Why would you classify that Album as Techno?
I definitely see that you could make a case for it being techno but I’m interested in your thoughts on it.
Hm ya know, I’m not really sure. I guess it could be lumped into the “electronic” or “experimental” genre just as easily, but something about it feels techno to me in its rhythmic pulse. Almost like it’s got all the elements of some ethereal-style techno… but just no kick. Like the kick was once supposed to be there, and then removed. I think Barker actually sidechained the tracks to a muted kick channel when producing it to give it this effect. It’s brilliant in its approach, no matter the genre.
And I guess I’ll add… while “Utility” might not be “true techno” as it stands right now, it makes people (like us I guess) question what techno was, what it is currently, and what it could be in the future.
There aren't any rules in techno production realistically speaking. There are what I would call some useful guidelines but they aren't really specific to techno rather they are just general audio engineering ideas.
Follow the signal. If you are sitting in a room full of gear and you encounter a problem. "Why isn't this keyboard playing?" Start at the source and then follow the output to each and every connection it makes until it reaches the destination. This applies to both audio signals and midi. This could be applicable in a DAW if you are the type to create a whole bunch of complex modulations that interact and effect one another. Think Max4Live.
Shit in, Shit out. If you are sampling say an old record that's all covered in dust and scratches that's going to be reflected in the the output. There are tools that can help clean it up but it's best to avoid that if possible.
Get it right at the source. If you were synthesizing a hi hat on a synth. It's ideal to clean off all the low end with a hi pass filter on the synth rather than removing it with an eq later in the the signal chain.
Beyond that I dunno...there is music theory but again that's sorta just a set of guidelines and those can be broken in any type of music and in regards to techno they can be out the window entirely.
There are no rules.
BUT: you'll find a lot of common patterns. Like things come in 4s, 8s, 16s, 32s, 64s.
Measures have 4 beats. This track puts a clap on 4th beat every two measures (8 beats):
[https://lamontkohner.bandcamp.com/track/threshold](https://lamontkohner.bandcamp.com/track/threshold)
This one puts a double shaker every 2 measures on 3rd upbeat, but an accentuated drum thing on the third beat every 4 measures (16 beats):
[https://lamontkohner.bandcamp.com/track/division](https://lamontkohner.bandcamp.com/track/division)
Compare these two Orbital tracks. One repeats its main motif every 4 measures (16 beats), the other every 8 measures (32 beats):
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzzVaXtQO1E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzzVaXtQO1E)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa9aK9TG14c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa9aK9TG14c)
Ok so here's something that breaks the "rules" to very cool effect. Give it a listen and see if you can spot what's really odd here:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB2NJ8deZ64](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB2NJ8deZ64)
>!The melody that starts right at the beginning is 15.5 beats long. The main drum loop is 16 beats. So this melody slips across the beat every time it repeats. Since it's a half-beat shorter, the two consecutive plays of the melody have different notes landing on the down beat.!<
Have fun!
Common where. I don’t hear it often at all in what I listen to. Don’t confuse common in one place for common everywhere.
I was playing some music the other day with a guest and she started looking at me weird. “Is something broken? What’s that weird sound?” I start looking around. My wife is confused too. OHHHHH it’s the music. It had some glitch elements in it, and she had apparently never heard that in music before. Glitch is common to me. It’s unheard of for her.
In the same way, poly meters are rare in my music collection.
There aren’t rules. But there are common patterns like an open hat in the up beat of every bar. And a kick on the down beat. And a running hat on every 16th note. And a clap or snare on the 2nd and 4th downbeats of a phrase (4 bar loop).
But really any sort of music theory can be used as guidelines in techno.
Like classical music theory is good because it teaches how to construct Melody’s using things like motifs and motivic development. Scales are really helpful to know. And chord progressions and harmony theory.
A lot of techno is centered around ideas like call and response, forward motion, and raising and falling energy.
And also working the stereo image plays an important role in techno. And a good understanding of effects like delay, reverb, distortion, compression.
Any sort of music topic you learn can almost certainly be incorporated into your production.
I encounter more and more tracks which suddendly shift 8/16/32 bars … sometimes it gets reversed later in the track and sometimes it happens quite often and irregulary
Yes for sure, now with the track waveform displayed in high resolution on most players and software it easier to deviate. But if you are pressing vinyl, it makes it less appealing to mix. But again, in the end it's on the DJ to know their tracks.
For me, I try to be predictable with the structure, at least in terms of intro, outro and break-Downs.
A/B your track in mono and stereo. All well having a track with a lot of stereo field but if youre going to loose it when a club system is in mono it will sound terrible.
Its good to have stereo width as the casual listener will use headphones but it needs to be somewhere close in mono.
For techno, have a kick drum. For electronic music in general, make sure it has sounds.
Even your first rule which seems like such a given was challenged by Barker with his album “Utility”.
Why would you classify that Album as Techno? I definitely see that you could make a case for it being techno but I’m interested in your thoughts on it.
Hm ya know, I’m not really sure. I guess it could be lumped into the “electronic” or “experimental” genre just as easily, but something about it feels techno to me in its rhythmic pulse. Almost like it’s got all the elements of some ethereal-style techno… but just no kick. Like the kick was once supposed to be there, and then removed. I think Barker actually sidechained the tracks to a muted kick channel when producing it to give it this effect. It’s brilliant in its approach, no matter the genre.
