Uploaded June 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
My submission for the Hardware Jams “Techno” Weekend Challenge.
I’ve always leaned towards the harder techno sounds. Pounding kick drums, industrial sounds and weird and wonderful vocal samples. So that’s what I’ve tried to create this week. Although I’m still getting used to my new headphones and my mix is a bit bass heavy at the moment.
This week’s challenge prompt:
This week, we’re getting focused on genres. And one that is close to my heart, Techno. What constitutes “Techno” typically depends a lot on the time period you are thinking about. Be it from the early days, the pre-daw days, the Detroit days, the acid days, there are all kinds of sub-genres and closely matched styles. And nowadays what the folks on TikTok classify as ‘techno’ might not match with what we understand it to mean.
Originally, Techno was not even based around a specific sound, it was created as a nod to Technology, and music that had a Sound that was more linked with the ideas of Technology, futurism and wanting to distance itself from other electronic music types of the time such as House. And the Detroit techno pioneers took the new technology, made a sound their own, and the sound of techno developed, it also started to spread, creating new styles, Berlin Techno, Birmingham Sound Techno and so many more.
So your challenge is to create a jam which sounds like what Techno means to you. Make a track that answers the question, ‘When someone says ‘Techno’ what does that sound like or mean to you?’ Make a track that you could give to somebody who asks, ‘What does Techno sound like?’
Always Learning
════════════
I'm a strong believer in continuous improvement and always trying to learn something new. This week I patched some sidechaining to create the pulsating sounds so often found in techno and to allow the kick to come through load and clear.
My DIY Eurorack Synth Rules
══════════════
I aim to meet the following criteria when adding modules to my synth:
◦ I must have constructed it.
This can be a kit or from scratch but I must have soldered it
◦ The audio signal path should be analog.
I'm trying to avoid digital modules so I can learn more about analog electronics
◦ Learn something new
Try to learn something while constructing the module. Learn about the circuits, experiment with different signal processing options. Be creative.
◦ Have fun
My submission for the Hardware Jams “Techno” Weekend Challenge.
I’ve always leaned towards the harder techno sounds. Pounding kick drums, industrial sounds and weird and wonderful vocal samples. So that’s what I’ve tried to create this week. Although I’m still getting used to my new headphones and my mix is a bit bass heavy at the moment.
This week’s challenge prompt:
This week, we’re getting focused on genres. And one that is close to my heart, Techno. What constitutes “Techno” typically depends a lot on the time period you are thinking about. Be it from the early days, the pre-daw days, the Detroit days, the acid days, there are all kinds of sub-genres and closely matched styles. And nowadays what the folks on TikTok classify as ‘techno’ might not match with what we understand it to mean.
Originally, Techno was not even based around a specific sound, it was created as a nod to Technology, and music that had a Sound that was more linked with the ideas of Technology, futurism and wanting to distance itself from other electronic music types of the time such as House. And the Detroit techno pioneers took the new technology, made a sound their own, and the sound of techno developed, it also started to spread, creating new styles, Berlin Techno, Birmingham Sound Techno and so many more.
So your challenge is to create a jam which sounds like what Techno means to you. Make a track that answers the question, ‘When someone says ‘Techno’ what does that sound like or mean to you?’ Make a track that you could give to somebody who asks, ‘What does Techno sound like?’
Always Learning
════════════
I'm a strong believer in continuous improvement and always trying to learn something new. This week I patched some sidechaining to create the pulsating sounds so often found in techno and to allow the kick to come through load and clear.
My DIY Eurorack Synth Rules
══════════════
I aim to meet the following criteria when adding modules to my synth:
◦ I must have constructed it.
This can be a kit or from scratch but I must have soldered it
◦ The audio signal path should be analog.
I'm trying to avoid digital modules so I can learn more about analog electronics
◦ Learn something new
Try to learn something while constructing the module. Learn about the circuits, experiment with different signal processing options. Be creative.
◦ Have fun
