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

Chapter Six

applied technology

The myth of techno collides with reality, 1991–2001

the record

in the order he names them

23 releases

  1. 01 808 statenewbuild808 State’s intense Newbuild EP, released in 1988, was next-generation English acid house, more direct and far more sinister than the sounds coming from Baby Ford and S’Express down in London. album
  2. 02 808 statequadrastateStill, once “Pacific State” had been released on the 1989 Quadrastate EP, 808 State knew that its path would not be of the “faceless techno producer” ilk. album
  3. 03 cybotrontechno cityThere were even strains of Cybotron’s “Techno City” woven into the fabric of “Donkey Doctor” on its first proper album, 1989’s 808:90.2 These references became less and less obvious, however, as the group’s productions became more and more … single
  4. 04 808 statedonkey doctorThere were even strains of Cybotron’s “Techno City” woven into the fabric of “Donkey Doctor” on its first proper album, 1989’s 808:90.2 These references became less and less obvious, however, as the group’s productions became more and more … single
  5. 05 808 stateex:elThe group’s second offering, 1991’s Ex:El, was even more ambitious, jumping from whirling, elaborate vignettes like “Nephatiti,” to modern mood-pop featuring Bernard Sumner of New Order (“Spanish Heart”) and Icelandic singer-songwriter … album
  6. 06 808 statenephatitiThe group’s second offering, 1991’s Ex:El, was even more ambitious, jumping from whirling, elaborate vignettes like “Nephatiti,” to modern mood-pop featuring Bernard Sumner of New Order (“Spanish Heart”) and Icelandic singer-songwriter … single
  7. 07 808 statespanish heartThe group’s second offering, 1991’s Ex:El, was even more ambitious, jumping from whirling, elaborate vignettes like “Nephatiti,” to modern mood-pop featuring Bernard Sumner of New Order (“Spanish Heart”) and Icelandic singer-songwriter … single
  8. 08 808 stateooopsThe group’s second offering, 1991’s Ex:El, was even more ambitious, jumping from whirling, elaborate vignettes like “Nephatiti,” [...] and Icelandic singer-songwriter Björk Gudmundsdóttir (“Ooops”). single
  9. 09 lfolfospecifically its namesake low-frequency bass vibrations, evident on the rumbling 1990 single “LFO” and 1991’s “We Are Back.” single
  10. 10 lfowe are backspecifically its namesake low-frequency bass vibrations, evident on the rumbling 1990 single “LFO” and 1991’s “We Are Back.” single
  11. 11 n‐joimindflux(both from N-joi’s 1991 EP Mindflux). album
  12. 12 the prodigycharlyThe Prodigy’s second single, “Charly,” was its watershed moment, codifying its breakbeat approach and scoring a No. single
  13. 13 prodigythe fat of the landThe rest is recent “electronica” history: the group’s 1997 album The Fat of the Land, which featured the monster hit singles “Firestarter” and “Breathe,” quickly went platinum, selling more than two million copies in less than two years. album
  14. 14 the prodigyfirestarterThe rest is recent “electronica” history: the group’s 1997 album The Fat of the Land, which featured the monster hit singles “Firestarter” and “Breathe,” quickly went platinum, selling more than two million copies in less than two years. single
  15. 15 various artistsartificial intelligenceThe Artificial Intelligence series started with a compilation by the same name, introducing new audiences to the work of Aphex Twin, Autechre, Black Dog Productions, B12, Richie Hawtin, Speedy J, and the Orb. album
  16. 16 various artiststresor ii: berlin-detroit: a techno allianceHegemann was intent on building a connection between Berlin and Detroit, as evidenced from the 1993 compilation Tresor II: Berlin-Detroit: A Techno Alliance, made available to U.S. audiences through NovaMute. album
  17. 17 basic channelphylyps trackRecords like “Phylyps Trak,” “Quadrant Dub,” and “Octagon” (all released in 1994) incorporate basslines that sound like pond ripples and beats buried under a mile of gauze single
  18. 18 basic channelquadrant dubRecords like “Phylyps Trak,” “Quadrant Dub,” and “Octagon” (all released in 1994) incorporate basslines that sound like pond ripples and beats buried under a mile of gauze single
  19. 19 basic channeloctagonRecords like “Phylyps Trak,” “Quadrant Dub,” and “Octagon” (all released in 1994) incorporate basslines that sound like pond ripples and beats buried under a mile of gauze single
  20. 20 moskwa televisiontekno talkHe was also a member of the group Moskwa TV, who released a single called “Tekno Talk” in 1985. single
  21. 21 dhs, abraxashouse of godThese included the R-Tyme project in 1989, featuring Derrick May and D-Wynn; the classic single “House of God” by Chicago’s DHS in 1991; and two groundbreaking EPs from Aphex Twin in 1992. single
  22. 22 inner citybig funLig was inspired by Detroit early on, hearing Inner City’s “Big Fun,” but would become connected to its scene several years later with his remix “Banjo” by E-Dancer—yet another Kevin Saunderson alias. single
  23. 23 matthew dearleave luck to heavenThough most dance-centric labels stick to twelve-inch single releases, Matthew Dear hit it big on Spectral with his 2003 album on Spectral, Leave Luck to Heaven. album

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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