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I've been listening to techno (not EDM in general, Techno) since the 90s. It's definitely my favorite music for deep work; something about the tight repetitive

I've been listening to techno (not EDM in general, Techno) since the 90s. It's definitely my favorite music for deep work; something about the tight repetitive loops is just perfect for concentration. Since the pandemic started I've been listening to techno mixes almost constantly in order to mask the noise from everyone else in my house. Initially, I found it difficult to find decent mixes since Techno has become a generic term for EDM. I just returned to following the genre so I really didn't know where to look. However once I found a single Soundcloud account curating mixes of the style I like, it opened up an unlimited supply of music through following recommendations. Maybe someone will find this useful: https://soundcloud.com/invite-1 https://soundcloud.com/invite-1

emptyfile 5y ago
Here's a great channel I found in 2020 for techno mixes. Seems like its mostly folks from Berlin but there are a few big names also. https://www.youtube.com/c/H%C3%96RBERLIN/videos https://www.youtube.com/c/H%C3%96RBERLIN/videos EDIT: There's craploads of content, a lot of styles, although I will observe that oldschool sounds have continued to come back in a big way in 2020. Rave, electro, acid. Here's my favourite party set from 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0qeZ1fpWwU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0qeZ1fpWwU
- nocobot 5y ago
  I did not expect to find a link to hör on hn news today. Interesting overlap
- subpixel 5y ago
  I lived in Germany in the 90s and early 2000s, loathed techno, and I must admit that bouncing around a dozen or so of these videos gave me a flashback of nostalgia for lost youth mixed with the same desire to escape the music. No offense intended - divergent musical taste should be celebrated!
- brianzelip 5y ago
  My favorite HÖR BERLIN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MBQFq06w5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MBQFq06w5Y
  - gregsadetsky 5y ago
    So happy to see HÖR references on HN! Thanks for your recommendation! Videos I've come back to way more than once below (most of these are on the harder side of "electro" -- hard techno, hard acid -- but not all) Lady Starlight (live modular!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb9oVM7CQbI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb9oVM7CQbI Tigerhead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpuHmH495us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpuHmH495us Tham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdOfhuYW_OI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdOfhuYW_OI The Brvtalist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0qeZ1fpWwU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0qeZ1fpWwU FJAAK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwpF8CAcGQ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwpF8CAcGQ8 SPFDJ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ7lbqyLbX8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ7lbqyLbX8
    - comprev 5y ago
      Tham is awesome! Really working all 4 decks during his mixes, with multiple tracks looping in layers. Dax J and Hector Oaks also need a mention - Hector adding a sparkle of punk to electronic mixes.
hahamrfunnyguy 5y ago
You may also like SlamRadio https://soundcloud.com/paragraph https://soundcloud.com/paragraph
laumars 5y ago
Slam, Adam Beyer (Drumcode) and Chris Liebling (CLR) are all good places to start. They all have weekly radio stations. From there on you can follow an guest DJs who you like the style off. Also when did “techno” become an umbrella term again? I was possessed off enough when “EDM” was redefined as a specific genre (and such a lousy one at that).
- oogetyboogety 5y ago
  +1 adam beyer
- nicholassmith 5y ago
  If you like Slam then Reclaim Your City (https://soundcloud.com/reclaim-your-city https://soundcloud.com/reclaim-your-city) is a good one to go with it.
  - Applejinx 5y ago
    Reclaim Your City is fantastic! I've been listening to it for years. Endless totally techno sets from a wide range of DJs and a wider range of tracks, and they're all really expertly put together. Seamless is the rule, not the exception. It generally feels like it's one mad synthesizer boffin performing on a giant machine, rather than picking individual tracks to play in sequence. Rarely can you tell when they switch from one track to another.
- CuriouslyC 5y ago
  Swedish techno... That brings me back. If you like Adam Beyer, check out Cari Lekebusch and Jasper Dahlback too. His style is a bit less minimal, but Boris Brejcha is absolutely sick.
  - josht 5y ago
    +1 for Boris Brejcha
  - laumars 5y ago
    Already got a stack of records from Cari and Jasper. Particularly love Cari’s Agent Orange stuff. I’ve not knowingly come across Boris before though. Pretty sure I’d have heard some of his records play but looking at his discography I think he might have started making a name for himself around the same time I hung up my own DJ headphones so he’s not a name that’s immediately recognisable for me. I did recently hook my decks up again but not yet had a chance to play anything.
