London has been one of the international hubs for the global music industry over the last few decades. You can credit the city for its contribution to the development and evolution of pop music, from British rock in the ‘60s to punk rock in the ‘70s.
London has also been the playing field for some of the most iconic bands across the world, including the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. The city is full of clubs, theatres and concert halls that cater to every musical genre under the sun, including metal, rock, and recent techno music.
Intrigued about techno music in London? Here’s everything you need to know as a techno fan in London.
What exactly is techno music?
Techno music arrived as a musical genre in London in the late ‘80s and the early ‘90s. The music is most commonly produced entirely through electronic instruments like synthesisers and electronic drums.
Today’s techno music can be slotted into many micro-genres such as minimal techno, Detroit techno, Chicago house and dubstep. Some more types of techno music include industrial techno, intelligent dance music, trance, and tech house.
How is techno music produced?
Most of the techno genres involve creating music with electronic musical instruments like the Yamaha DX7 keyboard, Roland TR-808, and the Roland TB-303 bassline generator.
The music produced through this instrument mostly follows a 4/4 beat and plays out at a tempo of 120 beats per minute (BPM) to 150 BPM.
Techno musicians play around with a lot of auditory elements like a looping bassline, diatonic melodies or synth pads. A lot of techno songs are usually improvised on the spot in a live setting. Therefore, the songs might vary from one performance to another.
What are the best places to hear techno music in London?
London is a thriving city when it comes to clubs playing techno music. The numerous techno clubs in London regularly feature some of the best names of the techno scene as well as new talent.
Whether you like entrancing minimal techno or ear-splitting industrial techno is more your vibe, you can sample all types of techno genres at different techno events in London.
Here are some of the best techno clubs in London to sample the techno music scene.
- Corsica studios: Corsica Studios has the right kind of vibe to listen to techno—dark, funky lights and lots of dance room. The sound system in the main area and the bar are excellent and ideal for a clubbing weekend. The club remains open till 3 AM on weekdays and 6 AM on the weekends.
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Village Underground: Village Underground can be quite unorthodox, even for techno-lovers. If you want to listen to the best and the latest in techno, be sure to hit this popular techno haunt in London.
- Printworks: In business since 2016, Printworks has quickly become one of the central fixtures of London’s techno scene. The club’s backdrop of exposed metal and hidden corridors provide the perfect backdrop for mind-boggling techno music. The USP of the venue is its 5000-person capacity and versatile roster of artists and DJs.
Here are a few more techno clubs for you to explore.
- XOYO
- Phonox
- Fabric
- Union London
- Koko
- Studio 338
- Ministry of Sound
How can you become a techno musician?
Being a fan of the techno music genre isn’t enough to become a renowned musician or DJ. You should be aware of the different digital instruments used in techno music creation along with the latest playing techniques.
Additionally, you should also have a fair knowledge of music marketing and management and music distribution to sustain yourself as a techno musician.
An easy way to start your journey would be to enrol in a music production degree or performance programme. Such a programme can help you become a specialist in music performance and gives you exposure to additional musical genres other than techno music.
A great alternative here is the MMus in Music Performance offered by the London College of Creative Media (LCCM). This master’s programme focuses on developing your distinctive music personality and helps you prepare an impressive portfolio of work.
Through this music production course in the UK, you cover different aspects of the music creation and performance process, such as playing a musical instrument or music distribution. The course also has a major project that helps you get a realistic overview of the music industry.
Click here to enrol in the music performance programme at LCCM and become the next big name in the field of techno music.