Techno Music

Techno music is one of the most innovative music styles created. It can best be described as electronic dance music. The source of the word Techno was pioneered by the German group Kraftwerk, who used a style of synthetic computer generated music in the 1970s. The history of techno is very difficult to define, as it varies depending whether you follow the history back to Germany, the United States or the United Kingdom. However, most state that techno's lineage can be traced back to Kraftwerk, Yellow Magic Orchestra and George Clinton. Techno came to prominence as fully fledged dance music with the advent of the Roland TB303 rhythm generator and the subsequent emergence of the 'Acid House' or 'rave' scene. The speed of the music, which is indicated in beats per minute (BPM) was continuously increasing, and in early 1990, the house beat was combined with the electro sound and techno house was born.

Techno in the United States

Techno as we know it was born in the United States- Detroit specifically. The early 1980s Detroit electro movement developed from 1970s disco and funk combined with the rhythms and sounds of Kraftwerk and British synthpop. One of the more well known exponents of this style was Cybotron, featuring Juan Atkins. Atkins went on to form one third of the Detroit techno ensemble 'the Belleville Three' in 1985 with Kevin Saunderson (of Inner City) and Derrick May (of Mayday and Rhythm is Rhythm). Other chief promoters of this new form of music were Carl Craig, Kenny Larkin and Josh Wink. Meanwhile in Canada, Richie Hawtin and John Acquaviva were experimenting with minimalist techno and acid house (a variant of the Chicago based House movement using distorted pulses made by the Roland TB303 to simulate psychedelic sound effects). These two formed the influential Plus8 label with some European artists such as Speedy J getting their first breaks on the label. Ritchie Hawtin later resurfaced as Plastikman. Soon the west coast started to get in on the act, and by the early 90s, techno had arrived. However the American concept of techno differs sharply from that of their English counterparts. The American scene was, and still is, more influenced by funk and house than the British.

History of Rock Music

History of Rock Music

The history of rock music isn't cut and dry. Many individuals debate who the first rock singer was and what the first rock song was. However, it is known that the history of rock music comes from the old R&B mixed with some country and western and fused with a little rockabilly.
The exact time period that the history or rock music started in is not known. There were rock and roll elements showing up in blues songs and old country western songs as far back as the 20's and 30's. By the 1950's the history or rock music had begun.
The phrase rock and roll used to have a sexual connotation attached to it. The phrase sometimes contained to two meanings. It appeared to mean dancing but was also associated with sex. It was first used in the title of Trixi Smith's 1920's song, “My baby rocks me with one steady roll.” However, it was Alan Freed a disc jockey from Ohio that first came up with the phrase rock and roll in 1955. With that, the history of rock music was well under way.
As stated before, just who started the history of rock music is under debate. This is because rock and roll music evolved from different genres and some songs that belonged to the blues, jazz, country, and gospel genres offered elements that could be considered rock and roll. However, it was Bill Haley's song, “Rock around the clock” that became popular enough to top the Billboard music charts.
In the history or rock music there have been many icons. Among the earliest rock stars are names like Bill Haley, Chuck Berry, and Little Richard. These early stars of the history or rock music led to the popularization or rock and a culture change that shocked the world. The dance crazes, fashion styles, and pop culture that followed the early history of rock music were made possible by these early stars.