In My Memory

Tecktonik was introduced to me by Nab in a college dorm room. I was blown away by the complexity of the music, dance and the people. However, I would not consider this to be my first experience with tck. To truly begin to understand tck, you have to be exposed to a place where you are dancing (which is completely necessary) and there are other people dancing. To say I did not appreciate tecktonik before my experience is accurate, especially in comparison to my appreciation for it now. The setting for this tecktonik "rave" was also a college dorm room, essentially transformed for this type of get together. There were strobe lights/colorful lights making designs on the wall in the darkness of the room, 10 people jammed into this tiny space, huge speakers and most importantly, a DJ spinning the music.
At first I was overwhelmed and, as many would be, scared to dance. What if I wasn't good? What if I looked stupid? After all, this was completely out of my comfort zone (in terms of dance and music). The situation healed itself; you try standing still in a small room with 10 people who are dancing around while you yourself WANT to dance to this catchy music but are not. I'm not sure how or why I started dancing, but once I did, and stopped thinking about the "what if's", I was freed. I let go (relieving the awkward feelings I had about the situation) and danced with the tecktonik-loving individuals around me. The comfort of the situation was that these people loved it just as much as I did (and had initially tried to hide) and went just as crazy as I did when the drop pushed through the speakers. At some point you just stop thinking. By the time I stopped dancing (4+ hours later) in the early morning hours my legs were searing with pain. The music had taken me so far away from my own judgments and my self imposed restrictions (based on those society supports) that I had kept dancing and not felt the pain (that is until the music stopped). The experience was beautiful; I can now see why this subculture is spreading across Europe so quickly. Feeling like you fit in and are not being judged, that you can fully let go and appreciate the music is all part of tecktonik and what it means to be a tecktonik killer.
I hope that eventually this movement will be transferred out of Europe and into the States with the same positive feeling it possesses in France, and the lack of judgment as well. The first step, however, is being comfortable with yourself. Until then...Vive le tecktonik!

"In My Memory" by DJ Tiesto

The Mission

It is obvious through history and throughout our personal experiences, that anything extreme or different draws a lot of attention. Much of this attention is focused around the idea that people don’t understand what’s going on or simply dislike it. Parents of tckers interviewed on the Paris news stated that they didn’t mind their teenagers partaking in the movement and that they were good kids (some even staying out of trouble since joining the tecktonik movement). A unifying theme in the newscast, however, was of people’s lack of understanding. No one interviewed, especially the adults, seemed to know why tecktonik had come around or why it is such a fast growing subculture.
I am beginning to find more and more negative comments on youtube about tecktonik. What I failed to recognize in the first place is that it isn’t just Americans who dislike tecktonik and think it’s “gay” or Parisians who support it (“Vive le tecktonik!”); people of all backgrounds like and dislike tecktonik. For as many nasty comments about the videos, there are supportive comments refuting previous statements; I have identified nearly 10 different languages in the comments of these videos arguing back and forth with one another.
Perhaps it isn’t just Americans who need to be more open to new concepts, perhaps it’s human beings in general. Perhaps tecktonik just happened to find the least judgmental and open minded individuals in Paris and brought them together under one name, tecktonik (named for the different styles of dance and music coming together like the collision between the tectonic plates). Perhaps the spread of the movement is to similarly open minded people in other cities of Europe. After all, you can’t be convinced to like tecktonik; you either do or you don’t (this however does not mean that you can’t respect it as a dance form).

"The Mission" by DJ Tomcraft

Mad Traxx

The beauty of tecktonik is that you can’t look that way anywhere else without drawing attention, nasty comments and dirty looks. It has it’s own completely unique style (composed of styles from all over) but even beyond that, people don’t judge. People create their own look. Yoji, a hardstyle DJ wears large metal rimmed glasses frames, has yellow dreadlocks on the back half of his head while the front half is shaved. This is a style of his own that people admire and imitate; no one condemns him for standing out. This form of dress is rebellion against all norms in a less destructive format. Societal norms from all cultures are challenged here by the clothing, hairstyles and dance; it simply cannot be mimicked because of the environment necessary to nurture it. Unfortunately there are no sources that state this rebellion, however, it’s an educated assumption based on the tellings of Nab and other tck blogs. Paris is the only place this can be gotten away with and one of the only places that people won’t stare at a tcker as they walk by.
The tecktonik killers’ bodies are utilized to the fullest to express themselves; they decorate themselves with makeup, phenomenal hairstyles and clothing, preserve their bodies through straying from alcohol and drugs and dancing in exactly the fashion in which they want to.
It seems they truly fit in their bodies; their body truly is who they are as a person and that confidence radiates outwards. I doubt that many Americans could agree with that concept; most are unhappy with many things about themselves (based on the judgment of others) and strive for change (to ends that are as extreme as plastic surgery) because of these insecurities.