pas 5y ago
https://www.uzic.ch/ https://www.uzic.ch/ - online radio https://soundcloud.com/hate_music/sets/hate-podcasts https://soundcloud.com/hate_music/sets/hate-podcasts https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/sets/ra-podcasts https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/sets/ra-podcasts https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/sets/ra-podcast-archive https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/sets/ra-podcast-arch...
aasasd 5y ago
‘Techno Live Sets’ are good at long mixes in the genre, though they do delve into house regularly: https://www.techno-livesets.com https://www.techno-livesets.com (IIRC they were on Mixcloud previously, but parted ways for some reason.)
- mason55 5y ago
  Wow, I didn't realize they have a website. They're also on the iOS Podcasts app which is how I have always consumed the feed.
spiralx 5y ago
I've got about 40 or so playlists on SoundCloud for individual techno DJs I like, as well as a couple for general techno mixes - they're all the ones with "techno" in the title :) You'll find a some overlap with the artists in your playlist in fact, I've got playlists for Ben Sims, The Advent and Drumcell that I found in the first minute of scrolling through it. What sort of techno do you prefer? The artists I've got are mostly the tougher end of European techno, there's also some Detroit techno, acid techno and hard techno/schranz. You can look at my likes for my favourites... https://soundcloud.com/spiralx/sets https://soundcloud.com/spiralx/sets I've also been into techno since the 90s and it's still my favourite thing in the world :) The combination of relentless kick drum and the constantly changing synths and percussion never fails to draw me in. It manages to sooth my ADHD with the constant heartbeat of the kick drum while the constant progression of everything else serves to keep my attention from wondering off after a few bars.
ceh123 5y ago
Not sure if you have spotify, but here's my "techno" playlist that has over 800 songs in it so far. I put techno in quotes because I'm sure someone can find songs in there that aren't "real techno" but you won't find any big room EDM, that's for sure. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1LSjVUxQk1Nrh7kHavZ4uu?si=00693b49c0804d6c https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1LSjVUxQk1Nrh7kHavZ4uu?si=...
you_know_the_ 5y ago
Cercle channel on YouTube puts out some great techno shows. They go to historical places and record a set with some of the best djs Here is the link for Pan-Pot set https://youtu.be/hENgrbIMiy4 https://youtu.be/hENgrbIMiy4
- Jommi 5y ago
  That's not techno, it's Techno
- layoutIfNeeded 5y ago
  lol, the linked video is not techno but some pretty bland tech-house...
  - you_know_the_ 5y ago
    The entire set is combination of experimental techno, tech-house and techno Enjoy the music instead of going around and barking like a mad dog
    - layoutIfNeeded 5y ago
      Grrrr... Woof-Woof! Nah, it's not experimental at all. It's bland, posh, Tomorrowland-tier tech-house.
dylan604 5y ago
DI.fm is 100% dance music with so many channels dedicated to the nichest of niche genres. They have channels dedicated to mixes as well.
Jommi 5y ago
It's fascinating how the "techno" moniker nowadays really just means any non festival non house dance music.
- jldl805 5y ago
  Not among people who care it doesn't.
  - Jommi 5y ago
    ?
- comprev 5y ago
  By that logic anything with a guitar is rock music. Techno has a vast range of styles.
  - Jommi 5y ago
    Yes that is my point
bityard 5y ago
Nice, I will be checking that out. I maintain a YouTube playlist called "music to hack by" which is up to over 500 songs now. Basically the criteria are: 1) electronic 2) has a beat (no ambient) 3) few to no vocals, with only one or two exceptions https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2A7B99AB93F1E522 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2A7B99AB93F1E522
randomopining 5y ago
I think the repetitive loops of percussion and basslines let you keep a certain part of your mind "busy" so you can focus on other things. Like it occupies some sort of nervous energy and let's other areas of the mind run more free.
FuckButtons 5y ago
Just to pitch in a suggestion for anyone looking: NTS radio and boiler room both have a huge number of mixes by techno artists - generally speaking I find artists by listening to mixes on NTS and checking the track list and then find mixes by them on boiler room.
- datameta 5y ago
  Very much seconding Boiler Room. Been a huge fan of all genres electronic but those sets have made me "understand" Techno, specifically.
ylhert 5y ago
I agree completely - techno is hypnotic and almost by design is meant to be heard and not listened to, and I find this really helps me maintain focus/flow while working. No vocals, ear catching melodies, or overdone chord progressions that try to grab your attention. Techno is my go to work music for this reason!

