular it is?

 

[Wildstyle K]

For "my" sound, I think we should just stick with the already semi-popular started term "urban dance". This could be the "latin hip hop" of this generation that could probably either eventually become something else down the road like freestyle did, or it could possibly just be "urban dance" for good and have that as the official name for the style.

 

[TonySantiago]

Tony, your show is on a station that only plays our type of dance music, so the listeners know what to expect and they know better than to call it "techno". My show is on an FM college station which has a variety of formats, including different types of electronic music specialty shows besides my dance show. My regular listeners would know that I never call it "techno" and always refer to it as dance music. But the listeners who tune in randomly having never heard the music before would not know what to call it.

HOLD ON! We get NEW listeners of dance music tuning in all of the time and to some of those folks, they may think of the music as "techno". And if they approached me on that I would politely educate. I wouldn't take it as a personal affront if they called the music "techno". All I do is play the music and look out for all the fans in the process, from the newbie to the ultra-core fan.

I'm probably making a big deal out of nothing

You are.

but it irks me to hear our music referred to as "techno", especially more when it's used in a derogatory way.

From now on I'll just call it electronic dance music

Didn't you read ANYTHING Tom Wells wrote? Just play the music. That's all you have to do. And if someone calls it "techno", then educate them...don't take it as a personal pet peeve. A lot of people just don't know and it's not as if they're calling it "techno" to irk you or anyone else. Just play the music.

 

[d21ofnj]

but it irks me to hear our music referred to as "techno", especially more when it's used in a derogatory way.

From now on I'll just call it electronic dance music

Didn't you read ANYTHING Tom Wells wrote? Just play the music. That's all you have to do. And if someone calls it "techno", then educate them...don't take it as a personal pet peeve. A lot of people just don't know and it's not as if they're calling it "techno" to irk you or anyone else. Just play the music.

I fell into something similar when someone said to me that I play techno. Buuuuuut only difference is I was told not only that to my face, but how I was a disgrace to even play the music and "attract more bennies down here." Yes, I do remember having periods where the format will "never fit in" based on the other side of the "party nightlife" in the shore region, but I still stuck to what I believe in. Those same people that are ignorant about the format, especially an organization that is just ignorant in general, are not going to help YOU! They are throwing negatives to bring you to their level, and makes you lose focus. I did my polite education, but some people just need to be left alone because they will NEVER get it. Don't take it personal, just brush your shoulders off and do what YOU gotta do, and that's getting your listeners to tune in to The Core.

 

[musicman3355]

That reminds me... back in '09 I was listening to Channel 955's late night dance mixshow "The Pulse" on Friday night, and someone texted in the show saying "stop playing this techno crap" or something like that... seems people keep thinking dance music is techno, which I admit it gets annoying since there's actually a difference between the two.

 

[d21ofnj]

That reminds me... back in '09 I was listening to Channel 955's late night dance mixshow "The Pulse" on Friday night, and someone texted in the show saying "stop playing this techno crap" or something like that... seems people keep thinking dance music is techno, which I admit it gets annoying since there's actually a difference between the two.

Lol, the more I get those responses, the more I play it and post flyers and stickers everywhere ;D

 

[DJ_Perry]

I think this explanation has gotten too nerdy (once again). The average person knows nothing about the Techno movement in Detroit. What the average person thinks of, is the "TechnoRave" Era in the early 90's. You know when "2 Unlimited" was all over the radio, and stores like Tower Records, or the Wherehouse had rows and rows of "Techno" Cd's? I actually hear similarites in the music today that reflect such a comparison.

Techno is still a format. The hardcore followers have their own definition. The uneducated ones will use the term loosely when a fast tempo is involved. It goes back to Kraftwerk, and the early Electronic movement in the Late 70s / Early 80s. Depeche Mode was once considered TechnoPop. I still get asked to play the "Techno Remix" of Kate Perry, or Lady Gaga. Its not a bad thing. If that's how people see it, take advantage of it.

