Techno is a form of
electronic dance music that had its early beginnings in Western Europe in the late 1970s
[1] and later developed and established as a genre in
Detroit,
Michigan during the
1980s.
[2] It was influenced by
Chicago house,
electro,
New Wave,
funk and
futuristic fiction themes that were prevalent and relative to modern culture during the end of the
Cold War in industrial America at that time. Following the initial success of
Detroit techno as a musical culture — at the very least on a regional level — an expanded and related subset of genres in the
1990s emerged globally. The popularity of techno in Europe peaked in this decade. Today it is still popular among teenagers in the west, but is widespread. It may be the most popular genre in
Eastern Europe, especially
Poland and
Russia.
The term "techno" is derived from the word
technology. Music journalists and fans of the genre are generally selective in their use of the term, careful not to conflate it with related but distinct genres, such as
house,
trance and
hardcore. At the same time, "techno" is commonly confused with general terms such as
electronic music and
dance music.
[3][4] Electronic dance music has many forms, one of which is techno.
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