The History of Techno Music

Techno has quite an enormous group of sub-genres and different styles. 1988 was the year techno was first used to describe the growing genre. The genre Electronic dance music in the late 1980’s was composed entirely of electronic instruments and was made popular.Trap music originated in the 90's and is known for it's ominous lyrics and high kick drums. Jungle is a genre that came from England in the 90's as part of Rave scenes.

Drum machines were invented in the 80’s such as the Roland TR-808 that really allowed the Techno beats to take off. It was used by artists such as Marvin Gaye and Afrika Bambaataa in their hits from the early 1980’s. Other Drum machines came after the TR-808 but it still is used for the old school sound along with newer drum sets. In the 1990’s there seems to have been more of a jazz influence in the techno genre as seen in the albums by UR and Model 500. 

 

Throughout the late 80’s techno was making a scene in Germany and the UK and new sub genres were emerging. In the UK a genre called Acid house was making a move and becoming quite popular amongst the British youth. While in Germany genres such as Gabber, Tresor and Trance music were occurring. The Genre was really making a name for itself among the rave scenes in Europe and artists like Groove connection and Jam and spoons. 

I am going to look at a couple popular songs from the 80's, 90's and early 2000's and try to see what about it is different from the rest. 

To begin with  I am going to look at a song that was popular in the 80's and used the famous TR-808 drum machine. Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" released in 1982 with Columbia Records and was the hottest pop-culture song since "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John. One can definitely hear the drum machine in the background, it just sounds very electronic. It is not what I would usually think of with the techno genre, but considering it was using electronic instruments as it's base especially when that idea was new, it counts. The singer behind "Motown" really had another hit, because this song will still be played on the radio every once and a while even though it has been near 35 years.

Next I am going to look at a song from the English sub-genre Jungle, or old school jungle it is by Johnny Jungle and it is a mix from 1994. Johnny Jungle was a DJ in the streets of England during the 90's and early 2000's, and Wikipedia says that he was pioneer for the sub-genre.The title is "Johnny'94" and I believe the original mix. The song starts out very eerie but the the drum machines starts to pick up and there is a woman calling for Johnny.  The drum is fast and just picks up, it does seem like a song that adolescents under the influence would enjoy to dance to. Besides the creepy fact that somebody is calling out for Johnny to help her this song does have a nice rave feel. 

                                          

House music seems to be the largest sub-genre list, there are even sub-genres to the sub-genres. There is Acid house, Hip house, Witch house, Electro house with complextro and Bouncy house. Intrigued i picked a song from Witch house because that seemed one of the more different of the types. I picked a song by Balam Acab called "See Birds" released in 2010, around the time Witch house was emerging from Techno. The beginning of this song sounds like one is dancing and clanging in a once abandoned warehouse. As the song progresses eerie voices and the vibrations from the bass start to overpower the industrial undertone. The back voices create a scene similar to a horror movies seance scene to me. The beat never really picks up or changes once the initial scene is set, and creates a rhythmic trance that surrounds the listener. 

                                       

In all the Techno genre is diverse and mostly pleasant to listen to at times you want to get pumped, rave and some for just relaxing. It's history is still new and evolving as new genres are emerging with every new decade. The genre emerged out of the creation of voice synthesizing in the 60's for western popular music and became a much deeper experience. From small amounts of electronic instruments to the album being entirely composed using drum machines and similar machines.

Blake Shelton's The Dreamer REVISED

I have lived in the rural area of South Carolina for my entire life and it was not always cool breezes and smooth talking country men.Townville, South Carolina (where I am from) had cow fields, chicken farms, a nearby lake can one can't throw a dead cat without hitting a church. The boys in school wore thick camo jackets, even in the summer, and they dipped in Mt. Dew bottles. The store parking lots were filled with trucks that had been modified to create more exhaust and sound louder than it needed to be. There were big green tractors, but I mostly just got stuck behind them on the way to school, not riding on them with an attractive county boy. I know not every southern town will be exactly the same, but when I have talked to other people about their "County life", it is pretty similar to mine. 

With Blake Shelton’s album The Dreamer from 2003 I was surprised that not every song was about the truck and girl who stole his heart. Each song had its own story, which is usually the appeal of country music. Although I usually feel as though they end up being about the same topic of either a southern girl, Christianity, or their truck on a dirt road. Blake Shelton is from Nashville, Tennessee(which is actually a pretty large town) where he might have had a different southern experience than I ever have. I am not saying that he is not southern because he is from a larger town, I mean he does have a pet turkey, that is pretty country in my eyes. 

                                                                               

One of his most famous songs, “The Baby”, is one of the typical story telling songs that so many people, including my high school drama teacher, loves. I may not have left home young and worked all across the country but I can relate with this song. My mom and I have a very close relationship, and as the youngest I truly am the baby of the family. The touching story of this song really brought me to tears, nearly.

