[mmmmmk]

I'm a little confused by the American focus of the article. Kraftwerk's Autobahne came out in 1974, and there was a well established electronic movement coming out of krautrock, which became techno. Americans were late to the scene.

[yowlingcat]

> which became techno

> Americans were late to the scene

I think you've got to pick one or the other. It became techno in America in a culturally deeply American way. I wish people would embrace the cultural exchange and parallel/convergent evolution at the core of musical evolution instead of holding on to laughably provincial notions of cosmogony.

[mmmmmk]

I'm not holding onto laughably provincial notions of cosmogony- it is just strange to start a history of a subject several years after its development, and only make passing reference to its progenitors. Krautrock developed into electronic music, including Kraftwerk, who coined the term 'techno'

[yowlingcat]

> I'm not holding onto laughably provincial notions of cosmogony

> it is just strange to ... only make passing reference to its progenitors

Which one is it?

Electronic music didn't begin with Krautrock, it began with avant garde composers pushing limits. Messiaen, Ives, Varése, Cage; all of this in the late 19th century to early 20th century. Krautrock itself is deeply indebted to its own stylistic progenitors in American minimalism, including artists like Terry Riley (as well as Germans like Karl Stockhausen). Assuming you're not trying to make proto-nationalistic strawmans in service of which scene was the "one true" progenitor, it's hard to do anything but to think globally -- otherwise, you'll miss the forest for the trees.

I always felt that part of the joy of Krautrock was in how it was able to rebel against American influence and conservative German mores while dialectically integrating its raw materials. But that's why I would caution against being too territorial about these things. It's why I warn against provinciality. Electronic music developed in parallel across the globe, much like all modern music.

[mmmmmk]

You're being a bit too clever. The term 'techno' is attributed to Kraftwerk who were hugely influential for all forms of electronic music after them. It is strange to only mention them briefly later on, and present it as the history of techno.

[jldl805]

Maybe the "term" but the "genre" techno was really born in Detroit. Not a really controversial statement.

[anthk]

Kraftwerk wasn't the first group/soloer doing electronic music.