"Max Traxx" by DJ Furax

Pure Devotion

Beyond the music, there is one thing within tecktonik that is more important. The drop. The drop is the most highly anticipated part of any song. Generally there are a few minutes of intro music, which consists of one or two sound bits layered on top of one another. Then there’s a build up; people get charged and excitement surges. The drop itself is when the bass starts (especially in tecktonik) and the beat/ sound bits become exceedingly complex. This is the heart of people’s excitement. It’s the cue to dance your heart out. The beauty of the drop as I see it, is that you don’t need to know the song to know it’s coming. Within the rock subculture there’s a “drop” of sorts but unless you know every single song being played, you don’t necessarily hear it coming. This makes it harder for everyone involved to let go at the same time or at all. The drop produces a natural high for you and those around you. With all of this excitement and shedding of inhibitions, people begin to let go. Logically, it let’s you move faster and dance harder, essentially reliving stress.
People love this feeling, and the dance associated so much that they don’t want to leave it; so, they take it to the streets. The streets also provide a place for younger tckers (not yet of club age) to dance to their hearts content. Because of this public display and videos on the Internet, tecktonik is making a name outside of Paris.
Tecktonik killers have started forming teams. They’re competitive with one another but friendly. It’s acknowledged that everyone is there because they love the music and for this, no one judges.
I find that within the rock subculture in the US, people do judge. As much as this group is moving away from social norms and catching slack from the “normal” kids, they don’t respect each other enough to not judge. You can always hear girls whispering nasty things about her hair color or his shirt or her shoes. It’s ridiculous that in a place where everyone is openly defiant of society, there is no common uniting factor in the music. Maybe in the US, people will always judge.


Pure Devotion by Freeloader

Who Knew?

Only after going to a rock concert last night did I realize how remarkably similar that subculture is to tecktonik. There are differences, as would be expected, but there are far more similarities. Everyone is there for their personal connection to the music and when the music “drops”, everyone let’s go. People close their eyes, sing or scream their hearts out and move in any way they feel like they should be. Those who can’t fully let go (for fear of looking silly perhaps) put their “rock hand” up or pump their fists in the air. I can’t believe I overlooked this same connection to the music. A definite difference, though, is that the American rock subculture idolizes and obsesses over the musicians themselves, which can easily remove the focus from the music. In tecktonik it’s all about the music; the DJ gets props for his work, but is not really idolized in any other way.
The style is also strikingly close. Tecktonik killers and rockers (pictured above) tend to wear studded metal belts and a lot of makeup (more excessive in tecktonik). From my perspective, tecktonik clothing is much less likely to be seen anywhere in the US, therefore more foreign to me although I would assume I think this because it’s French culture. Tckers would probably look at American rockers and think that their dress is incredibly weird. Within each overarching culture (American culture and French culture), these groups are viewed as outcasts although no one within each group seems to really care. It seems that the American rock culture has more of a fascination with body modification (piercings and tattoos) than does tecktonik. Both sport characteristically abstract hair cuts (Mohawks, faux-hawks) with all kinds of color worked in.
As similar as they are, I feel as though tecktonik was created as a way to let go (and the quiet rebellious nature followed) whereas the rock subculture came about as a way to rebel and letting go came afterwards. The issue many people have with the rock culture is not found in tecktonik; rock culture seems to attract and condone drug use, alcohol use as well as teens with a lot of anger or strife (contributing to the reputation of rockers being “cutters”). Tecktonik doesn’t seem to have any of these issues. There is nothing in this subculture to distract one from the music and it’s generally a very positive and uplifting environment.
I suppose the question now is not why such a subculture cannot exist in the United States (because it evidently can though it is still outside of pop culture and the majority of societal norms) but why it can’t exist in the same positive and focused manner.

