Detroit Techno/Electro Blog

[annie_linux]

After my last post about Warp Records, Ballard suggested that I start an mp3 blog about electronic music. I'm really taken with this idea, especially if I can make money from it as Ballard has suggested. There are a lot of albums that I've imagined reviews for in my head but never gotten around to writing them down so I figure I will start by

Comments

[avariceglutton]

Please make a techno music website now. I hope you'll also include reviews other fringe varieties of electronic stuff. I had a name for a zine I was going to make a couple years ago, it was called "Cyborg Song". Something like that might be a decent name, as in: the fusion of organic and technological making music... that could certainly apply. How about "Anablog!" OK Anyway. Tell me about some new music, Forest.

[annie_linux]

Lee-box!

I feel like I'm always seeing records that I think you would like, but then whenever you ask me for some suggestions, I never know what to say. Here are some suggestions that I dug up in the moment. Some of these are going to be difficult/impossible to get on anything other than vinyl. :-)

Well, I haven't listened to this album other than a few samples online, but Domino has this new lo-fi album called The Freed Man by Sebadoh, which is Lou Barlow of Dinosaur Jr. and Eric Gaffney who started working on this album in 1988. It's recorded on cassette tape so you know it must be good.

Then, there's Von Spar. Again, haven't listened to this album yet, but fuck if the samples I've heard are not the craziest new wave music. One of these new wave songs builds from a slowly quickening bongo rhythm and an eery theremin-esque hissing synth...exxxcellent

EXCELLENT!

[avariceglutton]

I've heard of Sebadoh but never listened to any of their albums, this one sounds awesome. And the rest of this sounds great as well. I'll be checking these out and listening to them today. I listened to a track or two of Bjork's new album and I heard about her all-girl brass band which is tops, but that's all I know. Kickass.

[annie_linux]

Next up are two very badass soundtracks from the Hague label, Crème Organization. Crème has made a name for themselves as the home of italo-disco and sleazy electro, but on these two releases they decided to branch out into a different branch of obscure/exotica by reissuing these two classic synth soundtracks. David Kristian's soundtrack to A City Without Windows is a creepy, sci-fi synth masterpiece with just a dash of French noir. Even better is this soundtrack to Suoni Dalle Ombre Oltre by Italian producer Fransesco Clemente. The movie was never finished due to budgetary problems, meaning this "insane synthesizer gem" was lost for years before being rediscovered years later by some obscure Japanese record collector. Definitely a special record.

Next up is Underbelly by Beth Orton's favorite producer, Ted Barnes. He put out this album last year on a tiny English label. This is like robot alt.country, and the song writing is *very* good. At least for a while, you could sample about half the album on his website.

Remember

[nightplayer]

well, motown is specifically defined as soul from detroit, so that could be an inspiration for the name of the blog. technotown, electrotown, flowtown, mototown, mojotown? iunno. or just high tech motown? anyway, i love reading your music entries and it would be silly to not have more of those happen. also! i just realized hightechmotown would involve the word 'techmo' which was a fun game. it could also be funny to call it 'eight measure road'. ok i'm a geek and you're awesome.

[annie_linux]

Yeah, these are all really awesome suggestions from Paul. I kinda like technotown just because it has techno in the title (which means it'll get more search hits for people looking for techno blogs.) Also, one of the first major Techno hits by the founder of Techno Music, Juan Atkins, was called Techno City, which gives Techno Town a 2nd meaning. On the other hand, I wanna review more than just strictly techno albums. I was also throwing around the idea of naming it after this Claude Von Stroke 12" that came out this year, "Who's Afraid of Detroit?" Or, I could try naming it after some other old famous track like "Cyber Ghetto," "Alleys of Your Mind," "The Future Sound," or "Strings of Life." I'm gonna sleep on it for a couple of days, but any more great ideas, keep them comin!

[annie_linux]

Hmm...how about Machine Soul?