KROWNE: IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER #1 - OLD SCHOOL TECHNO
I'm Krowne, producer and DJ and Black Lantern artist. You may know me from a few tasty EPs and albums I've done for the label, as KROWNE and one half of KROMATIC. Welcome to the first episode of my new top 10 blog. I’m kicking off with a look back at why I love techno so much, and some of the records that got me into techno at the young age of 15.
I started DJing when I was 13, at the time happy hardcore and trance was very popular, and unfortunately I also fell victim to abusing my ears with these jolly speeded-up beats.
Thankfully my older brother Alan (designer of the awesome cover art above, by the way) insisted I listen to some techno, and he bought me my first few techno records, one of which was Glenn Wilson & Slobodan – Combined Elements, which was out on Planet Rhythm Records. Anyone that knows this record will know that every single track on it is totally pounding. It’s one of my prized possessions!
As well as looking back, in future episodes I will also be covering other genres of music, such as house, hip-hop, electronica and everything in-between.
Paperclip People – The Secret Tape of Doctor Eich (1996, Planet E Communications)
Paperclip People aka Carl Craig is one of those forward thinking producers that is always trying to evolve his sound to a new unheard level and this record is a clear example of that. I first heard of Carl Craig when I picked up a 12" copy of Climax. Climax truly blow my mind, such a wonderful record, Detroit, house, jazz, all rolled into one track. That’s pretty much the same as the whole double album, which is The Secret Tape of Doctor Eich. I picked this record up in my days partying in Belfast, where I had great people like my brother Alan and his friend Joe Dean (who both had detailed record collections) showing me classic record after classic record, night after night. This was truly an amazing time for discovering techno and music in general.
Starting with tracks like Oscillator, Paperclip People & Climax, you hear a strong synth-orientated sound, lush keys, smooth bass and aggressive tight-cut drums, giving the listener a strong mix of house and techno.
Then we move onto tracks like The Floor & Clear and Present, these beats are quite tough with a distinct disco vibe. Very dark, interesting synth melodies in The Floor, with a strong pumping bass and drums the whole way, you really get a feel for the old days of techno from this tune. Reminds me of many party nights in Omagh/Belfast back in the days when I was getting into the scene. Then we have that funky bass groove on Clear and Present and those lush old-school pads, such a funky beat.
Now we come to Throw, which is a truly incredible track. I’ve played this in so many sets over the years. Driving beats, mega-phat bassline and jazzy keys and synths, what more does a track need? For me this track covers so much ground genre-wise, truly remarkable for the time it came out in 1994.
Lastly we have Parking Garage & Country Boy Goes Dub. Parking Garage has a nice funky Detroit/house 303 style bass and lots of different drum and percussion parts, bit of a tribal force with the beats in places. Country Boy Goes Dub is another driven beat with that funky guitar loop and dubby bass. This track total lifts the pace and delivers even more interesting layers of percussion part’s, that really set’s this track apart from the rest. As well as including some nice dub delay melodies to add to the ever-changing style in genres that plays out through this whole record.
Carl Cox – Fact 2 (1997, Worldwide Ultimatum Records)
This another one of those classic double LPs that I came across a few years after it came out. I was quite young in 97, 12 years old, I got decks a year or two later and the techno followed soon after. I grew up in Omagh, N.I. and it’s a pretty small, boring town, but growing up in my teenage years, there were tonnes of DJs and plenty of house/techno/trance/hardcore nights, the best of which were in The Omagh Town Football Club. This venue was a small, sweaty, dingy place, but so perfect for the scene that was happening at the time, I have many great memories of nights in the Town Club.
This is one of the many records made known to me through going to these nights when I was younger. It has classic tracks like:
Acorn Arts - Global Grooves, a banging tune with big Detroit stabs and, for me, a pure disco groove hidden within.
Death In Vegas- Rocco (Dave Clarke Remix), a mind blowing track even by today’s standards, the striking vocal and uplifting yet dark synths and funky old-skool breaks.
Green Velvet - The Stalker, Green Velvet was as ground breaking as Daft Punk were in the 90s. Stalker has one of the best basslines ever, big statement, but I could listen to it all day long and I used to, not forgetting the epic vocal track that goes with it.
Adam Beyer - Pump 2, a very early Primate release (No.5), showing early signs of what was to come from the label as well as the beast Adam Beyer himself. Pumping techno beat with a distinctive 303 synth which is a delight throughout the track.
