Techno

A form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid-to-late 1980s. The initial take on techno arose from the melding of electronic music, in the style of artists such as Kraftwerk, Giorgio Moroder and Yellow Magic Orchestra, with African American music styles, including funk, electro, Chicago house and electric jazz. Added to this is the influence of futuristic and fictional themes relevant to life in American late capitalist society. Stylistically, techno is generally repetitive instrumental music, oftentimes produced for use in a continuous DJ set. The central rhythmic component is most often in common time (4/4), where time is marked with a bass drum on each quarter note pulse, a backbeat played by snare or clap on the second and fourth pulses of the bar, and an open hi-hat sounding every second eighth note. The tempo tends to vary between approximately 120 to 150 beats per minute (bpm), depending on the style of techno. The creative use of music production technology, such as drum machines, synthesizers, and digital audio workstations, is viewed as an important aspect of the music's aesthetic. Drum machines from the 1980s such as Roland's TR-808 and TR-909 are highly prized, and software emulations of such retro technology are popular among techno producers.

Associated Sub-Genres: Acid Techno, Detroit Techno, Free Tekno, Ghettotech, Hardtechno, Minimal Techno, Nortec, Rotterdam Techno, Schranz, Symphonic Techno, Tecno Brega, Techno-DNB, Techstep, Toytown Techno

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Techno_music