We all know Detroit birthed techno, but how did this radical music make its way across the globe to underground clubs in Palestine and Berlin? DJ and producer Ash Lauryn is here to educate us on the evolution of this post-industrial art form with a new documentary podcast called Techno: A Social History.
The three-part audio series will drop on BBC Radio on July 19.
Lauryn traces the origins of techno music from her hometown of Detroit and explores its impact across the world through interviews with several scene veterans and newcomers including Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, Ellen Allien, and Nastia.
Many of the interviews center around the social justice undertones of techno and how it became a counterculture soundtrack for the downtrodden and disenfranchised.
In the series, Nastia tells Lauryn how Kyiv’s club scene was born out of Ukrainian’s 2013 revolution and civil unrest. Georgian music promoter and gay activist Giorgi Kikonishvili talks about Bassiani, a club that became the country’s headquarters for queer politics and community organizing until it was threatened by police raids.
Lauryn noted on Twitter that she did not write the script for Techno: A Social History, she’s just the narrator and presenter.
“Serious props to the creators and writers of this documentary who worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to make it happen,” she Tweeted. “I am grateful to have been brought on board to tell this important story!”
The series will be released in three parts starting July 19 and can be streamed online.
Really excited for this to drop next week. It’s sounding very ace! Serious props to the creators and writers of this documentary who worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to make it happen. I am grateful to have been brought on board to tell this important story! https://t.co/35iGIWJ99N
— Ash Lauryn (@ash_lauryn_) July 7, 2022
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