DJ HMC – LSD, pure techfunkness which I could eat up all day long. Early example of big filtered synths and rolling beats and snare drums, topped off with a nice LSD vocal sample. One off many classic tunes that many other producers like Joey Beltram, Dave Angel, Marco Carola, & Technasia have brought us. May they keep on rolling!
These are just a few examples of the 18 tracks on the LP, also worth checking out the full mix CD of Carl Cox – Fact 2.
Laurent Garnier - The Sound of Big Babou (12", 1999, F-Communications)
I first heard this record in the early days off going to the Omagh Town FC, nights like Bad Taste Sessions (still operating) with Terry McClean banging it out. It used to send me and every other crazy loon wild when it came on.
I never knew what the track was called or who made it, until my sisters Lisa and Tracy took me too see Carl Cox, Laurent Garnier live, and Dave Clark at The Point in Dublin. I was like 15/16 at the time. Carl Cox played a banging set and afterwards Laurent Garnier came on and started getting into the live set. All off a sudden, a big sax played loud and I realised, I know this song, it was Man with the Red Face. I swear I nearly imploded on the spot with pure spine-tingling happiness.
As you can guess The Sound of Big Babou soon followed and again I’d never felt so happy hearing a song in my life, up to that point, it was an amazing experience. Then to top it all off Dave Clark came on and banged out an hour of techno.
I bought the record soon after and started playing it in my own sets. I still love this tune as much as I ever did!
Depeche Mode - Dream On (Remixes 12", 2001, Mute / 12Bong30)
What a record this is, everyone loved this back in the day. If you needed a record to get everyone’s ass on the dance floor, this was it.
In my opinion, the only remix worth talking about is the Dave Clark remix, sorry Bushwacka, but no one ever played that side of the record. Everyone played the crackly, well-used side of the record, where Dave Clark put his stamp.
The Clark remix is a pounding mix of beats and bass, with the lovely distorted Depeche Mode vocal, not forgetting the creepy lead synth. Each time it drops with the big kick drum and vocals, is truly amazing. A powerful track on a big PA rig.
Dave Angel – Tokyo Stealth Fighter (12", 1997, Island Records)
Dave Angel is one of my biggest heroes, he’s one of the most soulful techno producers around, and he adds a superior level of funk to his music. This record is no exception to that fact.
This record always sounded pretty unique to me, very original and packed with so many sounds. It has a kind of broken 4x4 beat and loads of big Detroit stabs with a high use of flanger and filter effects, and not forgetting the “get get go” vocal sample. The structure is pretty immense for the time and it works extremely well. This track stands the test of time for me.
This 12" also features two great remixes by Slam and Carl Craig. Slam's Conflicting Beats Remix is a much more clubby mix, but still contains all the great sounds from the original and it would sit well in plenty of techno sets.
Carl Craig’s remix is again built for the club, but has a very different approach than Slam’s. It has a slower, building feel, and keeps building throughout. It has more of a filtered sound with the synths and minimal patterns in the beats.
Dave Angel has run one of my all-time favourite record labels, Rotation Records. I have more Rotation records than I do of any other label. Plus 8 is a close second. He also runs a newer label, Niah, which is a sub-label to Rotation, both of which are well worth a look. My mate Andy Kelly (AK) would strongly agree; he was probably the first person to show me this label when I was 15.
Matthew Herbert – Mistakes (12", 2000, Tresor Records)
Matthew Herbert needs no introduction, he’s well renowned in his field and I think this record is a great example of this. This 12" is truly experimental techno at its finest; all the mixes have their own identity and sound, with thrilling sounds and noises throughout.
Housey Housey Remix is the main one I use in sets. It’s full of great shuffling beats and crazy synth noises. The highlight of this mix for me is two minutes in when a fussy, warm jazz synth cuts in. I instantly loved this record the first time I heard that jazz synth.
Album Version is also good for mixing in on the fly, but you have to be quick as its only three minutes long. Those three minutes pack a lot of punch though, as this version is heavy on the experimental side. Broken shuffle beats; with very phat, dirty bass stabs and crazy sci-fi sound effects.
This record is definitely worth a look, maybe one for the more experimental heads out there.
