Hacker News Reader

Comment by _the_inflator | Hacker News Reader

They try to be as concise as possible.

For example, they completely missed out Front 242, Nitzer Ebb. However they at least mention the genre, EBM.

And to be honest: what is techno else than Tallas invention in a record store? Frontpage magazine? So many things left out, but who cares? You either witnessed parts of the 90th or not. ;)

I never understood my parents fondness for Woodstock and how an e guitar could be the center of a "sound revolution". Around 30 years later, I really understand them: Dorian Gray, Loveparade, 303. ;)

View on HN

They actually did mention Nitzer Ebb if you do a ctrl-F. Yes, very cool techno-ish, minimal seminal music. Ritchie Hawtin used to spin Murderous into his sets.

Recently there was a cool documentary about Wax Trax records called Industrial Accident. Worth seeing. Interviews with Front 242, Ministry, Revolting Cocks, KMFDM, Thrill Kill Kult, Trent Reznor, Frontline Assembly, etc.

Any reference about that documentary ? The rev's, FLA, 242, all my not so youth :-)

Another vote for that documentary, it's absolutely a joy. Not streaming for free anywhere, but worth the cost: http://www.waxtraxfilms.com/

I think my main contention can be illustrated by trying to discover where Disco comes from. I was looking for this kind of shoestring style story for years.

Then I gave up trying to construct it. The reality is it's a bunch of things smashed together like pressing all the buttons at the soda fountain at once. That's what happened.

That's where techno came from as well.

Sometimes the narratives are super clean, like rappers delight for rap (there's pre rappers delight style rap records, but under like a dozen or so) or the amen break and dnb or the configuration of the swing drum kit for swing music or house music proper being "the stuff knuckles plays" in Chicago.

But a few styles are inherently messy with no clean lines. Rock, Disco and Techno are three

Rock is especially super messy, here's Meade Lux Lewis in 1927 for instance, https://youtu.be/tDuLezFRMNU swap the piano with a guitar and you have 50s rock

> I think my main contention can be illustrated by trying to discover where Disco comes from.

Isn't the concise answer Philadelphia? :) Partially joking, I know this is an oversimplification.

In any case, this interview with Earl Young from The Trammps, discussing the origin of four-on-the-floor, is pure gold: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsf51_a1ceI

That's a great video! I have never seen it. Thanks!

The thing that complicates it is four on the floor has lots of predated "almost but ok, not quite exactly" versions. Such as in Brazilian pop, take Participação from 1971: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DP6hRt9xvw ... those percussion aren't far away from late-70s orchestral disco. Almost same BPM.

This drum style kinda came out of everywhere. Here it is in Pakistan also in 1971 for instance, Runa Laila, Rushdi, Shaukat Ali Khan & Munir - We Don´t Care, starts around 1 minute in: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9uYjpkTkNo ... that's the 73 columbia release pictured in youtube, not the original 71 odeon one.

Here you can get it in part of this 1971 Phillipines release by Dakila as well during the chorus, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUKDKXSA2-8

Or what about Sophy, from Puerto Rico also in 1971: No Quiero Que Te Vayas ... a very slight change in the drums and you get disco https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2bhdOpVs9hU ... this one-step-away stuff was common, here's Polish artist Halina Frackowiak - Do końca świata https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgrUUfXesdM or ピンキーグッド・バイ from 1972: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeRtlpY96B0 ... ok that last one was just for fun.

Anyway, I've been trying to compile this narrative for a long time ... all the soda flavors at once smashed together. That's all I can come up with.

Thanks for your great contributions in this thread.

Can you please help me understand "rock is super messy"? The traditional narrative is "rock was mostly derived from blues (+ some other influences)" but the counter(?)example you provided is a classic 12 bar blues.

Do you have some messier examples? Or did I miss your point?

The book, The Seventh Stream, by Phil Ennis is a good resource to understand the origins of rock. It is a lot more complicated than just the blues.

> They try to be as concise as possible.

Calling it the "definitive history of techno" and then trying to be as concise as possible seems a bit presumptuous to me, though...

Reply on news.ycombinator.com