It's definitely not techno, but what it is and how did it become popular? It boggles my mind. (Trap music is more prestigious than it)
I have too much respect for Techno to attribute such title to that thing.
For a second I thought about minimal but I immediately reversed as minimal is too complex and clever for this.
The genre doesn't have a hook or anything that could make it memorable. Not that it has to, but when you call yourself "melodic" you'd expect something more than a 3 note arp sequence.
So from a technical pov the genre is total trash. It doesn't have anything valuable in it. Any genre in electronic music historically had something that made it special, Melodic Techno doesn't.
After listening to Melodic Techno I gained a whole new level of respect for Dubstep as a genre and people who appreciate it. Dubstep is like a spaceship, Melodic Techno is a bicycle.
Guest
Ya to me it’s one of those genres that if someone I’m talking to says they like it, I immediately know where they stand. No need to discuss music with that person beyond that point.
It reminds me of 7 or 8 years ago when that “trash tech house” fad was the thing. I’d go to venues and not even be able to discern the genre that was being played but I knew the dj had totally sold out, said “ it I want my check and I’m gone”
Guest
I remember I was on the beach in 2016 in Jersey and this girl said “I’m really into tribal house now”. Of course I lit up and inquire further. Her favorite producer turned out to be Kygo.
🤪
Similar premise, different genre. Spotify .
Sykonee
Samples? Because depending on the era, 'melodic techno' can mean many things.
Edit: so like that track in the article's example? Isn't that just cheesy prog-house?
TranceElevation
No please, let's have some respect of the genre progressive house, although the term has become quite broad over the years, prog house has a story to tell, it goes somewhere, it has a progression, but this...this is the lowest form of electronic music I heard in my entire life. I knew someone would mention Prog House so I was thinking to warn people in my opening post not to associate Prog House with this. Prog House has all the characteristics of a real musical genre. And without entering in technicalities, I will just mention that Prog House requires actual skill to be produced, which is not the case with Melodic Techno.
I mean, Deadmau5 was making Prog House 10+ years ago and anything he made back than overshadows this abortion of a genre.
SPANIARD
This and say Aril Brikha's 'Winter' are what I think of when someone mentions melodic techno. I'm probably overestimating the OP on this but ah well.
Sykonee
quote:
Originally posted by SPANIARD
This and say Aril Brikha's 'Winter' are what I think of when someone mentions melodic techno. I'm probably overestimating the OP on this but ah well.
Yeah, no, that's what something called Melodic Techno actually is, no matter what some contemporary marketing mook may claim otherwise.
Reflecting on it, I agree I was in error in associating that track with Prog-House, even if its simplicity did remind me of the post-deadmau5 8th Note era.
No, what this really sounds like is festival Tech House twats have discovered Dutch Trance breakdowns.
TranceElevation
But Dutch Trance breakdowns atleast were leading towards something bigger or different, with "Melodic Techno" it goes to nowhere.
You know, lately there was a trend in Psy-Trance to have a short breakdown in the beginning of the tracks and then return to the exact same beat of the intro. People were really pissed off about cause it was completely useless, it would just kill the momentum of the track. Usually a breakdown serves to anticipate something, to introduce a new element and/or transition to a new section of the track. With Melodic Techno you'd often have a Verse going into a Breakdown and then returning to the verse. Since it doesn't have a main melody, the breakdown becomes the "special" moment, but because 90% of Melodic Techno Producers are clueless, even these breakdowns are extremely stale and anticlimactic.
It seems to me like this genre took all the worst trends from all edm genres and put them together.
TranceElevation
quote:
Originally posted by SPANIARD
This and say Aril Brikha's 'Winter' are what I think of when someone mentions melodic techno. I'm probably overestimating the OP on this but ah well.
Nice track, it has complexity, it has a progression. Beatport link is dead, where can I purchase?
I wouldn't have a problem with Melodic Techno if such tracks were the main representitives of the genre.
I have a problem with its modern revision.
TranceElevation
So this one here is the "main hero" of this genre. Uploaded 1 month ago, more then 300k views.
Here you can see/hear what I mean. Verse goes into a breakdown and the breakdown builds into the exact same verse.
Sykonee
quote:
Originally posted by TranceElevation
But Dutch Trance breakdowns atleast were leading towards something bigger or different, with "Melodic Techno" it goes to nowhere.
You know, lately there was a trend in Psy-Trance to have a short breakdown in the beginning of the tracks and then return to the exact same beat of the intro. People were really pissed off about cause it was completely useless, it would just kill the momentum of the track.
Oh, that trend has existed in 'minimal' genres and other Dutch nonsense for over a decade now: the dreaded Anti-Build. I recall Sander van Doorn really abusing it way back.
SYSTEM-J
Melodic techno used to mean stuff like Aril Brikha, but then Beatport invented the category of "Melodic House & Techno" to describe all the grooveless pseudo-trance pedalled by the likes of Tale Of Us and Stephan Bodzin that's become so massively popular in recent times. To me this stuff is a continuation of the insipid "melodic" minimal of the 2000s - think Ame - Rej but deliberately designed for 20,000 capacity main stages being filmed by a drone somewhere in Italy. Music for people who wear sunglasses in nightclubs, who want something to get ed up to but who were tragically born without a funky bone.
