Talk:Techno

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• February 2002 – January 2009 – Topics: Terminology · Trance vs Techno · Jazz in Techno / IDM · Beginnings and House Influences · Links and Misc · Yorkshire Bleeps and Bass · Technopunk · Moby et al as techno "pioneers" · Detroits Role · Hardcore genres · Points of Contention - Styles · Somewhat confoozled · Redirection proposal · Genre Classification · Americans · History and artists · Loveparade · Nonsense · Krasimir loves Techno · Techno-holic concerns · POV statement · Really needed? · Influenced by progressive rock? · Bruce Haack · Journalistic hype based terminology verses genuine musicology · America-centered · Hardcore techno · Once again on the "origins"... · Japanese invented Country-Music · Techno is characterized... · Mainstream popularity · Sorry But... · Redefinition of past artists · Definition · Rename / Focus · Move some content · My two cents · A less notable Derrick May quote · Composition · More research needed on related genres

• January 2009 – March 2012 – Topics: Nominate example tracks · Description of the genre? · Post-disco · Footers · EDM · techno or edm? · Complete re-write required. 'The Techno Twins' coined the phrase 'Techno' in 1977 · Techno a non-representational or abstract music / art? · Origins · Disputed origins again · Bud Powell · MCing · YMO and "foreign" influences · Synthpop? Electropop? · extremely us-biased perspective · What about Steve Rachmad? · Techno · FIRST TECHNO RECORD

• July 2012 – October 2014 – Topics: Allmusic unreliable · Lots of Confusion about Techno in North America · America/ Detroit? The birth place of techno?? / The discussion is not over · Wrong Album · Pre-1988 techno- prefixes · The article describes two different genres · Acid/Acid House =(equals) American Techno · Introduction of the word "Techno" in reference to a specific genre of music?

Drum patterns

It said on the page that the drum pattern was essentially a disco drum pattern, but that statement isn't quite reliable. The truth is that the drum pattern (known as a 4 on the floor pattern) existed in garage rock which dated back to the 1960's, but became popular and during disco (which took place in the 1970's) and modern electronic dance music (which's still used to this day). Technically, it's a beat used in classic rock as well as disco and EDM, though the 4 on the floor beat did have influences from jazz music. https://www.masterclass.com/articles/four-on-the-floor-rhythm-explained#a-brief-history-of-fouronthefloor

I put list of exemplary tracks back in

Hi Binksternet, I put the list of exemplary track which you had deleted back in. I do not understand why you think that genre articles should not have lists of examples. Can you please explain a little bit more? Thank you very much for your answer in advance. Best regards StefanZürrer StefanZürrer (talk) 18:48, 20 March 2026 (UTC)

Kinda piggybacking off this topic.

I do agree with you that a list of examples is useful and important and I'm not sure why someone would wholesale delete it.

That said, it could definitely use some work, specifically around showing the difference between the Detroit/Berlin/(and UK?) definition of the genre of techno, vs the Talla2XLC/Frankfurt/Netherlands/Belgium more broad definition. (Relatedly, you use the term "in the German sense", though I'm not sure Berlin is going to agree with that wording...) ~2026-23306-55 (talk) 01:44, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

Thank you for your support of the list of examples. Yes, the list could use some work. As mentioned in the beginning of the list people are invited to include some more tracks. I have not yet found a reliable source for the comparison you propose. If you have a source, please add those tracks. StefanZürrer (talk) 10:46, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

Also, if you have a better way to express the differences than by using "in the German sense", please feel free to improve this expression. StefanZürrer (talk) 10:47, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

Second deletion of exemplary tracks

Hi Binksternet, you have not yet responded to my discussion above and you have again deleted my proposed list of exmpemplary tracks. I put them back in. You comment your revision with "rv per WP:SYNTH". I do not agree. Can you please explain a bit more?

WP:SYNTH:Do not synthesize meaning from multiple sources to state or imply a conclusion not explicitly stated by any of those sources Which meaning do you think I synthesize from multiple soures to state or imply a conclusion not explicitly stated by any of those source? — Preceding unsigned comment added by StefanZürrer (talk • contribs) 11:06, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

You have also deleted a lot more that I did not put in.

Looking forward to your replay. Best regards StefanZürrer. StefanZürrer (talk) 10:54, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

The guideline at WP:SYNTH says we should not combine various sources and use them to present an idea that is not contained in any one of them. The idea here is that certain tracks are exemplary of the German aspect of the techno genre. Swiss DJ Arnold Meyer's list of 100 tracks does not break down which of them are exemplary of German techno. Who chooses the 39 listed songs from the original 100?