Blake Shelton’s Album does not give me a false sense of what living in the south is like other songs I have heard. The songs do make one feel like they are partying in a barn or sitting on a southern porch in the heat of summer. I do also appreciate the fact that “My neck of the woods”, and a few others incorporate electric guitar and isn’t just the slow acoustic twang. I also like that song because it does remind me of the lake around my house, how sitting on the dock was pretty much a little piece of heaven.

This album is also a very good example of the accent that I have rarely heard from anybody down here in South Carolina. My accent is barely there, and that is what it usually is; barely there or closer to the super southern. Super southern is the accent that one will usually find in the low country areas of states, they are Blake Shelton's just without the refinement that allows the listener to understand what they are saying. I even thought to look up a video of a person speaking with Nashville accent and it does sound similar to what I have heard in my hometown. Even Shelton may have faked the accent a bit for the sake of non-southerners, it really does add a "country" mood to the songs that I actually appreciate.

Although this is a country album, there are also songs on the album that sway to other genres as well, such as "Georgia in a Jug", That song reminds me of Jimmy Buffet's  'Margaritaville', the beat, and instruments just give the feeling, but the lyrics are very country. "Mason jars on the dresser filled with quarters...and dollars.." that is a typical scene in a southern house. The combinations of different genres into the songs are great for attracting a variety of listeners to his art.

The Dreamer is an album that has a nice mixture of different country songs, a nice surprise for somebody who thought she would hate it. I guess my experience at with the boys from my school who liked the genre might have impacted my idea of it, considering the boys where not my kind of crowd. Now having actually listened to an album, I would recommend or even download this album. Mostly because the songs do not all sound the same, and every track has its very own story. There are slow steady beats that hang behind the lyrics and more dancing music that would make one want to wear cowboy boots at a Hoedown. As well as the story lines that range from being a mama's boy all the way to getting caught with his best friend in Mexico. This album was a nice way to have an introduction to the country genre, besides the overused songs from school dances.

Here is also a picture of Blake Shelton's pet turkey:

Waka Flocka Flame's Flockaveli

So I have always not liked rap, I just don't like the unnecessary vulgarity and degradation of women. I also don't like the whole "I am bad-ass and such because I am a gangster," how many rappers are even actually in a Gang? Well anyway I listened the Waka Flocka's Flockaveli album recorded in 2010 I believe with many other rappers. Since I am new to this artist I may not be able to tell which in the song is Waka and which is a featured artist. 

Let's Do this shall we??
      Note theses are reactions and observations of the Tracks.
                                                                                   (Click on the link to follow along)

                                                                          

1.       Bustin at em

a.       The beginning is very aggressive with the gun loading and shooting. After the first lyrics the beat actually gets pretty nice, it definitely is something that one would dance to. I am actually rocking in my seat and nodding my head to the beat. Although the lyrics are just very repetitive and I am also not one for the vulgar language. It sounds as though Waka is talking about something similar to shooting at his haters or his enemies as though he does not need to even listen to them.

2.       Hard in Da paint

a.       I really like the doom music in the beginning reminds me of a dungeon song in a video game. Waka seems to be calling out his friends that must be in the rap industry.  I do not understand the phrase “Hard in da Paint” is that a way of saying that he has many connections. This must be a great song to be played at a concert because there are great opportunities for the audience to interact with the artist.

3.       Trained to Go

a.       I actually started dancing in my seat to the opening beats before the lyrics started. Once I started to listen the lyrics I heard a great deal of gang ideas, and as a major pacifist I do not like such language. So even though the song is very easy to dance to, I just can’t get over the phrase trained to go meaning that they are killing and stealing due to being in a gang. One part of the song there is lyrics saying that they do it to take care of their family but there has to be a better way than to be a part of cult culture that is blood in, blood out.

4.       Bang

a.       I can already guess before listening that it will be another song about guns and gang banging.  The beat leading up the lyrics were just like the last 4 songs, and the lyrics in the beginning are the same call outs again. This does seem more like how I thought rap would be, a string of words put together without much of a break. But then it went back to just repetitive single words. Again more gang violence and turf lyrics.  This song isn’t really anything special, it doesn’t even have a danceable beat.

5.       No Hands

a.       Hey I have actually heard this song before! Also I do not like the whole aggressive voice telling me to listen to the song, then calling me a bitch. Again I can hear fake gun noises in the background, although the music during the chorus allows one to sway and dance.

6.       Bricksquad

a.       The beginning is literally the same thing over and over again, the same lyrics and music. A little over half the song, there is a verse that isn’t the same three words. The back beat it’s also very generic, so there is nothing really stand out about this song.  

