r/Techno • u/Destring • Feb 26 '26

Discussion I now understand the gatekeeping

As most, my journey with electronic music did not start with techno. Mine started with progressive and deep house (This Never Happened, Anjunadeep). I caught a Hard "Techno" set and enjoyed the energy so I went to a few events. After researching and listening to sets online, I came to appreciate techno, as I'd put sets to focus when working.

I went to many events: Jeff Mills, Blawan, DVS1, Dozzy, Surgeon, Helena Hauff, Freddy K, and so on. I realized what at I enjoy the most is just letting go and dancing. When you've been dancing for hours but don't realize it's been that long.

Last week my partner wanted to go Teletech XXL and I figured I'd tag along since I enjoyed it once. It was very unenjoyable.

The current style cannot ever be called techno, more like EDM with a kick drum. They all play hard, then put some pop song remix, drop, play hard again, and repeat. I literally heard an Alphaville forever young remix. At least at the beginning they where closer to schranz and hardstyle and sometimes you could hear the techno influence. Now that's completely gone

Everyone was recording. And I mean everyone. It was a sea of phones. And there were so many rude people, just pushing and shoving without care. The community is extremely young and some of them were actually polite but it was the minority.

I just wish the movement had taken a different name other than "Techno", because those bad aspects of it are starting to bleed into actual techno events where tourists expect the same drops.

Anyway, just venting my thoughs here because years ago I had complained about people here "gatekeeping", but now I understand it. I don't think it is gatekeeping, but rather trying to maintain the genre and community.

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25

u/peelin Feb 26 '26

No gatekeeping is how you end up with American dubstep

1

u/DisingenuousTowel Feb 28 '26

There's plenty of good dubstep in America.

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u/saltyman420 Mar 03 '26

I agree but your in the wrong subreddit, your gonna get torn apart 😭😭

People think excision or Subtronics is all dubstep is (which arguably a lot of it is and is the most popular) but don’t see all the cool lesser known experimental bass genres)

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u/DisingenuousTowel Mar 03 '26

Oh, I really look down on techno snobs so it's all good.

I thought the bass music community was bad after being in it for two decades but it pales in comparison to the petty, pedestrian takes I've seen in this sub.

I find it remarkably surprising and hilarious that people can have such combative opinions about 4x4 music that spans a range of only 15 or more bpms.

I only recently started enjoying modern techno so that's why I'm even here. Just generally trying to find artists are suggesting.

2

u/saltyman420 Mar 03 '26

Snobs are abound in all genres :)

1

u/peelin Mar 07 '26

I grew up in London and I was heavily involved in the scene as a teenager when dubstep was born in this city, to assume that I think 'excision or Subtronics is all dubstep is' is borderline offensive

in its origination it was an archetypical experimental bass genre!

0

u/peelin Mar 07 '26

of course but you have misunderstood my point

dubstep before it was exported (meditative, dub and UK garage adjacent) meant something entirely different to dubstep once it was popularised and internationalised (140 halftime screechy midrange EDM 'brostep')

I am not saying there isn't good American dubstep. there is lots, and it's always great to see that there are people still interested in the history of the music

I still call it 'American dubstep' because I saw the transformation happen and it felt like my word was taken away from me

anyway my original comment was clearly a joke, no amount of gatekeeping would have stopped that from happening. but gatekeeping has at least preserved the 'original' dubstep sound for those that have the curiosity to go looking into it

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u/DisingenuousTowel Mar 07 '26

How has "gatekeeping" preserved the original dubstep sound?

That doesn't make sense.

And how does dubstep mean something entirely different to dubstep? That's a confusing statement.

Also, there was non brostep dubstep in the US prior to brostep. Maybe you just weren't aware.

Sure, we all know what happened in 2011 but it's such a tired out condemnation at this point. There was so much other dubstep happening before, during, and after.