MY TECHNO IS DEAD
Ok. It’s an old old debate. Is an underground movement still interesting when mass medias, ugly TV channels, sport clothes sellers and beer sponsors find interest in it? Is it a shame to find it boring at this moment? Where is the solution for every pop art form? Dying very quickly like James dean or sort, or surviving with this media culture?
The cyclic/achronic and pop nature of techno leads naturally to it’s death. Techno has to suicide to survive. Free parties are the perfect example of this. Angry, angry angry. No party anymore, just the politics of it. Loud it, shout it, but don’t sell it. Don’t even really dance it. Kill the rave to do the best raves.
Let’s say My techno is dead. I smash it, fuck it, hate it. I love this music. I love the people that love it, except you, him, her and a few others… But I still think it is, was, politicly one of the most interesting movement. But the idea of a movement is in itself a jail. That’s all the techno parade is all about. Techno is in your clothes, in the object you buy, in the design of every ad. It’s spread everywhere, bring the computer and the modular habit to all sectors of activity, life.
Techno is not any more in your records. Please. don’t tell me the last album of X is great. It is. 200 francs parties at the biggest Parisian venues, 15 years old girl eating exctacies full of shit. I’m not saying it was better before. I’m just saying I don’t want to follow that. to participate in this. The idea of nation/culture is dead at the moment you think of it.
Electronic is now done by everybody, every trend, every political side. Electronic is just a tool it’s not a life style anymore. I definitly think it’s better like that. Ok. Techno parade is fun. It’s the liberation of the so called techno nation, it’s the birth of a culture in the street of Paris. Lots of people. Tons of people and sound systems. A mall for marketing studies. Pour vivre heureux, vivons caches. Techno parade suckZZZ.
Meet you at la Fondation Cartier. Pop culture is now in museum. Everywhere. Beautifull Robots in the installation, I even met Robby (see picture). Saw Mouse on Mars live. Loved it. Were hated by audience cos’ too much Rock’ n roll, or too commercial, or too house. Nooo. Just themselves, far from barriers. Guitars? And why not guys?
Pop culture at the Louvre Now. Wooo this is real borderground! The auditorium. Thomas Koner plays electronic deep dark and noisy, while they plays this 1906 Japanese film with special effects. The samourai transforms in a huge frog and eat it’s ennemies. Sepia colored. Beautifull green images also. Japanese first films where already Godzilled. The second film is christ’ passion in a few scenes. Colored by paintings on the film. Crappy, specially cheesy and definitly ridiculous with those french 1900’s actors with moustache playing ancient palestinians. We loved it for the nostalgia of this non-pop but spread-everywhere art.
Follow me at the Batofar. I already talked to you about this spot. We’ll see this live / symphony with very old printing machines. Two guys put microphones on the printing machines and mix with different computers which just print some texts. Contemporary art in a pop’ place. Barriers melt downn! The result is strangely quite average electronica music.
Missed Ryoji Ikeda and Mego at the Buro party at the museum of modern art. A shame! Your Parisian journalist is exhausted. But we keep the faith.
Text: Guillaume Ollendorff