7.       Fuck the club up

a.       So what I got from the first sentences is that If somebody messes with him in a club he will cause a scene in the club. Then he talks about how drunk he is, now that is very attractive. This one also does not have a good beat, doesn’t really make me want to dance. Though I could see how this can pump somebody up and empower them to not take anybody’s crap. Anddddd it ends will a fake gun shot, “POW!”

8.       Homies

a.       Not the same beat as the past 7 songs, but still nothing really special. I am really starting to not like these fake gun noises in the background.

9.       Grove St. Party

a.       This one is quite danceable, just dancing in my seat at the moment. I caught a lyric about rolling up a joint, and I just wanted to take a moment to be proud I could clearly understand that one line. Rap songs don’t really change up their beats do they? I guess it’s so they can keep the rhythm going for their lyrics. This isn’t really one of those songs you listen to all the way through because it is hella repetitive.

10.   O let’s do it

a.        I do like the cell phone ringing in the beginning, it reminds me of a song I like. Andddd it went downhill when he stated singing about the drug dealing he does. Does he realize that drugs and drug dealing is illegal? Just wondering. I do like the change from the gun shots in the back to the robot like beeps! Nice change, even if it is only for certain parts.

11.   Karma

a.       More gun noises! WHY?!? Like every other song has it, so it would be nice if more than one song did not have it. For me I feel more annoyed than impressed by it constantly there. But I guess it could be one of those signature things. I do appreciate the back beat it is more pumping and upbeat than the past few songs.

12.   Live by the gun

a.       This song really makes me question if Waka flocka is really in a gang? Google is just filled with conspiracy theories and no real answers. I do like the back beat it gives a nice bounce and sway kind of thing. If I don’t listen to the lyrics I can actually like it and would have it on a playlist. Though this does make me hope Waka has a permit for that gun he keeps saying he has!

13.   For my Dawgs

a.       So I am assuming this is yet another song about him and his gang relations?  He must be a great friend to have, he keeps saying he will die for his dawgs.

14.   G check

a.       MORE GUNS SHOOTING AS THE OPENING!!! Since the beat is basically the same as the other songs it is nothing really I would like.

15.   Snake in the Grass

a.       Now there is an aggressive man made dog noises, is that to show how bad they are? This seems like a very concert song, with the “wOOF”ing is must be quite a show. Whoa there is a girl in this song! Cartier, wait why is she in a song that is saying that Waka cannot “trust a bitch” because all they want is money?She said she runs the town and is richer than him!

16.   Smoke,Drank

a.       They're smoking weed and drinking in the opening of the song, which does not get much respect from me. The opening is more calm and slower than the other songs, I kind of like it. Then the gun starts again… The tempo speeds up but it still keeps the nice more calm beat, except when Waka is talking about smoking and “dranking”.

17.       Fuck this Industry

a.       I will assume he is talking about the music industry and not Gang banging. This song actually sounds the sincerest! He talks about loving his family, and how he really appreciates all those people that supported him. One lyric that really gets me is that he is going to have it all, because he probably did not really have much so he wants to pay his mom back. Waka also talks about the devil being in him and how he wants the lord to help him. I really like this song, it seems like a tribute to all the people that helped him along the way.

Through listening to this popular rap album I have heard of gang violence, drug dealing and being a part of a brotherhood. I also became very curious about if Waka Flocka was a part of a gang, but Google only gave me conspiracy theories. I asked a man in my English 102 class who is a big fan of Waka and he said that he has Blood gang connections. Under that he is a part of the Bricksquad, a subgroup of the Bloods, and is also the title of one of his tracks. And Waka is also favored amongst young adults because he seems to live a life that could seem out of reach and bad-ass.

About me!

Hello folks!! My name is Lelia(Lee-la), and I am a freshman anthropology major! I love to listen to music, and my Pandora playlists often range from 80s music to classical; from hard rock to show tunes.  I have never been a real big fan of rap, country or techno music. I wonder all the time why people enjoy the bassy club music and electronic beats.  I can listen to such genres but all I get is white noise and repeated topics, so it has been hard for me to truly listen to these genres.  

 So in my blog, I plan to uncover why it is people enjoy them so much! What is it that draws so many people to the loud incoherent beats? I just cannot relate to tractors, let alone green ones. One will see quotes from friends and residential-mates about why they like such music or why they dislike it, to further the understanding of the appeal of these genres. I will include others ideas on the song or track along with my analysis.

    

 As an Anthropologist I just have to uncover why these music genres are so widely appreciated and the elements that make them appealing. It may prove to be a mighty task, and It may never actually know the appeal or ‘beauty’ of these songs. But I hope to find a better understanding of what makes people love it. It should prove to be an interesting project, one that I believe will give me a better understanding as well as fun.