chassis ground · 13 · a.c. only cat. stp–008

Chapter Two

party out of bounds

The pre-history of techno, 1978–1983

the record

in the order he names them

39 releases

  1. 01 giorgio moroderson of my fatherAccessing new sounds was obviously more important to Moroder than the price tag, and he wasted no time incorporating the early synthesizer into his music; as early as 1972 he scored a hit in Britain with “Son of My Father.” single
  2. 02 donna summerlove to love you babyBy 1975, he and colleague Pete Bellotte were using electronics to turn ordinary dance floor numbers into sweeping, sensual epics, like the seventeen-minute span of Donna Summer’s “Love to Love You Baby.” single
  3. 03 original soundtracksaturday night feverHis film scores and compositions for Donna Summer ensured that disco would not be the one-dimensional craze of Saturday Night Fever or “The Hustle.” album
  4. 04 peter jacques bandfire night danceDozens of influential recordings were released under the various aliases of a few talented producers: Jacques Fred Petrus was behind “Fire Night Dance” by the Peter Jacques Band and “I’m a Man” by Macho, while Easy Going’s “Fear,” Vivian … single
  5. 05 vivien veegive me a breakDozens of influential recordings were released under the various aliases of a few talented producers: Jacques Fred Petrus was behind “Fire Night Dance” by the Peter Jacques Band and “I’m a Man” by Macho, while Easy Going’s “Fear,” Vivian … single
  6. 06 original soundtrackdawn of the deadSimonetti contributed music to a number of horror films, including George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and the Italian classic Suspiria,10 both with the band and as a solo artist. album
  7. 07 claudio simonettisuspiriaSimonetti contributed music to a number of horror films, including George Romero’s Dawn of the Dead and the Italian classic Suspiria,10 both with the band and as a solo artist. album
  8. 08 claudio simonetticollegeAn entirely different kind of horror was the Italian “cadet meets private-school girl” film College; an EP (extended-play record) of Simonetti’s contributions to the film’s soundtrack was released independently and became a hit on the pre-house dance floors of Chicago. album
  9. 09 alexander robotnickproblèmes d’amourIn the early 1980s, Robotnick hit it big in Detroit with “Problèmes D’Amour,” complete with French lyrics. “Problèmes” was also one of the first records to feature the Roland TB-303 synthesizer, with its quirky onboard sequencer. single
  10. 10 kanoit's a warTheir self-titled EP featured “It’s a War,” one of Billboard’s top ten dance hits of 1980 and a Detroit favorite. single
  11. 11 kanoi'm readyThe group’s follow-up single, “I’m Ready,” would become one of Detroit’s most revered dance cuts, as would its perfectly matched B-side, “Holly Dolly.” single
  12. 12 liaisons dangereuseslos niños del parqueA more multinational import was Liaisons Dangereuses, a Belgian band with a French name that titled most of its songs in Spanish (“Los Niños del Parque” was Detroit’s favorite). single
  13. 13 kraftwerktrans-europe expressPerhaps this group’s pan-European outlook was an extension of Kraftwerk’s “Trans-Europe Express”—a song that predicted the emergence of an interconnected European continent by the end of the twentieth century. single
  14. 14 klein & m.b.o.dirty talkOther major influences on Detroit’s sound in particular came from the likes of Klein & MBO (“Dirty Talk”) single
  15. 15 telexmoskow diskowOther major influences on Detroit’s sound in particular came from the likes of Klein & MBO (“Dirty Talk”), the kitschy Belgian trio Telex (“Moskow Diskow”), and French artist Martin Circus (“Disco Circus”). single
  16. 16 martin circusdisco circusOther major influences on Detroit’s sound in particular came from the likes of Klein & MBO (“Dirty Talk”), the kitschy Belgian trio Telex (“Moskow Diskow”), and French artist Martin Circus (“Disco Circus”). single
  17. 17 cerronelove in c minorSome experts point to Cerrone’s 1976 single “Love in C Minor” as the first recording to sever all ties with traditional musical conventions. single
  18. 18 shannonlet the music playThe electronic sound that was so integral to Eurodisco found a perfect complement in the updated funk and R&B of Shannon (“Let the Music Play”) and of George Clinton’s solo excursions. single
  19. 19 visagefade to greyDetroit’s preps connected with the style-conscious synth-pop bands, which had exterior styles as well polished as their sound; a subset of synth-pop—the “new romantics”—even bordered on foppish, such as the group Visage. “Fade to Grey” was … single
  20. 20 visagefrequency 7Simply titled “Frequency 7,” it was a surprisingly aggressive and swaggering instrumental, especially considering the new romantics’ predilection for dramatic vocals and delicate melodies. single
  21. 21 yellow magic orchestramultipliesFuller arrangements, Beatles and Martin Denny covers (“Day Tripper” and “Firecracker”), and even an electronic ska song (“Multiplies”) were among YMO’s eclectic arsenal. single