picture from google.com

Black Tarantula

Lately I’ve been finding myself defending tecktonik videos on Youtube. Basically, American kids look at it out of context and comment about how stupid it looks or how idiotic the form of dress is or how the music sucks. I've found comments such as people saying: "Tecktonik dance is made in France and France is gay so tecktonik people are fags," or "Tecktonik fucked house music up. Why did we get the worst dance style," or as simple as "looks gay". This is exactly the issue with the culture in the United States; people are unnecessarily negative and closed-minded. People don't even take the chance to understand the skill it takes to dance that way. People are also insanely misinformed; tecktonik didn't do anything to house, it simply incorporated certain aspects of the music. People fail to realize the amount of skill it takes to dance tecktonik; the movements are precise, smooth and the necessary coordination is insane. Tecktonik could never be done here since it relies on open-mindedness; no one would let go and release to the music if people sat around in clubs and denounced everything that was being done. Europe is noted for its freedom (by the United States) within its culture as a whole. Really, this is normal to almost everywhere else. The US has a weird issue with letting go and releasing judgment of others. This results in people not being able to release; I know plenty of people who think they are bad dancers and as a result, refuse to dance all together.
Techno is a joke in this country. People mock techno for being what it is. Most have a preconceived notion of what it is, what it does and how it sounds. Very few individuals take the time to listen to it, and respect it for its intricacy. People don’t appreciate the type of music that tecktonik is based around making it that much harder to image a tecktonik subculture in Boston (for example).
The beauty of this entire movement is letting go, releasing inhibitions and not being judged for that. It’s loving the music and loving the dance. It’s being completely consumed by a beat and thinking of that beat, and only that beat. It’s “trancing out” without drugs and ignoring everything but the music and effectively losing control of your thoughts; the music begins to dictate your movements. This is tecktonik. Underneath everything (clothes, haircuts, makeup, shoes) lies each tckers desire to simply let go.

Black Tarantula by Pendulum & MC Spyda

High On Life

After interviewing my Parisian friend Nab, I gained insight on tecktonik from a point of view that is more likely to understand it, that of a teenager. The essence of this culture is something completely unique, at least when it’s put into the context of the United States. As a subculture, they don’t judge people. For this reason, the queer community is attracted to tecktonik. It serves as a scene in which they can be themselves and not be judged. As well as being sexually open, the style of dance is the same way. Why isn’t this even an option in the United States? Why is it as Americans, we are so quick to judge others and shun them for their differences? It seems the reason this subculture is so open-minded lies in their love of the music. Being at a tecktonik club is not about looking at others and cutting them down about what they are not, it’s not about other people at all, it’s ABOUT the music and ABOUT the dance. It's the personal connection people form when they dance and get lost in the music; the music is what you make out of it, it's the individual experience attached. People go for their love of techno and their love of dancing to it. Being in this kind of environment allows everyone to release his or her inhibitions about dance or dress or sexual orientation and to just let go. The reason this came about was Parisians’ need to release and this open-minded subculture is what resulted. According to Nab, tecktonik is an “excuse to do whatever the fuck you want”. The surprising thing is that no one takes it too far, and even more surprising is the fact that as a movement, they shun the use of alcohol or drugs to achieve this free-ness. I can’t get over how open this scene is and the lack of judgment between tckers. Because of the focus on the music, it truly allows people to let go and be free, even if it’s only for a night.


High On Life by DJ Encore

Nobody Listens to Techno

So where'd it come from? A lot of movements like this seem to stem out of times of need, crises in the country that people react to with music and in turn, with dance. Geographically, it started in Paris, at a club called Metropolis. It stemmed from the annoyance Cyril Blanc and his friend had with all the other music played in clubs and the fact that it was always the same. This seemingly minor frustration is what created tecktonik. I think that's amazing; generally when people are annoyed with something so trivial, nothing gets changed. These teenagers took it upon themselves to change what they didn't like. The movement quickly moved from the club to the streets (instead of how it usually works- from the street into the club scene) because the younger siblings of the tckers felt the movement, but weren't yet allowed into clubs. From the streets of Paris, it spread throughout the rest of France via the internet; people started posting videos on youtube. The video below for example has 7.5 million views, people everywhere are starting to understand what it's all about and to appreciate that.
What is it all about? It's about having a release, it's about freedom and more than anything, it's about the music (the driving beat, the intricate rhythms, and the ability you have to lose youself in it). Music is what binds this diverse group of people. There was no major political or social upheaval that sparked this subculture. It was simply the daily trials and tribulations of a couple Parisian teenagers who loved diverse music. That's all it took. It seems as though in the US people don't release in the same ways; teenagers here go to clubs, but in order for it to be fun, they drink first. There's no style to what they wear, there's an expected form of dance to the types of songs that people know will be played. There's no diversity in the music/club scene here. There's no freedom to do as you please; technically the freedom is there, but you would be looked at terribly if you broke the norm. The club scene here isn't about the music or the release, it's about how others perceive you, your dancing and your clothes. It is truly unfortunate that our society doesn't allow for subcultures of this sort to be born.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkGum1YYkGk

Nobody Listens to Techno- DJ Tiesto

Call It Hardstyle!

