techno
what it is
Techno is a type of electronic dance music played on synthesizers and drum machines featuring often dark menacing robotic-sounding melodies with squelchy synth and deep bass lines set to a four on the floor beat. In 1980's Detroit, the Belleville three, first Juan Atkins (Cybotron, Model 500) and later his friends Derrick May (Rhythim is Rhythim) and Kevin Saunderson (Inner City, Reese) began experimenting with synthesizers to create electronic dance music. Derrick May described it as sounding like George Clinton (of Parliament and Funkadelic) and Kraftwerk stuck in an elevator.
✦ start here: albums
✦ who's making it, level by level
level 1 · mainstream
the pop everyone knows
level 2 · the door
big names with a sharper edge
level 3 · one step out
cult favorites and indie darlings
level 4 · further
art pop, hyperpop, and the underground
level 5 · all the way
deep experimental
✦ make techno a playlist
turn these 40 artists into something you can press play on.
✦ nearby genres
questions
What is techno?
Techno is a type of electronic dance music played on synthesizers and drum machines featuring often dark menacing robotic-sounding melodies with squelchy synth and deep bass lines set to a four on the floor beat. In 1980's Detroit, the Belleville three, first Juan Atkins (Cybotron, Model 500) and later his friends Derrick May (Rhythim is Rhythim) and Kevin Saunderson (Inner City, Reese) began experimenting with synthesizers to create electronic dance music. Derrick May described it as sounding like George Clinton (of Parliament and Funkadelic) and Kraftwerk stuck in an elevator.
What are good techno albums to start with?
Try Orbital 2 by Orbital, Aleph by Gesaffelstein, The Fat of the Land by The Prodigy, and A Hundred Days Off by Underworld.
Who are some women making techno?
musicisforgirls.com/genres/techno/girls lists women, non-binary artists, and bands with women making techno, from mainstream to underground.
genre notes from last.fm listeners · artists and albums from last.fm, updated 2026-10-20