Jeff Mills – Waveform Vol.1 Transmission (1992, Tresor Records)
Jeff Mills is simply a beast that never quits. That man’s been pumping techno since year zero and shows no sign of quitting any time soon. I’ve been lucky enough to see Jeff Mills three times since I moved to Scotland, twice at the one and only Pressure, Glasgow, and at Edinburgh’s very own Jackhammer, which has single-handedly awakened the long dead Edinburgh techno scene by putting on big line-ups like Ben Sims, Jeff Mills and Slam on the same night for only £15, bargain techno! Show support to the people making it happen.
This double LP is among the first heavy hitting techno records I ever listened too. It kind of scared my ears the first few times I played it, but just the right amount. All the older guys my brother introduced me to in Belfast had this record in their collection, so it didn’t take too long for me to borrow it and have a mess around with the new, old sounds I was hearing.
Phase 4 is a brutal entrance into this record, brutally superb that is. Like most of the tracks on this record, Phase 4 is four to the floor techno from start to finish, and has the craziest scratchy siren string synth that’s quite disturbing, but very techno!
Changes of Life is easily my favourite track, as it’s the most musical and soulful track on the record. It’s a refreshing break from the nose-bleeding tracks (I mean nose-bleeding in the nicest possible way). Big housey stabs over a fairly pounding beat, but the funky stabs smooth out the harsh beats, which makes the track relaxed and a lot of fun to mix in on a set. This is a fairly timeless record, always good to have close by at house parties if you want to lift the roof!
Late Night is a pretty chilled track too, very minimal compared to the rest of the record. I love the sound of the 909 drums in this, big hats and shakers. I also love the simplistic Detroit stab loop, fits well with the overall minimal sound. Some nice filter synth noises too in the background, which makes Late Night even more interesting to listen to every time you come back to it.
There are 8 tracks in total on this record, other highlights for me include DNA and Man-Like, they are full of interesting, twisting synths, and of course more 909 action.
Overall this LP has a real human feel to it. You can almost picture Jeff Mills jamming this record out live as you listen, it certainly has his style of DJing structured and embedded into it. In four years this record will be 25 years old, that makes it an antique, a part of history. History worth looking into, your ears need to hurt from time to time.
DJ Rush – Freaks On Hubbard (12", 1998, Technique Records)
So we can’t look back at old techno without (a) getting at least one jacking techno track, and (b) getting at least one DJ Rush track. DJ Rush AKA Major Rush is king of jacking techno, this track along with tracks like Get On Up and Chris Liebing - The Biggest Ten Inches I Have Ever Seen (Major Rush Remix), clearly show his superior skills in this sub-genre.
Freaks on Hubbard is the first Rush track I ever heard. It’s featured on a Fuse Presents: Dave Clarke mix from 1997, which is where I first listened to it. The vinyl of the Fuse mix was floating about at many parties both in Omagh and Belfast, and even still when I was living in Galway when I was 17. A lot of my DJ friends had it, so it was always fun to get mixing some Rush at parties and gigs. Rush always goes down well, no matter the situation.
This is one of the records I picked up a long time after it was popular. In the last few years I’ve been going round charity stores, and second hand record shops in Stockbridge (Edinburgh), which is the best place in the city for picking up old treasures, and also buying off friends, to pick up as many of the old classics that I wasn’t able to afford at the time. It’s a lot of fun.
I picked up this 12" at Elvis Shakespeare (Edinburgh). The owner actually gave it to me because he thought it wasn’t in good enough condition to sell, but it’s actually fine, looks worse than it sounds. I’ve since played it at one or two gigs.
This 12" includes remixes by Dave Clarke, DJ Shufflemaster and the DJ Rush mix. The Dave Clarke mix is my favourite, it’s banging from start to finish. The drums have a pounding feel, filled with great sounds and a lot of shuffle grooves. The main synth is driving through the track, pure acid stabs. The main highlight of most Rush tracks or remixes is the vocal track, and Freaks on Hubbard is a classic, I love the vocals so much. “I just want to feel free, and express myself, because I’m freaky like that.”
So if you need to get jacked up, DJ Rush is your hook up!
Richie Hawtin – Minus Orange (12", 1999, Minus)
Richie Hawtin is one of my heroes. In my younger days of being a DJ, I spent hours and hours listening to Hawtin sets, trying to work out what the hell he was doing. He’s always been a forward thinker and has helped techno evolve into the modern day. Not always for the best; sometimes shit is just too minimal.
