Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

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Barfunkel
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Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Barfunkel »

I'm kinda bored with techno being so dark these days. Usually it's not really even that dark (like, say, black metal is), it's just faux dark. Kinda boring, hard to listen to the whole night in the clubs + the girls don't like it usually.

So I decided to write an albumful, 10 or so tracks, of positive, happy, fun techno. I don't want it to be cheesy or music for kids though. Fun for techno loving adults kinda thing.

So the concept is that. Positive techno.

The problem is the execution. The stuff I've written so far has ranged from really bad and/or cheesy to something half-decent that sounds more like sped up deep house rather than anything resembling techno.

Anyone here ever tried something similar? Or other have some useful insight into writing music that doesn't try to soundrack your wrist cutting?

Major chords instead of minor is one thing obviously, but major chords are damn hard to use IMO. I occasionally use a major 7th, but that's about it.

Anything else?
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by dubdub »

I hopped off the darky and edgy train years ago. You don't need major chords to sound "happy", the feeling from a chord is the combination of a whole bunch of things. I use one of these Max4Live chord tools to quickly flick around things until I find something that I like. You also don't need to go crazy with complex arrangements, this is still techno. Most of the the best emotional techno is dead simple in music theory terms, you can have the same chord running through the track and create musicality through sound design, filter movement etc.

For some inspiration, I think Deniro is currently one of the best making detroit schooled techno. There's nothing crazy going on in his tracks, just very well chosen sounds that work well together.


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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by dubdub »

Some more inspiration: Will & Ink has been putting out gorgeous "ice cream colour techno" for the past few years :D And of course Fachwerk, which in way kind of pioneered that bouncey, dubby kind of techno with house elements.

youtu.be/0scDbOt9xhg

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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Mattias »

I never really understood what "dark" techno means anyway. I do know about those who made it a thing to label their music "dark techno" and some kept on referring to it.

Often I hear people calling my own stuff very "dark" which never was my personal intent, but if it's dark to them then sure, whatever suits them.

However...I hate happy music! Music in mostly major key triggers my gag reflex.
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Lost to the Void
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Lost to the Void »

Image
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Barfunkel »

Dunno about Lost to the Void's outfit of choice, but musically I was thinking something like this:

youtu.be/tyKeE3fBEsM

Which to my ears sounds very positive kind of music.

Stuff like that is difficult to write, at least to me.
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Mattias »

I can definitely agree on that track being positive. Not cheesy happy. Good.
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by TheBinaryMind »

I always try to make happy stuff, really, but then Facebook thinks that I should see Voidloss' fresh haircut for instance, and there I am making dark depressing minor shit again.

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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Mattias »

Haha.
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Lost to the Void »

Mattias wrote:I can definitely agree on that track being positive. Not cheesy happy. Good.

Underworld are Underworld.
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Alume »

There is a significant difference between "dark" and serious or melancholic.

Dark is just a lazy way of discribing something that isnt happy.

Get your facts straight people.

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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Lost to the Void »

Anyway to answer original question yes, have made and released plenty of uplifting techno. Don't really like just making one sound all the time, how boring.
My first vinyl record label always used to have a dark side and a light side, and they were labeled as such.
I like extremes, very dark music, or overwhealmingly emotional music.

Progressions from minor to major works well.
I dont think like that though, theory gets in the way, just let the music happen, if I feel the need for love then I make some music that reflects it.

Did 2 albums last year that were more uplifting. One was ravey, one was more melodic techno.
Its difficult to avoid veing too obvious and cheesy when trying to write uplifting music.
The problem is trying.
You shouldn't try, if you are feeling the need to express positivity then it will be genuine, if you simply try to write uplifting music because...... and there is no genuine emotion behind it, it will come out cheese.

Like anything in art, if it is disingenuous it will become plainly obvious.
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by terryfalafel »

Barfunkel wrote:Dunno about Lost to the Void's outfit of choice, but musically I was thinking something like this:

youtu.be/tyKeE3fBEsM

Which to my ears sounds very positive kind of music.

Stuff like that is difficult to write, at least to me.
Big. And I agree, really hard to write.

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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Lost to the Void »

youtu.be/3Fr1x-N3-k8

Underworld have a pretty good hit rate when it comes to uplifting but not cheesy.
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by surface »

Bogdan Raczynski has it nailed.
His stuff is just pure out and out fun.
So well produced too so you could say "serious" fun, just a touch hyper, with some breaks thrown in, but that's why it works ..

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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Dussle »

I was at a party/festival/rave the other weekend at a farm and Cowgirl by Underworld came on, sped up a bit but fuck it sounded good. joey beltram energy flash had been on a few songs before which is pretty moody fucking stuff which also sounded awesome. Both made me shake my gurny arse and stomp hard. There is a moral there, Aesop style, saying that moody or cheery doesn't really matter, funky as fuck is all that matters. Dancing to energy flash didnt make my buzz go down or me any less dancey - the vibe just worked with the tune.
Last edited by Dussle on Sat Aug 27, 2016 12:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Dolorum »

Here's a track that straddles the line between uplifting and melancholic, which I think is a great vibe:

youtu.be/NCPPJUp-Cvk

This one as well, but it's just full on happiness and executed well, not very techno though. I think the trick is not to make it annoyingly cheesy:

youtu.be/ebjXsc0UjdQ

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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Hades »

Dolorum wrote:
This one as well, but it's just full on happiness and executed well, not very techno though. I think the trick is not to make it annoyingly cheesy:

youtu.be/ebjXsc0UjdQ
Ow god yes, Todd Terje always puts a smile on my face,
though somehow I do consider his music more house than techno (not that it matters or that I care about such distinctions).
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Hades »

btw mr dolorum,
did you ever see that documentary about the guy who inspired Todd Terje for this track ?
It's not that long, but it shows this guy who is in love with electronica music and who was always planning on leaving his shitty hometown at some point,
and then his dad got really sick, so he had to stay to take care of his dad,
and he changed his dad's bakery into a solarium.
Simple job, easy income, no brainer.

He also makes his own kind of home-made E, or whatever it is,
and you can see the guy making it (though enough blurred so you can't repeat that shit at home),
and getting totally high on his own product and dancing away like crazy.

It's a really tragi-comic documentary, tbh.
Shows how life can really fuck with your dreams.
And yet this guy is still trying to make the best out of his quite depressing circumstances... :P

Just found it on vimeo :

https://vimeo.com/58444378
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Re: Writing/producing positive, happy, fun techno?

Post by Bocaj »

Well since you posted Todd Terje, I'm going to post one of my favorite "feel good" tracks.
Be-All The Thrills (Sliced and diced Michael Henderson's "Riding")
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEkphmY3Ekg


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