Well, I’m from Detroit and garage and punk aren’t the only types of music that we can see here, so a couple of weeks ago I took the opportunity to investigate one of Detroit’s other contributions to the music scene: techno. The occasion was the world premier of a new documentary called “High Tech Soul: The Creation of Techno Music” that was shown at the Ann Arbor Movie Festival. I came into this movie with all of my rock & roll commandments fully engaged and ready to fire:
I have to admit that my feelings toward the music really haven’t changed much, no matter how popular it may be overseas. After listening to only about 90 minutes of this stuff, I was more than ready to jump into my car and crank up some Negative Approach. However, I did enjoy the movie and did learn quite a few things about something that has popped up in my backyard without me knowing about it.
The movie opens with the obligatory “driving through Detroit & looking at abandoned buildings” scenes. This is now required for any documentary or movie where Detroit is the center of the story. These scenes are always followed by the standard shots of a typical auto assembly line, usually only with the inhuman robots welding or stamping a part. For the rest of the world, Detroit doesn’t really have any people living here; there are just empty buildings and assembly plants filled with robots. The last piece of the typical Detroit introduction is footage from the 1967 riots. I don’t want to sound like I’m picking on this movie, because I’ve seen these things in virtually every Detroit movie, but will somebody please make a movie where we actually see people walking around Detroit.
After being thoroughly put on the defensive from this opening, I started to learn about the beginnings of techno through a bunch of interviews and clips of the early Detroit techno pioneers. If you know techno – you know all of this stuff – if you’re like me you’re just confused how these 3 dudes managed to change the world of music with just a few turntables and some spooky-looking machines. Of course, I already know how 4 kids from Queens did change the world with a guitar, bass, drums and a stack of Marshalls, so I guess that I can accept that. All of the nuances of techno completely confused me as I was quietly pondering if a pissed-off DJ ever smashed his turntable over somebody’s head like Sid used to do. I guess the punk to techno analogies don’t work too well here. All of the dancing in the movie was also very unnerving; it reminded me of one of those zombie flicks where people with vacant stares where moving around way too much. I guess that my background just isn’t too conducive to accepting techno – growing up on the Stooges, Ramones and Pistols requires that there be a certain type of passion and energy in the air and I just don’t get that feeling from a guy spinning a record with a drum machine going in the background. The last part of the movie was a discussion about the future of techno and where it may be headed. I’m not sure that I understood this any better than I did the part of where techno actually started.
Actually, I did enjoy the movie – it gave me a very concise view of something that I know has existed for quite a while, but I chose to ignore. I’m certainly still confused by why this stuff is so popular, but I would rather have all those people at the DEMF than bothering me at Paycheck’s or the Painted Lady. If you get a chance to see this movie – by all means – check it out; however I will probably spend this year’s DEMF hunkered down and still listening to the Mutants and Ramrods.
Here's the movie info
HIGH TECH SOUL: THE CREATION OF TECHNO MUSIC
Gary Bredow. Ann Arbor, MI. BetaSP, 87 min. 2004. Documentary.
The Creation of Techno, is a documentary film that traces the creation of Techno
music. This film digs deep into the roots of Techno as well as the culture of a
city, answering questions of how and why this music came from Detroit. Featuring
Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, as well as other innovators that
continue to take the music to new levels today. Glu Studios explores the
relationships and personal struggles of the individuals who created this global
phenomenon. From the riots of 1967 to the underground party scene of the late
80's High Tech Soul takes you on a walk around the globe and back to one of the
richest and most challenging cities in the world. The film explains why Techno
with it's driving beats, abrasive tones, and resonating bass lines could not
have come from anywhere else other than Detroit. Techno is much like the city
itself, deprived and emotional yet continuing to set trends around the world,
touching lives no one could have ever imagined.