From the Beginning to the…
Why am I sitting here writing an article for a magazine? To answer that, I have to go back to the very beginning, to the moment techno started to wrap me around its finger.
There is probably no other music genre that releases more new music weekly than techno. With such an oversupply, it's not always easy to find what you're looking for. Often, you don't even know what you're looking for! Some days, a powerful kickdrum and a simple bassline—some call that minimal—are enough; on other days, it needs to be funky or percussive, depending on the mood. What always gets me, though, are rattling hi-hats paired with claps and snares. The rawer the sounds, the better. Music that beats and whips me, yet is tender to me. Perhaps you could call it technoid masochist house. New tracks in this style are unfortunately extremely rare. So, I decided to go looking for old records.
My first find is "Carl Craig's Paperclip Remix" of Green Velvet's "Flash" from 1996. The track starts without any tender foreplay of the aforementioned chain rattling. But not to be rude, Green Velvet himself greets us, hands everyone a camera, and even allows photos to be taken. Those were the days! "We've been here not more than thirty seconds, and already I see a bad little kid doing bad little things." Exactly that dirtiness I was looking for! When Carl Craig, after 3 minutes of rattling, also sensitively pulls up the fader for the bassline, I finally understand what makes his music so special. The mix as an art form. "Cameras ready, prepare to flash!"
Text Dave Krass