Techno ripoffs

[mint clad]

What are some of the biggest ripoffs in techno history? Specifically, techno records that have completely copied another record that had come before it. I'm asking because I'm working on some new tracks myself and I can't help but feel like I'm completely ripping off a specific record from (nearly) twenty years ago, while not actually achieving the real essence of what made that record great. Just so many doubts about how to balance my real identity as an artist against other peoples expectations about my output, and how my influences factor into their perception of the music lol

Is the whole techno scene just a bunch of people ripping off one another? Obviously there are originators at different points in the timeline but there is a lot of good techno that comes out that is really just reiterations of other stuff. And there are labels that release only records that have that specific sound. And then there are producers who pander to those labels. Oh man it's a vicious cycle if you think about it...

What do you guys think about techno ripoffs? As producers have you ever felt like you're ripping off other records/artists? How have you gotten over this feeling? Obviously no two records will ever sound *exactly* the same right? Have you ever consciously drawn on someone else's work when producing your own tracks? Were you proud of the final product?

This is really weird I know but I hope I can start at least a little discussion here.

[mint clad]

I mean let's be real here, I have aspirations outside of my local diy noise scene... I want DJs to play my tracks, I want more wide reaching labels to put out my records... I think everybody has certain aspirations and I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with that... Am I a sellout because I actually want people to hear and enjoy/respect my art? I don't think so... And obviously ya can't please everyone, but there are people out there whose opinions matter more than your average goober's. Holy fuck I'm reading way too deep into this shit maybe I should just record some shit and put it out... If they like it cool but if not oh well. Fuck

And maybe people will hear this stuff and not even realize how big of an influence this particular record is on it. And maybe we'll have to play a lil guessing game on the forum where you guys have to guess which record I was listening to most while creating these new tracks lol

[mint clad]

Mint Clad the sell out

[Hades]

sell out cunt !

[Hades]

so who are you copying ?

[Hades]

ripoff

[Hades]

And Mike Parker's already copying himself more than enough, so there's absolutely no need to copy him !

[ross-alexander]

Interesting question, there's a lot of heavily influenced by stuff. in some respects you could view that as admiration. There's a lot of reprocessed ideas, but that's part and parcel of all artforms I guess. Then there is sampling culture which is part of it all. There are many ideas being remarketed as original work, despite being very derivative, though am not going into naming names lol.

I think there's also a lot of people with axes to grind about actually being ripped off and not credited for their own work haha.

[Mono-xID]

wasn't this NIEREICH bloke ripping off Mills and Len Faki ? Ben Klock ripping off Truncate, Takaaki Itoh ripping off Surgeon and so on... i don't give a fuck though...

[Hades]

when I was scrolling through my weekly HardWax newsletter a few weeks ago, there was this record from Sawlin that used a sound that I used in a soundscape I made approx. 2 years ago.
That was quite a little "holy shit" moment for me.
But I checked my project in Ableton, and the melody of the sound is already programmed in there (Metaphysical), so basically we probably used the same preset.
Only I ran it through some expensive reverb and delay, and he put a techno beat underneath it.
Or he ripped me off, but I doubt it.

Technically I could sue him IF no one else used that sound in a track before my track.
But obviously I'm not gonna do that.
I'm not like those guys who released a sample CD with the Amen break on it (after it had been abused for years) and are now fetching money for something they never should have taken credit for in the first place.

[Hades]

ironically enough the Sawlin release is called "Verrat am Selbst"

[mainst09]

wasn't this NIEREICH bloke ripping off Mills and Len Faki ? Ben Klock ripping off Truncate, Takaaki Itoh ripping off Surgeon and so on... i don't give a fuck though...

why?

[ross-alexander]

I think the key here could well be preset.Lets take an example, the much lamented hoover preset lol. As for pinching hooks and phrases has that not been happening for centuries? There have been lots of big deals all over social media about this in recent years. mono I know the hoo haa over that riff (the bells one), very similarly also used in a jeroen search track last year (there was no hoo har over that though). Also on that ep a very similar riff to dark manoeuvres by envoy from years back (no big deal again) I'm not knocking him at all there, just seems different rules apply for different artists. If an upcoming artists does it whooah the techno keyboard gangsters want blood haha. No odds to me either all makes for good comedy.

[Mono-xID]

Ross, i'm with you. Hence i said i don't give a fuck about rip offs.

[ross-alexander]

exactly mate

[Contort]

There's a tiring amount of stuff that sounds extremely similar to other stuff in techno, ofcourse not limited to techno, but still mind numbing when it's by such respectable producers. A mixture between playing it safe as the style is tried and proven to be popular, and laziness.
You're definately overthinking though if questions like 'how to balance my real identity as an artist against other peoples expectations about my output' are in your head when making music. Be as spontanious as possible without referencing or considering context is what I recommend.

[surface]

I don't think you can avoid sounding like someone else in ways.

I think a lot of the time it's subconscious, where you take in influences in sounds, rhythms, melodies and replicate them because you want a track to fit a certain 'style' (I use that term loosely) but we all have our own opinions of what makes for good music and can point out influences that inspired us in one direction or the other.

It's those influences that shape what we end up doing, although maybe we push certain elements that first caught our interest a little further ..

[Alume]

I don't think you can avoid sounding like someone else in ways.

I think a lot of the time it's subconscious, where you take in influences in sounds, rhythms, melodies and replicate them because you want a track to fit a certain 'style' (I use that term loosely) but we all have our own opinions of what makes for good music and can point out influences that inspired us in one direction or the other.

It's those influences that shape what we end up doing, although maybe we push certain elements that first caught our interest a little further ..

You could listen to different music like acoustic music when you feel inspiration heading your way. This way you can set your mind differently with interesting results.

[Alert]

As for pinching hooks and phrases has that not been happening for centuries?

[SquareTheCircle]

youtu.be/0GocCXpPRkY

Here is midfield general unapologetically ripping of Energy Flash.

unapologetically is how you rip folk off.

youtu.be/lKZiJv8Db_s

H man ripping off some James Holden I recon (4 minutes in).

Everything is ripped off in some sense. Making it your own is the trick.