Free tekno
Encyclopedia
Free tekno is the name given to the music predominantly played at free parties
in Europe. The spelling of the word tekno is made to deliberately differentiate the musical style from that of techno
. The music is fast, normally 170 to 200 bpm and characterised by a pounding repetitive kick drum.
movement in the early 1990s since many of the teknival organisers and DJs were also making music. The music drew on influences such as hardcore
, rave
, jungle
, gabber and techno
, with the producers taking the sound in a darker, more organic direction. An emphasis is placed on samples from TV shows, films and popular culture which are placed at strategic moments in the tracks. The music was produced with whatever was available: drum machines, synthesisers and keyboards
as well as computer programs such as Cubase. In recent years there has been a trend using laptops for live performances, because the capabilities of both the hardware and software are improving very fast.
Tekno producers come from different places including the United Kingdom
, the Netherlands
, Italy
, France
, and the Czech Republic
. Since the free party movement is very large in France in terms of numbers, there are many French artists and records labels. As the genre evolved it has come to be known by a number of names, including spiral tekno, hardtek, enimatek and tribetek. Some well-known producers are Crystal Distortion, 69db, Ixy, Kaos, Jack Acid, Curley, Les Boucles Etranges, Yale, FKY, Suburbass, Infrabass, Psychospores, Spukkin Faceship and Sensory Overload.
The Network 23
record label started by members of the Spiral Tribe
sound system
has become hugely influential. Other well-known labels include Hokus Pokus, Passe Muraille, Perce Oreille and Foxtanz.
A complete history is made difficult by the very nature of the genre:
Recently interest in tekno has decreased, as artists begin to explore other genres such as breakcore
, speedcore
and ,as some would argue, because of an increasing boredom with the 4/4 beat or because artists find these genres more extreme.
Free party
A free party is a party "free" from the restrictions of the legal club scene, similar to the free festival movement. It typically involves a sound system playing electronic dance music from late at night until the time when the organisers decide to go home. A free party can be composed of just one...
in Europe. The spelling of the word tekno is made to deliberately differentiate the musical style from that of techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
. The music is fast, normally 170 to 200 bpm and characterised by a pounding repetitive kick drum.
History
Tekno evolved in tandem with the teknivalTeknival
Teknivals are large free parties which take place worldwide. They take place most often in Europe and are often illegal under various national or regional laws. They vary in size from dozens to thousands of people, depending on factors such as accessibility, reputation, weather, and law enforcement...
movement in the early 1990s since many of the teknival organisers and DJs were also making music. The music drew on influences such as hardcore
Hardcore techno
Hardcore techno is a type of electronic music typified by the rhythmic use of distorted and atonal industrial-like beats and samples...
, rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
, jungle
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
, gabber and techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, with the producers taking the sound in a darker, more organic direction. An emphasis is placed on samples from TV shows, films and popular culture which are placed at strategic moments in the tracks. The music was produced with whatever was available: drum machines, synthesisers and keyboards
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
as well as computer programs such as Cubase. In recent years there has been a trend using laptops for live performances, because the capabilities of both the hardware and software are improving very fast.
Tekno producers come from different places including the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
. Since the free party movement is very large in France in terms of numbers, there are many French artists and records labels. As the genre evolved it has come to be known by a number of names, including spiral tekno, hardtek, enimatek and tribetek. Some well-known producers are Crystal Distortion, 69db, Ixy, Kaos, Jack Acid, Curley, Les Boucles Etranges, Yale, FKY, Suburbass, Infrabass, Psychospores, Spukkin Faceship and Sensory Overload.
The Network 23
Network 23 (record label)
Network 23 was a record label founded by the Spiral Tribe sound system in 1994. It stopped in 1996.-History:In two years Network 23 released a number of records by members of Spiral Tribe under various aliases such as R-Zac, Stormcore, SP23, and Crystal Distortion.The Spiral Tribe sound came to be...
record label started by members of the Spiral Tribe
Spiral Tribe
Spiral Tribe is a free party sound system which existed in the first half of the 1990s, and became active again in 2007. The collective originated in west London and later travelled across Europe and North America. According to one member, the name came to him when he was at work, staring at a...
sound system
Sound system (DJ)
A sound system is a group of DJs and engineers contributing and working together as one, playing and producing music.-Origin:The sound system concept originated in the 1950s in Kingston, Jamaica. DJs would load up a truck with a generator, turntables, and huge speakers to set up street parties...
has become hugely influential. Other well-known labels include Hokus Pokus, Passe Muraille, Perce Oreille and Foxtanz.
A complete history is made difficult by the very nature of the genre:
- Artists are not interested in fame or money so they will often use pseudonyms and change record labels frequently.
- The free party movement is against stars and profit-making.
- The genre is still evolving today.
- Part of the appeal of the movement is its underground nature.
Recently interest in tekno has decreased, as artists begin to explore other genres such as breakcore
Breakcore
Breakcore is a style of electronic music largely influenced by hardcore techno, drum and bass and Intelligent dance music. Its sound is largely characterized by a high-tempo, well-timed mingling of distorted kick drums , break beats arranged from samples of the Amen break, and audio samples from a...
, speedcore
Speedcore
Speedcore is a form of hardcore techno that is characterized by a high rate of beats per minute and aggressive themes. The name originates from the high BPM rate, which rarely drops below 300 BPM. Earlier Speedcore tracks averaged at about 250 BPM, whereas more recent tracks sometimes exceed 1000 BPM...
and ,as some would argue, because of an increasing boredom with the 4/4 beat or because artists find these genres more extreme.