So, what is tecktonik exactly? Alternately known as Tck, Milky Way and Vertigo, it is defined by the music and by the dance. Tecktonik is a registered trademark selling shirts, energy drinks and creating a lot of problems for anyone trying to use the name to publicize an event (Wikipedia). Tecktonik began with Cyril Blanc, a young Parisian and a friend of his, who were sick of the same old music found in all the clubs; they started something new and fresh. Tecktonik stems from a mix between jump (out of Belgium), hard (from the Netherlands), electro (out of Italy) and tech house (out of Spain) (Marquand). Essentially, it was a mix of everything. What amazes me is that the club scene took to such a different mesh of music. I can't imagine techno being played in the same room, on the same night as rap and then rock, and everyone adapting their dancing to it. I can't imagine different “groups” of people not getting into fights- techno “geeks” (as they are in this country, unappreciated) versus rappers versus the hardcore rocker kids. None of those groups can ever stop for a second and appreciate each others music; everyone is too critical. This critical attitude leads to a younger generation that can barely get along just because of their music tastes. In France, however, people embraced the different music from the different areas of Europe and came together and essentially made a dance style by incorporating different moves. Blanc emphasizes the true mesh of character by saying “people had different dress, but we didn't judge clothes...it was a kind of milkshake effect. Everything was mixed and out of this environment came a new dance, almost as a by product of everything else,” (Marquand). The key to the start of this movement was people not judging and criticizing each other. It's no wonder that we haven't seen a movement of this caliber in the United States; people here are too quick to judge based on appearance and never give anything a chance (like music).

Side note: All entry titles are tecktonik/ hardstyle songs. To give proper credit to the DJ's, their names will appear at the end of each entry. "Victims of Hardstyle" by Zenith DJ vs Dana. "Call It Hardstyle!" by DJ Dana.

Works Cited

Marquand, Robert. "Tecktonik Founder Had No Intention of Starting a Craze." The Christian Science Monitor 29 Jan 2008 15 Feb 2008 .

Victims of Hardstyle

The French techno scene is a fairly new movement in Paris based around hardstyle techno, more commonly known as the tecktonik subculture. This subculture is no different than any other in that it's participants have a standard style of dress, makeup, hairstyle and most importantly style of dance (which constitutes their behavior). This subculture was created by techno. How did music create a subculture? Why did this happen? I intend to explore how that's possible since I (as an American) don't understand the premise for such a deep connection to music or the openness surrounding the music (such as the willingness and therefore ability to let go, especially in public). This connection stems from freeing oneself of all inhibitions, societal and otherwise and simply letting go. The United States has no comparable movements; movements have created types of music, but types of music have never created a subculture or movement. A subculture so centrally based in music is enigmatic to Americans who couldn't possibly understand this intimate connection. Even French adults (parents to the teenagers and kids in their 20's participating in the movement) don't understand the movement or where it stems from. In this cultural encounter, I want to learn not only the history of the movement and the premise behind it, but why I cannot be as naturally uninhibited as these individuals, and why Americans as a whole cannot be as connected to the music. I intend to explore this subculture through research online; videos on youtube, blogs and any other forms of reports available (as there are few printed resources on tecktonik so far). I also plan on interviewing a Parisian friend of mine for his personal experience with tecktonik and finally I hope to engage in my own tecktonik experience, somehow.
Another facet of this subculture that surprises me is the lack of drug use; generally techno is stereotyped to be the kind of music that drugs (LSD, acid, ecstasy etc) are associated with as necessary for the enjoyment. Of the few techno niches in the United States, drugs are a huge part of people's love of this music. In Paris, their love of techno is pure and untarnished by drug use (for the most part).
The photo above is tecktonik. Within this one image, it embodies all that the movement is about; freedom of action, dress and sexual preference. These girls are dressed as any tecktonik killer would be and are acting as they wish, which appears to be the whole idea.