For me the glory days of minimal techno was all about Plastikman, and if you listen back, a lot of Plastikman was pretty banging, as well as being ultra-minimal, but it seemed more interesting then than it does now. Admittedly I do buy and play some minimal, but I go for the tracks that have lots of interesting builds and changes in them.
I’ve been to see Hawtin DJ many times and I can honestly say I’ve never been disappointed, he always seems to give 100% to the crowds, which is what you want when you’re on the dancefloor. I’ve also seen Plastikman live 2.0, two years ago in Glasgow. From what I can remember, it was mind-blowing.
Minus Orange is beyond a classic, this is an absolute treasure of a beat. Any old school techno head will tell you that you must have a listen, and then they will tell you to listen to the Decks, EFX & 909 mix from 1999, which is still an inspiring mix today.
This 12" has four versions, which are kind of more like four parts to a puzzle. It‘s famous for having the main hook sample from Yello's Oh Yeah, which makes the track, but that being said, it’s still Hawtin through and through, with his mark clearly stamped on it. Each version has its own feel, and each suits different styles of mixing.
Orange 1 is a pretty driven mix, loads of filtered breaks, on drums and the disco-esque Detroit stabs.
Orange 2 is similar to 1, but has more of a live jam feel about it. It has a similar use of the sounds in 1, but just structured in a different way.
Minus 1 has a great bass sample; it’s very funky and has great drums punching their way through the record. It is also filled with great big filtered breakdowns, which keep you interested throughout.
Minus 2 is probably my favourite and most used version of this record. It has everything from the Minus 1 version, but with an added reverb pad / Detroit synth which makes a huge impact to my ears when I hear it. This new synth adds even more twists and turns to this track, elevating it to the master class of techno.
Another mix by Richie Hawtin worth mentioning, and one which I would personally insist that you listen too is DE9 - Closer To The Edit 2001. This mix kind of divided opinions back in the day it came out, some old school Hawtin fans weren’t impressed as it was a much more minimal and chilled out mix, compared to his earlier work. I loved it, it blew me away because of how complex a mix it was and because of how fast tracks would seamlessly mix in and out as if they were part of the track that was playing. Truly an outstanding DJ set.
New Order – Blue Monday (12", 1983, Factory Records)
Now I know what you’re all thinking, that’s an electro record not a techno record, right? Well yes, but I’ve played this in so many techno sets over the years that I don’t care and to me it’s 100% techno, it’s also one of the best, and one of my favourite dance records of all time.
I picked this record up when I was about 15/16. My good friend from back home Matt Mullen’s dad (John) has at least 15, 000 records in his collection, probably a lot more since the last time I seen it. Matt and I discovered he had Blue Monday; we used to dig out loads of soul and rock records in his dad John’s collection for our Saturday night chilling in his attic. He had pull-down stairs for his attic; me and all my mates would head to Matt's on a Saturday to hang out and listen to music. Matt and I set up an old turntable to about six random speakers, and we had a tape deck and CD player setup. Everyone brought music, and we listened to a wide variety of genres, I had some of the funniest nights of my life up in that attic, would be great to re-live one of them.
So eventually I was in Matt’s one day listening to a CD I brought round by a band called Cake, which I’d heard in America when I was 15. John walked in and asked if I wanted to swap the CD for a record, because he liked it so much, so we agreed on Blue Monday. I was very happy with the deal and went straight home to mix it.
This is possibly one of the most perfectly crafted records about, from the famous kick drum intro hook, to the electro-pop classic vocal: “How does it feel...” The musicality in this record is second to none, with the funky synth guitar to the even funkier appeggiated synth bass and big percussion hits throughout. It has lovely 80s pad synth lines, which adds to the big atmosphere in this track. Side B on this record has the equally funky and more spaced out instrumental version called The Beach.
This record, more than any other, rocks the fucking party into the next day. I don’t think I could ever stop playing it.
I hope you have enjoyed my first episode of my top 10s, in no particular order. Obviously there are about 1,000 other records I could have mentioned, it’s not easy picking only ten out of so many classics, but I feel these records create a unique sense of how techno was before and during the time I got into it and started having a lot of fun on the decks mixing it.
Catch you next time for some hip-hop treats, and feel free to comment about what tracks you loved and remember from the good old days of techno.
