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.