Summer Camp in Europe in 1993 and the Techno-Beat House music that rocked my world

 May 8th 2022

Journal entry 1: Tonight under a cloudy and rainy sky, I turned to listen to Air Liquide's 1994 album 'the increased difficulty of concentration'. Reminding myself on how mind-altering this album was when I heard it the first time in the 90's on a casual borrow from the public library. I was introduced to techno music in the summer of 1993 when I visited Europe for 6 months. I came not knowing that such a monumental genre of music which was sweeping the airwaves and minds of young people like myself originated in the United States in Detroit. 

I was only told this by a friend of mine I met at a summer camp for 3 weeks. This elongated cabin made of wood in the forest, which during the day served as a mesh hall for all the camp kids for eating breakfast, lunch and dinner. But late into the night the camp kids including the counselors transformed the mesh hall into a diskotek with one end on a higher plain then the rest of the interior, while the other 3/4's of the mesh hall turned into a ballroom where the kids talked and danced to this new music which I never heard before, techno-house music. 

Playing songs from albums from 2 unlimited 'Get Ready' and the recently fresh release of their latest album 'No Limits' that was released that year. Other great songs which were played were Orion's 'Star Trek' which blew my mind. It was so fun and upbeat and fun to move to (that is dance to, haha).

 The DJ which was also my new friend spun some Italian house tracks that were amazing. The funniest part of it all was my friend the DJ asked me if I knew of this genre called Techno, and I told him actually no, that the 3 bands I listened to the most were 1. The Beatles 2. Pink Floyd  and 3. ABBA.

 I did listen to many other bands apart from those 3 but I kind of followed my father's steps in music taste, which meant listening to mainly 60's rock and roll music with some progressive rock groups like YES and the Beach Boys. At the time I was 14 years old and it was 1993 in Czechoslovakia and I was totally thrown for a curve when I listened to my friend's tape he recorded for me which was 2 unlimited's 'Get Ready' album.

 It was so fun and unique and interesting to me. Coming back to the States, I started listening to live broadcasts from nightclubs in Denver, Colorado. I received a lot of blank Maxell blank tapes, popped the blank tapes into the my stereo - CD - tape recorder and hit record. 

Those were the beginnings of listening to DJ Johnny D and his amazing mixes with amazing hard-house and techno from Culture Beat, 2 unlimited and Moby among others like Opus 3 with "Its a Fine Day". So from there I built my cd collection and knowledge of some amazing groups that were to make my music listening days a trip to never forget.

 So here's to this new blog which I will casually share some of my listening of techno and house and the myriad of different sub-genres that Techno music spawned throughout these last 29 years and looking forward into the coming future on upcoming great techno albums, music and brand new groups coming and new generations sharing their own take on what Techno is, was and will be for all of us that love that beat and electronic sound.

 So here's to a thriving new blog of amazing ramblings on new and old and what's to come. Hope you can join me in this journey, cause I'm here for the long haul...