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Underground > Radio & Music >

tech house

uncle retrospective

18:51 / 18.07.01

So what's this tech house stuff? Who plays it or who's really good at it. I've been trying to get into the techno scene but keep coming up with trainspotter techno.
While people like Jeff Mills rock (Thank you Basic and Tyrone I think) people like Speedy J just don't offer that dancing action.
And this tech house sounds like it might do that.

Help.

Red Cross Iodized Salt

04:07 / 19.07.01

I've always been a little suspicious of the term 'tech house'. Most of it just sounds to me like the techno Dave Angel was playing in 1995, and I don't really see why it needed a new name...still, there are some great tracks being put out on labels like Eukahouse, End Recordings, Bluespirit / Bluetrain, Guidance, Force Inc., Loaded, Glasgow Underground, Soma, etc that generally get referred to as tech house.

As with most electronic dance music, the best way to get into stuff is by picking up some DJ mixes. Mr C (yes, he of 'Ebeneezer Goode' fame) had a CD out last year called Subterrain 100% Unreleased (you can go see if you like it here). Seeing as Mr C is more guilty of touting the term tech house than anyone else I can think of, that's probably a fairly good definition of the sound. However, if you are more looking for funky, soulful techno and house that you can't help but dance to, then track down Mix-Up Vol. 5 (Derrick May) and X-Mix 6: Deep Space Radio (Kevin Saunderson). Better yet, get on a good internet connection and look for Live @ Fuse sets and Essential Mixes by May, Saunderson, Laurent Garnier, Derrick Carter, Ian Pooley, Stacey Pullen, Carl Craig, Steve O'Sullivan or Tom Middleton. There used to be loads on Napster, so WinMX or a Gnutella client should turn up one or two.

Oh, and don't knock Speedy J, his Electric Deluxe track from last year was an absolute stormer...

No star here laces

11:21 / 19.07.01

Yer, second that, most tech-house is tedious as fuck. It really does all sound the same.

If you are after more danceable stuff with a techno edge, you could do a lot worse than check out some nu-school breaks. It's kind of like 1991 hardcore but with a more tech-y sound and more really big distorted basslines.

So take a listen to mix cds by the likes of Rennie Pilgrem, Adam Freeland, Freq Nasty and, at more of a stretch, Stanton Warriors and Plump DJs.

Or alternatively have a cruise through pirate radio stations for the more underground stuff (only the commercial end of this scene is available on cd)- I think Rude Awakening do some breaks slots (can't remember the frequency).

uncle retrospective

18:41 / 19.07.01

Thanks lads, Much audio galaxy playing about ahoy..

05:14 / 20.07.01

Terry Lee Brown Jr makes some of the best tech-house there is because he understands it for what it is meant to be - a hybrid of techno and house, but not really, its the sound techno was evolving to before it exploded into a billion different pieces. Because house became acid house became techno. There is a straight line of inspiration all the way from funk and disco to tech-house. Or a least in my opinion. Now with 'rave' basically turning into what disco was in the eighties its time for the next upgrade...

Other tech-house yummy things
Terry Francis
Luke Solomon
Kevin Yost
Paul Johnston

Everything on Plastic City Records

and I completely disagree with the idea that nu-breaks are more dancable the T-H. Breaks are just people who are desperate not to make a good 4x4 beat. Like drum & bass, its anything but a solid beat. I'm not saying its bad, its just not as fun to dance to. Its not more fun because its harder to lose yourself in the music. It demands a lot more of you and doesn't give you the big pay off like beloved techno and house.

But that just my opinion.