emptyfile 5y ago

Here's a great channel I found in 2020 for techno mixes. Seems like its mostly folks from Berlin but there are a few big names also. https://www.youtube.com/c/H%C3%96RBERLIN/videos https://www.youtube.com/c/H%C3%96RBERLIN/videos EDIT: There's craploads of content, a lot of styles, although I will observe that oldschool sounds have continued to come back in a big way in 2020. Rave, electro, acid. Here's my favourite party set from 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0qeZ1fpWwU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0qeZ1fpWwU

nocobot 5y ago
I did not expect to find a link to hör on hn news today. Interesting overlap
subpixel 5y ago
I lived in Germany in the 90s and early 2000s, loathed techno, and I must admit that bouncing around a dozen or so of these videos gave me a flashback of nostalgia for lost youth mixed with the same desire to escape the music. No offense intended - divergent musical taste should be celebrated!
brianzelip 5y ago
My favorite HÖR BERLIN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MBQFq06w5Y https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MBQFq06w5Y
- gregsadetsky 5y ago
  So happy to see HÖR references on HN! Thanks for your recommendation! Videos I've come back to way more than once below (most of these are on the harder side of "electro" -- hard techno, hard acid -- but not all) Lady Starlight (live modular!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb9oVM7CQbI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb9oVM7CQbI Tigerhead https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpuHmH495us https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpuHmH495us Tham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdOfhuYW_OI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdOfhuYW_OI The Brvtalist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0qeZ1fpWwU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0qeZ1fpWwU FJAAK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwpF8CAcGQ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwpF8CAcGQ8 SPFDJ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ7lbqyLbX8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJ7lbqyLbX8
  - comprev 5y ago
    Tham is awesome! Really working all 4 decks during his mixes, with multiple tracks looping in layers. Dax J and Hector Oaks also need a mention - Hector adding a sparkle of punk to electronic mixes.

hahamrfunnyguy 5y ago

You may also like SlamRadio https://soundcloud.com/paragraph https://soundcloud.com/paragraph

laumars 5y ago

Slam, Adam Beyer (Drumcode) and Chris Liebling (CLR) are all good places to start. They all have weekly radio stations. From there on you can follow an guest DJs who you like the style off. Also when did “techno” become an umbrella term again? I was possessed off enough when “EDM” was redefined as a specific genre (and such a lousy one at that).

oogetyboogety 5y ago
+1 adam beyer
nicholassmith 5y ago
If you like Slam then Reclaim Your City (https://soundcloud.com/reclaim-your-city https://soundcloud.com/reclaim-your-city) is a good one to go with it.
- Applejinx 5y ago
  Reclaim Your City is fantastic! I've been listening to it for years. Endless totally techno sets from a wide range of DJs and a wider range of tracks, and they're all really expertly put together. Seamless is the rule, not the exception. It generally feels like it's one mad synthesizer boffin performing on a giant machine, rather than picking individual tracks to play in sequence. Rarely can you tell when they switch from one track to another.
CuriouslyC 5y ago
Swedish techno... That brings me back. If you like Adam Beyer, check out Cari Lekebusch and Jasper Dahlback too. His style is a bit less minimal, but Boris Brejcha is absolutely sick.
- josht 5y ago
  +1 for Boris Brejcha
- laumars 5y ago
  Already got a stack of records from Cari and Jasper. Particularly love Cari’s Agent Orange stuff. I’ve not knowingly come across Boris before though. Pretty sure I’d have heard some of his records play but looking at his discography I think he might have started making a name for himself around the same time I hung up my own DJ headphones so he’s not a name that’s immediately recognisable for me. I did recently hook my decks up again but not yet had a chance to play anything.

pas 5y ago

https://www.uzic.ch/ https://www.uzic.ch/ - online radio https://soundcloud.com/hate_music/sets/hate-podcasts https://soundcloud.com/hate_music/sets/hate-podcasts https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/sets/ra-podcasts https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/sets/ra-podcasts https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/sets/ra-podcast-archive https://soundcloud.com/resident-advisor/sets/ra-podcast-arch...