  22. 22 yellow magic orchestratechnopolisIn retrospect, its most interesting contribution may be the song “Technopolis,” a tribute to Tokyo as an electronic mecca, foreshadowing the concepts that Detroit natives Juan Atkins and Rik Davis would later have with the group Cybotron. single
  23. 23 a number of namessharevariIt didn’t take long for Detroit to reconcile and externalize all of the sensory input it was receiving from Europe, and in 1981, two recordings by Detroit artists introduced the earliest beginnings of techno as its own style and genre: … single
  24. 24 cybotronalleys of your mindIt didn’t take long for Detroit to reconcile and externalize all of the sensory input it was receiving from Europe, and in 1981, two recordings by Detroit artists introduced the earliest beginnings of techno as its own style and genre: … single
  25. 25 was (not was)wheel me outThe duo’s first single, “Wheel Me Out” (released in 1980 on Ze Records), was a rich blend of rock, funk, and jazz that connected with local and foreign audiences alike. single
  26. 26 was (not was)out come the freaksWeiss (aka David Was) and Fagenson (aka Don Was) did their part to continue the disco bloodline with the standout cuts “Out Come the Freaks” and “Tell Me That I’m Dreaming,” and began to perfect the balance between Fagenson’s faithful yet … single
  27. 27 was (not was)tell me that i’m dreamingWeiss (aka David Was) and Fagenson (aka Don Was) did their part to continue the disco bloodline with the standout cuts “Out Come the Freaks” and “Tell Me That I’m Dreaming,” and began to perfect the balance between Fagenson’s faithful yet … single
  28. 28 was (not was)born to laugh at tornadoesWas (Not Was) got the “brothers” noticed by emerging media magnate David Geffen, for whom they recorded their follow-up album: 1983’s Born to Laugh at Tornadoes. album
  29. 29 was (not was)zaz turned blueFor starters, there was Mel Tormé crooning on “Zaz Turned Blue,” Mitch Ryder barking on “Bow Wow Wow Wow,” and Ozzy Osbourne rapping on “Shake Your Head (Let’s Go to Bed).” single
  30. 30 was (not was)bow wow wow wowFor starters, there was Mel Tormé crooning on “Zaz Turned Blue,” Mitch Ryder barking on “Bow Wow Wow Wow,” and Ozzy Osbourne rapping on “Shake Your Head (Let’s Go to Bed).” single
  31. 31 ozzy osbourne, was (not was)shake your head (let’s go to bed)For starters, there was Mel Tormé crooning on “Zaz Turned Blue,” Mitch Ryder barking on “Bow Wow Wow Wow,” and Ozzy Osbourne rapping on “Shake Your Head (Let’s Go to Bed).” single
  32. 32 was (not was)walk the dinosaurIt would be another five years before Was (Not Was) would become a nationally recognized name—around the time it released the single “Walk the Dinosaur” in 1988. single
  33. 33 orbit, carol hallthe beat goes onWhen his surrealistic side beckoned, Fagenson crafted some of the biggest local dance hits of the era. “The Beat Goes On” was released under the pseudonym Orbit, and was essentially Fagenson’s answer to Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France,” boldly … single
  34. 34 kraftwerktour de france“The Beat Goes On” was released under the pseudonym Orbit, and was essentially Fagenson’s answer to Kraftwerk’s “Tour de France,” boldly built around an old Sonny and Cher hit, of all things. single
  35. 35 felix and jarvismake it riseDetroiters will also remember the early vocal/rap duo Felix and Jarvis who—with Fagenson’s assistance—recorded everything from the rapid-fire new wave “Make It Rise” to the bouncy funk of “Jam the House” and “Flamethrower Rap.”15 Fagenson … single
  36. 36 felix and jarvisflamethrower rapDetroiters will also remember the early vocal/rap duo Felix and Jarvis who—with Fagenson’s assistance—recorded everything from the rapid-fire new wave “Make It Rise” to the bouncy funk of “Jam the House” and “Flamethrower Rap. single
  37. 37 rhythim is rhythimstrings of lifeHe and his brother Greg spun the first techno records [“Strings of Life,” “No UFOs,” etc.] at the club Todd’s, a dance music mecca that exposed the masses to new music [punk, new wave, industrial, and house on alternate nights]. single
  38. 38 model 500no ufosHe and his brother Greg spun the first techno records [“Strings of Life,” “No UFOs,” etc.] at the club Todd’s, a dance music mecca that exposed the masses to new music [punk, new wave, industrial, and house on alternate nights]. single
  39. 39 cybotrontechno cityThis optimism and empathy would run deep in techno music, even as early as Cybotron’s 1984 classic “Techno City,” on which Juan Atkins’s vocals are processed to sound ancient and mysterious, echoing the old soul of Detroit, while his … single

technorebels

An unofficial reader’s listening index to Techno Rebels: The Renegades of Electronic Funk by Dan Sicko (Wayne State University Press, revised edition 2010).

Sicko’s book carries no discography, so every record here was found in the text itself, listed in the order he names it, each with the sentence that introduces it.

Links run YouTube searches, so they resolve in any country. Records belong to their artists and labels. Cover design and jacket artwork remain the property of their rights holders; the drawings here are original work in that idiom.

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