 

[CHRles]

DJ Perry summed it up best

 

[Wildstyle K]

I think this explanation has gotten too nerdy (once again).  The average person knows nothing about the Techno movement in Detroit.  What the average person thinks of, is the "TechnoRave" Era in the early 90's.  You know when "2 Unlimited" was all over the radio, and stores like Tower Records, or the Wherehouse had rows and rows of "Techno" Cd's?  I actually hear similarites in the music today that reflect such a comparison.

Techno is still a format.  The hardcore followers have their own definition.  The uneducated ones will use the term loosely when a fast tempo is involved.  It goes back to Kraftwerk, and the early Electronic movement in the Late 70s / Early 80s.  Depeche Mode was once considered TechnoPop.  I still get asked to play the "Techno Remix" of Kate Perry, or Lady Gaga.  Its not a bad thing.  If that's how people see it, take advantage of it.

Now that I think of it, I should probably just call my modern bass & freestyle compilation "Techno Pop Hits"!

"Techno Pop Hits" it is then!  I've come to my final conclusion that this is what I will call it. It only makes sense for me to use that term since this will be a term that a majority will understand with the least amount of confusion, and best part of all, it covers ALL that I play as well, and I also have a past history of tons of people who all thought it was techno to prove this will work in the future!

If I want to use other terms to attract the older crowd or more knowledgeable people, I could still throw in stuff like "booty bass, freestyle, bay area freestyle, electro-bass" ...etc etc etc. but then always end it with "and all your favorite techno pop hits" to avoid alienating others who may choose not to explore or hear the sound based on their assumption that they would not be interested.

In life, there are always choices and things you must live with. The word "techno" being used for everything fast/electronic is not going to go away, and the fact that what I play is unclassifiable is not changing any time soon because where and who do you go to to announce;
"..ok ladies and gentlemen, you may now be seated. I've gathered you all here today to announce that from this day forward, this is the new name for... May I speak to the representative of Webster's Dictionary and Music Genre Definitions? Ok sir, grab a mic... both of you, sir, ma'am.. have you updated and entered the new genre term into your latest version of the dictionary?.... alright folks, thank you, teachers, musicians... thankyou... dj's, radio stations, pd's.. thank you thank you thank you! Obama & Biden, thanks for showing up.. Thank you FOX news, Timbaland, FYE, Palin family, and Sirius XM.. and have a great evening, food and drinks are available in the southside of the park.. and for those of you watching on tv or listening on radio, we now return to regularly scheduled....."..?

So, with that being said, I could either
A. Let it bother me, or
B. Use the term that's convenient, get over it, and get used to it.

The best way to get used to something you cannot change is to start conveniently using it yourself. "Techno Pop Hits"; In a world of protesting and rioting, I, once again, choose to take something that can be "offensive" but in reality is no big deal, embrace it, and make it positive rather than.. well, use it as an excuse to act absurd.  ;D

Besides, seriously, if the word is well known, then it might as well be used, made official, and turned into a positive thing. It may take time to get used to how it sounds, but eventually, just like "P DIDDY", "WACHOVIA", "FARFEGNUGAN", "U.S. AIRWAYS CENTER", "GOOGLE"..etc, the word "TECHNO" will begin to sound nothing more than completely normal. After all, most things in life became named AFTER the majority of the society already begun to refer to those things as what they are being called now.

 

[TonySantiago]

And I will still say:

PLAY THE MUSIC

DJ Perry, have you ever thought perhaps I was EDUCATING about the techno movement, not that we need it here but for the sake of getting to origins?
Oh and where is Channel 955? DETROIT!

Heck, call me whatever you want dude, I've been beaten up enough. It's just sad when it's within....

 

[Tom Wells]

When the word techno came up, I too thought, Kraftwerk and Depeche Mode....oh, and B-52s.

See, the problem is, for some people terms stick real well, for others, they forget, then for another group, well, they never heard the "term' at ALL, and it's just more music that they may or may not have a "pigeonhole" for.

 

[DJ_Perry]

Heck, call me whatever you want dude, I've been beaten up enough. It's just sad when it's within....