aasasd 5y ago

‘Techno Live Sets’ are good at long mixes in the genre, though they do delve into house regularly: https://www.techno-livesets.com https://www.techno-livesets.com (IIRC they were on Mixcloud previously, but parted ways for some reason.)

mason55 5y ago
Wow, I didn't realize they have a website. They're also on the iOS Podcasts app which is how I have always consumed the feed.

spiralx 5y ago

I've got about 40 or so playlists on SoundCloud for individual techno DJs I like, as well as a couple for general techno mixes - they're all the ones with "techno" in the title :) You'll find a some overlap with the artists in your playlist in fact, I've got playlists for Ben Sims, The Advent and Drumcell that I found in the first minute of scrolling through it. What sort of techno do you prefer? The artists I've got are mostly the tougher end of European techno, there's also some Detroit techno, acid techno and hard techno/schranz. You can look at my likes for my favourites... https://soundcloud.com/spiralx/sets https://soundcloud.com/spiralx/sets I've also been into techno since the 90s and it's still my favourite thing in the world :) The combination of relentless kick drum and the constantly changing synths and percussion never fails to draw me in. It manages to sooth my ADHD with the constant heartbeat of the kick drum while the constant progression of everything else serves to keep my attention from wondering off after a few bars.

ceh123 5y ago

Not sure if you have spotify, but here's my "techno" playlist that has over 800 songs in it so far. I put techno in quotes because I'm sure someone can find songs in there that aren't "real techno" but you won't find any big room EDM, that's for sure. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1LSjVUxQk1Nrh7kHavZ4uu?si=00693b49c0804d6c https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1LSjVUxQk1Nrh7kHavZ4uu?si=...

you_know_the_ 5y ago

Cercle channel on YouTube puts out some great techno shows. They go to historical places and record a set with some of the best djs Here is the link for Pan-Pot set https://youtu.be/hENgrbIMiy4 https://youtu.be/hENgrbIMiy4

Jommi 5y ago
That's not techno, it's Techno
layoutIfNeeded 5y ago
lol, the linked video is not techno but some pretty bland tech-house...
- you_know_the_ 5y ago
  The entire set is combination of experimental techno, tech-house and techno Enjoy the music instead of going around and barking like a mad dog
  - layoutIfNeeded 5y ago
    Grrrr... Woof-Woof! Nah, it's not experimental at all. It's bland, posh, Tomorrowland-tier tech-house.

dylan604 5y ago

DI.fm is 100% dance music with so many channels dedicated to the nichest of niche genres. They have channels dedicated to mixes as well.

Jommi 5y ago

It's fascinating how the "techno" moniker nowadays really just means any non festival non house dance music.

jldl805 5y ago
Not among people who care it doesn't.
- Jommi 5y ago
  ?
comprev 5y ago
By that logic anything with a guitar is rock music. Techno has a vast range of styles.
- Jommi 5y ago
  Yes that is my point

bityard 5y ago

Nice, I will be checking that out. I maintain a YouTube playlist called "music to hack by" which is up to over 500 songs now. Basically the criteria are: 1) electronic 2) has a beat (no ambient) 3) few to no vocals, with only one or two exceptions https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2A7B99AB93F1E522 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2A7B99AB93F1E522

randomopining 5y ago

I think the repetitive loops of percussion and basslines let you keep a certain part of your mind "busy" so you can focus on other things. Like it occupies some sort of nervous energy and let's other areas of the mind run more free.

FuckButtons 5y ago

Just to pitch in a suggestion for anyone looking: NTS radio and boiler room both have a huge number of mixes by techno artists - generally speaking I find artists by listening to mixes on NTS and checking the track list and then find mixes by them on boiler room.

datameta 5y ago
Very much seconding Boiler Room. Been a huge fan of all genres electronic but those sets have made me "understand" Techno, specifically.

ylhert 5y ago

I agree completely - techno is hypnotic and almost by design is meant to be heard and not listened to, and I find this really helps me maintain focus/flow while working. No vocals, ear catching melodies, or overdone chord progressions that try to grab your attention. Techno is my go to work music for this reason!