the beginning of "techno/electronica"

[FitzChivalry]

So I was at my parents house flipping through the channels and VH-1 Classics was showing that Classic Albums: The Joshua Tree, so of course I watched it. And when they're doing the segment on Where The Streets Have No Name, Adam has the balls to say that because the drum and bass of WTSHNN is really a dance rhythm, that WTSHNN was the "beginning of techno or electronic music".

Ok, now I love U2 are they are my all-time #1, but come on, Adam. Give me a break. U2 did not invent techno or electronica.

Which got me thinking, what was the first techno or electronic song, the very beginning of the genre. And I toss in the ring the awesome closer to The Beatles' Revolver, "Tomorrow Never Knows". I say that song was the beginning of techno or electronic music as we know it today.

What song for you was the beginning of electronica?

 

[LemonMelon]

I think, if you went back far enough, Silver Apples (a semi-obscure but influential New York band formed in 1967) could get the credit for inventing electronic music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J25N6YAaKRk

 

[Zoots]

It's hard to tell. Some may say Tomorrow Never Knows is more just experimental rock music than anything else. I guess it depends on how much you see a new genre brewing in any given song.

 

[Chizip]

u2 definitely invented it

 

[FitzChivalry]

u2 definitely invented it

 

[Zoots]

Pink Floyd did with On The Run in 1973.

 

[XHendrix24]

Kraftwerk, maybe?

 

[FitzChivalry]

Kraftwerk Autobahn

Yes, there definitely wouln't be my favorite, Underworld, without Kraftwerk.

 

[Aygo]

^ But there are prior albums to "Autobahn", they were released in the late 1960's or early 1970's (not sure now).

 

[bono_man]

Tomorrow Never Knows.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Kraftwerk

 

[Smallville]

It was started in Africa!

 

[Screwtape2]

Adam was talking about the start of dance and electronica in the band's career.

Dance and electronica as we know it today has its roots in jazz so I guess the first song would be something along the lines of Epistrophy, Blues Minor or Greensleeves. An album like Aura by Miles Davis shows how close these genre's are.

 

[perrypickwick]

the moderator even doesn't know how to call their style - "Science Fiction music - or electronic Rock" -



Kraftwerk 1978 in a german TV show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHEoMpMvz7A

 

[Canadiens1131]

the moderator even doesn't know how to call their style - "Science Fiction music - or electronic Rock" -



Kraftwerk 1978 in a german TV show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHEoMpMvz7A

that's FUCKING AWESOME!

 

[LemonMelon]

I'll give you a hint...the answer to this thread's question is NOT Kraftwerk

 

[Canadiens1131]

I'll give you a hint...the answer to this thread's question is NOT Kraftwerk

Fuck the question, let's listen to Gary Numan.

 

[phanan]

Kraftwerk may not have started electronic music, but they certainly revolutionized it.

 

[Aygo]

Kraftwerk may not have started electronic music, but they certainly revolutionized it.

I think they turned electronic music into something appealing and proved that it can be emotional and original.

 

[Zoots]

Kraftwerk 1978 in a german TV show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHEoMpMvz7A

Oh. My. Freaking. God!!! Thank you for posting this! This brought back memories from my childhood. I'd been trying to recollect for years and years who this was. Only faintly remembered that electronic tune and I have asked many friends about this but none could help me. Today I know!

Wir sind die Roboter...

I'm totally starting my Kraftwerk collection now.

 

[Zoots]

This track doesn't seem to be on any of their albums.

edit: Never mind. It's on The Man Machine! Okay I'm getting it.

 

[phanan]

Man-Machine is awesome.

I have the English version, obviously, from being in the U.S., but it's still cool.

Watching that video was

 

[Aygo]

Man-Machine is awesome.

I have the English version, obviously, from being in the U.S., but it's still cool.

Watching that video was

I praise "The Man-Machine" and "Computer World"!!!

 

[AchtungBono]

I believe that electronic music started with the development of the MOOG synthesizer by Walter (later Wendy) Carlos.

Gary Numan was definitely one of the earlier pioneers of electronica and his two hits "Cars" and "Are friends electric" (with the Tubeway Army) are considered true classics of the genre.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Although Brian Eno was working acoustically, stuff like Music for Airports introduced the concept of tape loops and pioneered the ambient music genre as well (which is now heavily-laden with electronics).

 

[FitzChivalry]

Although Brian Eno was working acoustically, stuff like Music for Airports introduced the concept of tape loops and pioneered the ambient music genre as well (which is now heavily-laden with electronics).

See, I heard that Paul McCartney introduced tape loops on "Tomorrow Never Knows". I read that he had 3-5 different tape loops going at different speeds and that was the first song, predominately John Lennon's, to feature tape loops.

 

[Screwtape2]

I think it should be mentioned that Prog Rock was also starting to develop the electronica sound. There were a few artists that were knocking on the door of techno but never pursued it.

One of the best examples of this is in Pink Floyd's On The Run.

 

[FitzChivalry]

Pink Floyd did with On The Run in 1973.

Already mentioned.

 

[Screwtape2]

Already mentioned.

Oops.

A couple more examples then (knocking on the door but not exactly techno yet):

Colony Of Slippermen by Genesis
Set Controls For The Heart Of The Sun by Pink Floyd
In And Out The Chakras We Go (Formerly: Shaft Goes To Outer Space) by Todd Rundgren
Various parts of The Ikon by Utopia.

 

[Canadiens1131]

See, I heard that Paul McCartney introduced tape loops on "Tomorrow Never Knows". I read that he had 3-5 different tape loops going at different speeds and that was the first song, predominately John Lennon's, to feature tape loops.

Yep the Beatles indeed pioneer this technique. The tape loops are actually inside a keyboard-like machine called a Mellowtron. When a key is depressed, a corresponding tape loop inside the machine repeats itself every couple of seconds, creating a neat vibe.

Pink Floyd and Yes made use of these as well.

The cool stuff Brian Eno did with tape loops was taking loops of different lengths such as 25 or 29 seconds, and putting them on repeat to create an ambient recording where no 2 bars of music would be the same as the loops would never match up as they both played.