Techno

A form of electronic dance music that originated in Detroit in the mid-1980s, pioneered by Juan Atkins, Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, known as the “Belleville Three.” It is built on repetitive, machine-driven rhythms, usually a steady four-on-the-floor kick at around 120–150 BPM, with synthesizer and drum-machine sounds favoured over vocals and conventional song structure. Its creators drew on Kraftwerk, funk, electro and Chicago house, and framed the music as a futuristic response to post-industrial Detroit. After crossing to Europe in the late 1980s, techno became central to rave culture, especially in Berlin after the fall of the Wall. It has since branched into many subgenres, including minimal, acid, industrial and hard techno.