Wasn't callin ya anything Tony. I respect your words. I just think sometimes we get off topic, myself included. I think anybody on this board would agree the whole debate is a bit nerdy (takes one to know one). I just think there's more important things to worry about.

 

[Wildstyle K]

I think it's time....


I think it's time that we stop resisting it and just do it. Just let it be. It's already happening to a massive degree and it will not stop any time soon, so we might as well just go ahead and let "techno" be the official term for the uptempo electronic sound since this term is what is mostly known. I doubt it will kill or hurt anything (or any living being) to just accept and start using it.

The term "techno" can also help bridge the gap between uptempo pop & r&b and electronic dance music since people think it's all techno anyway. Including Mike Posner, Flo Rida, Pitbull, Cascada, and other similar artist's hits in techno would help people recognize more of a similarity and end the discrimination on both sides of the fence. It will also help more if people see "techno" as the next big thing, rather than everyone thinking "hmmm looks like a resurgence of POP.."

I seriously doubt that just using the term for what it's known for and making it official will cause bad things to happen. After all, "Techno" doesn't sound any funnier or worse as a word than "ska" or "hip hop" or "reggaeton", and I think it sounds better than using the whole word, "electronica". It's not like once the term is made official then everyone will suddenly think all the music that falls under it will become uncool and there will be a "musical recession". We're not going to have things like this happening:

PRODUCER: aw man check out this new instrumental track I've been working on for the past 8 days!
OTHER GUY: dude that sounds fresh!
PRODUCER: I know, huh
OTHER GUY: That's wicked man! What do you think?
OTHER GUYS GIRL: That's cool dude. That's like the coolest techno beat I've ever heard
PRODUCER: -
OTHER GUY: What's wrong man?
PRODUCER: ....techno?
PRODUCER: OK THAT'S IT I'm throwing out this entire production man where's the trash can?
OTHER GUY: aw naw man why you do that?
OTHER GUYS GIRL: yeah - why man it sounds dope. And why don't you just use the recycle bin in your computer next time?

I'm sure this will not happen, and I'm also sure that all the radio stations will not suddenly say "Ok that's it, it's techno now, therefore we will be removing all the current uptempo hits, half of Lady Gaga, and Technotronic from our database and playlists and you must stick to the original / slow version of DHT and Lady Antebellum hits for now on... and anyone who refuses to abide by the rules will be fired, put on the Dr Laura list and lose their U.S. passports".  ;D

So, when you REALLY think of it, it only makes sense that we just accept and make use to the term "techno" for what it's most publicly known for. Notice how no one else really seems to have a problem with the word except for dance fanatics. Maybe it's not the public making it sound bad, but our views and thoughts that we are projecting on to the public. It's almost like we dance fanatics are the Dr Laura audience and the public is Dr Laura and we're getting upset because of the negative views we're holding on a word that we don't want others to use when we're damn well using it ourselves! After all, all music is hated on. Of course, when you have a negative view in your mind attached to a word/label, then when someone hates or attacks that label, you tend to take it more personally. I really don't think there are more "techno haters" than there are rock, country and hip hop haters. It's just that certain stereotypes make "techno" easier to pick on in the U.S., in addition to the fact that no one is "allowed" to say anything bad about hip hop or anything urban in general. Rock... well, look at the charts. Rock, pop rock, and alternative seems to be suffering a bit right now. Country is just unique...

LASTLY:
By the way, I'm listening to The Vibe and hear "all I ever wanted was a one night stand" and wondered who sang it. SO, being the genius that I am, I googled it, and.... well http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100208125924AAPYFGv

Enjoy your day folks.  

 

[nd2023]

To me, calling all electronic music "techno" is the same as calling all urban music "rap". I did not hear other DJs call our music "techno" last week at the DJ Expo.

If someone requests the "techno remix" of a pop song on my radio show, I tell them the name of the remix that I usually play.

If someone who likes our music calls it "techno", they would usually stop referring to it as techno when I explain it to them. That doesn't hurt as much as someone who tells me "turn that gay techno crap off".