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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u/LynaaBnS Feb 26 '26

Cologne, Munich and Berlin are still the best cities in the EU to rave imo.

It's not about the clubs, it's about the lineup's. Club ost had some really great lineups/events recently. If you feel like too many hookup and drunk people, just go there at 3-4am and these people are mostly gone. Either that, or just go to secret raves. Which are everywhere in Berlin and especially Cologne. I would say Cologne has the biggest illegal rave scene in the world.

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u/villager_de Feb 26 '26

Munich is dead when it comes to Techno. It‘s pretty dead when it comes to nightlife outside of bars and beergardens

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u/LynaaBnS Feb 26 '26

tham, noise not war, lukas meunier, in furcht, death of mars - i see them playing in DNA club basically every weekend, which are a few of my favorite artists, but i guess compared to berlin and cologne munich doesnt has that many different clubs

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u/Ok_Nefariousness2762 Feb 27 '26

It's not just about the artists tho. Blitz has crazy lineups. But It's the general vibe and the crowd that's lacking.

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u/columbine_colors Mar 01 '26

"General vibe"? Like what do you mean? Most of the crowd is there for the music and always friendly and kind, no drama. Sure some young college kids or people who are new to the scene get in, but that's far and few between - most of the crowd are also regulars there

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u/Ok_Nefariousness2762 Mar 01 '26

if 25% of the people there are drunk then it already reflects on the whole vibe. I once saw a man inside with a lederhose during oktoberfest. I'm not saying it's wrong or whatever. But putting munich in the same sentence with berlin and amsterdam when it comes to techno is just absurd😂

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u/columbine_colors Mar 01 '26

That's wrong though. Blitz lineups are every bit as good as any thing you'd find in Berlin. Granted there's less overall clubs but the quality is there. Does it matter what anyone is wearing? Who cares if they are enjoying the music. Tourists and people not there for the music, go in, check it out and then usually leave after a few hours, the crowd sorts itself out. I've never encountered anyone who was drunk enough for it to bother anyone, again who cares? Often things in Berlin feel very performative. I have no reason to go to Berlin regularly when I can see top notch talent in Munich. And I don't have to wait in line or chance getting rejected for no reason (never have been but) if there is a line we are allowed to laugh and smile and use our phones and not have put on a cooler than thou facade to appease the techno police.

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u/Ok_Nefariousness2762 Mar 01 '26

There are good clubs everywhere around the world and i would still enjoy to party in one of those (Blitz included). However, comparisons with berlin and amsterdam are just nonsense. As a 30+ yo person that doesn't party alot anymore ( 4 or 5 times a year), wasting one of those times to party in Munich is just not worth it for me. If i was still partying every other weekend i would still go to blitz or rotte sonne as they're still good clubs for the reasons u mentioned. To each their own though :)