And why should the general page about techno host a list of a subset of songs? Such a list should be created as a WP:List article.

Wikipedia articles should supply context for the reader, the context drawn from WP:SECONDARY sources discussing the topic. A very few exemplary tracks should be described in prose with an explanation about why they were important, what new developments they introduced, how they were influential, etc. Such a prose description would be in paragraph form, not presented as a context-free list of tracks. The WP:INDISCRIMINATE guideline comes to mind. Binksternet (talk) 14:54, 9 May 2026 (UTC)

Hi Binksternet, thank you for your reply

Swiss DJ Arnold Meyer's list of 100 tracks does not break down which of them are exemplary of German techno.

Short answer: True, because all of them are exemplary of the “German” techno definition.

Long answer: Meyer has coauthored the article “History of Techno”. On page 21 he and his coauthor write

From 1990 onwards, however, techno referred to the type of electronic dance music that had emerged from house [Chicago House]. Even though Chicago’s acid house and Detroit techno around 1987/88 contained many elements of today's [i.e. 1995] techno, 1990 is considered the birth year of techno as we know it today [i.e. 1995].

From this I think it is clear, that Meyer distinguishes between Detroit Techno and Techno. (I call this distinction the “German” techno definition.) From this I conclude that his list titled “100 tracks -one nundert important techno tracks” contains only Techno tracks according to the “German” definition.

Furthermore, his list does only contain very few tracks before 1990 (I think by mistake). And none of the usual Detroit Techno tracks, I believe.

Who chooses the 39 listed songs from the original 100?

I did. If you do not like me selection, please add your selection. I’m also fine if you want to put in all of the tracks. I'm also fine to discuss with you why I have chosen a particular track or if it needs to be replaced with another track.

And why should the general page about techno host a list of a subset of songs? Such a list should be created as a WP:List article.

Since there is debate what the definition or meaning of Techno is, I think a list of tracks for each proposed definition is most helpful to clarify the different meanings, if any. E.g. we could see, if there is an overlap or not. There are other articles about music genres with lists. That’s where I got the idea from. I guess I could live with a WP:List article.

Wikipedia articles should supply context for the reader, the context drawn from WP:SECONDARY sources discussing the topic. A very few exemplary tracks should be described in prose with an explanation about why they were important, what new developments they introduced, how they were influential, etc. Such a prose description would be in paragraph form, not presented as a context-free list of tracks. The WP:INDISCRIMINATE guideline comes to mind.

See my answer above. You have also deleted my prose description of early contributions:

Some early contributions for techno (in the “German” sense of techno) came from:…

I think, this part at least meets your requirements. So why did you delete it?

I hope I could convince you. Happy to hear your thoughts.

Best regards StefanZürrer StefanZürrer (talk) 07:16, 10 May 2026 (UTC)

The list that gave me the idea is List of synth-pop artists. So it is in fact a list article. StefanZürrer (talk) 07:29, 10 May 2026 (UTC)

This topic is not a list article. It is a music genre article. Music genre articles should not have embedded lists of examples without context. Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Music#Lists says "Music genre articles should not contain lists of performers." A list of techno tracks is also a list of the artists who created the tracks, so it doesn't belong.

You can try to create a page listing techno tracks, but some here would challenge it, saying that Category:Techno songs is sufficient. Also, a list article of techno tracks would not be limited to "exemplary" tracks as judged by you. It would include all of Meyer's 100 and any other track that someone wants to add. It would even include Chicago-style tracks if someone has called them techno. Binksternet (talk) 13:50, 10 May 2026 (UTC)

Hi Binksternet, I'm not sure if you are really reading what I write. I keep telling you that you are deleting content that was NOT written by me or proposed by me (see below). Are you aware that the below part was not written by me? Do you still want to delete it? I mean the part:

==Developments==

As the techno sound evolved in the late 1980s and early 1990s, it also diverged to such an extent that a wide spectrum of stylistically distinct music was being referred to as techno. This ranged from relatively pop oriented acts such as Moby to the distinctly anti-commercial sentiments of Underground Resistance. Derrick May's experimentation on works such as Beyond the Dance (1989) and The Beginning (1990) were credited with taking techno "in dozens of new directions at once and having the kind of expansive impact John Coltrane had on Jazz". The Birmingham-based label Network Records label was instrumental in introducing Detroit techno to British audiences. By the early 1990s, the original techno sound had garnered a large underground following in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. The growth of techno's popularity in Europe between 1988 and 1992 was largely due to the emergence of the rave scene and a thriving club culture. StefanZürrer (talk) 17:48, 10 May 2026 (UTC)