<from
http://www.c8.com/c8/intart/underground.html>
"Underground Techno" is a phrase that used to mean something good but now
belongs in the cesspool of current Pop culture.
"Underground" is a much used and abused word these days. If were to believe
all that we read, just about every Techno zine, Web site, party, record label
and artist is "underground". Look at the title of this small collection of
electronically spread information (www.c8.com). If youre quick enough youll
see the "U" word there and, you know, its total crap. It wont be up there long.
Traditionally, the "Underground" has been seen as the innovative few who lead
the way, the artists who create the new outrageous sounds and ideas that, over
time, creep into our subconscious and slowly become acceptable to us, the mass
consuming public. Take a look at Punk in the UK. Back in 76 it was despised by
all "right minded" people as being offensive, with its funny coloured and
styled hair, trashy clothes and anarchic attitude to life, it was
"Underground" enough. Now, it seems all so tame, theres hardly any difference
between todays Britpop and the Punk Rock of 78. The same applies to Techno, or
what is called Techno these days. Gabba was a new and exciting thing in 93/94,
insanely hard and fast and rightly classed as one of the sounds of the
"Underground". People had never heard anything like it. If innovation is
prerequisite to being "Underground" in the traditional sense then, these days,
Gabba has nothing to do with it. The innovators have moved on as they always
do, continually exploring new, fresh fields of sound whilst Gabba, that
subversive flavour of a few years ago, gradually grows in popularity, banging
the same old, tired 909 drum just a little faster. Anybody that advertises
Gabba (or any other sort of Techno) as "Underground" is lying theyll be Gabba
on Top of the Pops soon enough.
The "U" word has been hijacked by the mass marketing men because, in their
eyes, it has connotations of illicit coolness, that cachet of anti-
authoritarian rebelliousness beloved by every record buying, post-pubescent
teenager the world over. The "U" word sells, the "U" word is big business. By
its very nature, the "Underground" cant be popular but were asked to believe
that records that sell in hundreds of thousands, glossy magazines with
circulation figures of over 30,000 (in the UK alone) and Web sites accessible
to anyone in the world (who is privileged enough!) are "Underground" and the
kids just lap it up. Just like some words, such as "Gay", have changed meaning
over the years, the "U" word now has no meaning at all, unless it is to
signify that the user, every user, of that word is a band wagon jumping,
commercial hypocrite. Maybe thats a little unfair, but who of the innovators
would call themselves "Underground" when it has all the trendy, shallow
implications of a Prodigy tune? Who of the innovators needs any word to
describe what they do or make? If somethings truly new then it can have no
name.
So what of "Techno", that once beloved sound that was so close to my heart?
For me, "Techno" has also become a dirty word as its association with the
commercial "Underground" gets ever stronger. Dont get me wrong, there are some
exquisite tunes being made by geniuses at this very moment, but it chokes me
to have the output of labels such as ZTR associated with the banal, crap of
The Chemical Brothers under that all encompassing banner of "Techno".
As I said, "Underground Techno" is a phrase that used to mean something good
but now belongs in the cesspool of current Pop culture. I suggest you laugh
disdainfully every time you hear it used.
stevvi <stevvi@c8.com>.
------
ekku
the maintainer of pHinnWeb - everything u ever wanted to know
about Finnish techno scene but were too afraid of the reindeer
trerra@uta.fi |
http://www.uta.fi/~trerra |
http://www.sci.fi/~phinnweb
the sore in my soul
the mark in my heart
her acid reign