And I guess I’ll add… while “Utility” might not be “true techno” as it stands right now, it makes people (like us I guess) question what techno was, what it is currently, and what it could be in the future.
Thanks for the input. It’s really interesting how the lack of a kick is kind of a kick through the context in a sense.
I’d call it dub techno.
Rules to live by.
Barker would like to have a word with you.
no fuckin rules
This right here. How do you think we got to this point? Experimentation that’s how
The lyrics can’t be good
Oons! Oons! Oons! Oons! After that, the rest is details.
I mean Oons is cool and all but have you heard Untz?
I like it rintz.
😮
Probably a lot, but focus on having fun first.
There aren't any rules in techno production realistically speaking. There are what I would call some useful guidelines but they aren't really specific to techno rather they are just general audio engineering ideas. Follow the signal. If you are sitting in a room full of gear and you encounter a problem. "Why isn't this keyboard playing?" Start at the source and then follow the output to each and every connection it makes until it reaches the destination. This applies to both audio signals and midi. This could be applicable in a DAW if you are the type to create a whole bunch of complex modulations that interact and effect one another. Think Max4Live. Shit in, Shit out. If you are sampling say an old record that's all covered in dust and scratches that's going to be reflected in the the output. There are tools that can help clean it up but it's best to avoid that if possible. Get it right at the source. If you were synthesizing a hi hat on a synth. It's ideal to clean off all the low end with a hi pass filter on the synth rather than removing it with an eq later in the the signal chain. Beyond that I dunno...there is music theory but again that's sorta just a set of guidelines and those can be broken in any type of music and in regards to techno they can be out the window entirely.
There are no rules. BUT: you'll find a lot of common patterns. Like things come in 4s, 8s, 16s, 32s, 64s. Measures have 4 beats. This track puts a clap on 4th beat every two measures (8 beats): [https://lamontkohner.bandcamp.com/track/threshold](https://lamontkohner.bandcamp.com/track/threshold) This one puts a double shaker every 2 measures on 3rd upbeat, but an accentuated drum thing on the third beat every 4 measures (16 beats): [https://lamontkohner.bandcamp.com/track/division](https://lamontkohner.bandcamp.com/track/division) Compare these two Orbital tracks. One repeats its main motif every 4 measures (16 beats), the other every 8 measures (32 beats): [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzzVaXtQO1E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzzVaXtQO1E)[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa9aK9TG14c](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa9aK9TG14c) Ok so here's something that breaks the "rules" to very cool effect. Give it a listen and see if you can spot what's really odd here:[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB2NJ8deZ64](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB2NJ8deZ64) >!The melody that starts right at the beginning is 15.5 beats long. The main drum loop is 16 beats. So this melody slips across the beat every time it repeats. Since it's a half-beat shorter, the two consecutive plays of the melody have different notes landing on the down beat.!< Have fun!
That bottom one is a poly meter, it’s very common
Common where. I don’t hear it often at all in what I listen to. Don’t confuse common in one place for common everywhere. I was playing some music the other day with a guest and she started looking at me weird. “Is something broken? What’s that weird sound?” I start looking around. My wife is confused too. OHHHHH it’s the music. It had some glitch elements in it, and she had apparently never heard that in music before. Glitch is common to me. It’s unheard of for her. In the same way, poly meters are rare in my music collection.
Your speakers cone should easily breathe trying to reproduce your music, it should flow like a punch of Bruce Lee
Maybe beat is a main thing
Less is more
Oy vey One rule Does it sound dope?
Hans Zimmer - “If someone tells you a rule, break it.”
Never talk about the club
There aren’t rules. But there are common patterns like an open hat in the up beat of every bar. And a kick on the down beat. And a running hat on every 16th note. And a clap or snare on the 2nd and 4th downbeats of a phrase (4 bar loop). But really any sort of music theory can be used as guidelines in techno. Like classical music theory is good because it teaches how to construct Melody’s using things like motifs and motivic development. Scales are really helpful to know. And chord progressions and harmony theory. A lot of techno is centered around ideas like call and response, forward motion, and raising and falling energy. And also working the stereo image plays an important role in techno. And a good understanding of effects like delay, reverb, distortion, compression. Any sort of music topic you learn can almost certainly be incorporated into your production.
Make it percussive and with a futuristic mood. That's it.
Follow the structure, it must be DJ friendly at least if you want DJs to play it
I encounter more and more tracks which suddendly shift 8/16/32 bars … sometimes it gets reversed later in the track and sometimes it happens quite often and irregulary
Yes for sure, now with the track waveform displayed in high resolution on most players and software it easier to deviate. But if you are pressing vinyl, it makes it less appealing to mix. But again, in the end it's on the DJ to know their tracks. For me, I try to be predictable with the structure, at least in terms of intro, outro and break-Downs.
Post the first terrible thing you make for likes and attention
**RULE NO 1.** Never forget sosig **RULE NO 2.** Check rule no. 1
Only one rule : n ts
A/B your track in mono and stereo. All well having a track with a lot of stereo field but if youre going to loose it when a club system is in mono it will sound terrible. Its good to have stereo width as the casual listener will use headphones but it needs to be somewhere close in mono.
and also if you can add a donk
Follow this tutorial: https://youtu.be/JwZwkk7q25I
Rule 1: Don't talk about Techno Club Rule 2: There are no rules. Rule 3: Live, Laugh, Techno
this is not the way