But for example techno and house these days have such a gargantuan amount of variety. And because those genres were digital-ish to begin with, they didn't suffer as much from the evolution of DAWs compared to some other genres.

This would have done well at a 90s rave (especially from 4:45 onward): https://open.spotify.com/track/5v2NmAWURnM260nd2acPLr

I guess for "90s" Metal it strongly varies how much studio backing there was and if it is early or late 90s. Late 90s sounds great: https://open.spotify.com/track/0JBQnLKfLXmlkquabLtAgd?

Three related playlist:

- Very underground 90s Hip-Hop cuts: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1LhtrTYYMKu8G33paRWFIL

- Rave-y Techno: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ktoUGruqYdoY3vLhDDtaB

- All sorts of Metal with melodic elements: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1Wec2pdudcDyIHvOu4fL7b

Long gone are the days of "shoes in the dryer" mixes where guys were just slamming two DATs together with no pitch control. Sadly, I think we've gotten to the point of those tight mixes being less of the skill of the DJ and the result of software. With everything being done on laptops with cool software, I really wonder how many DJs are even mixing and just performing while a premixed file plays.

But as you say, the production quality has definitely improved. The music is just clean with no quality loss from layering/multi-tracking/bouncing. The concept of the space between notes has never been so distinguished.

No. If you are in a serious electronic music scene, nobody is playing premade mixes off their ipods. All the clubs I go to only have just an upgraded version of the same CDJs that were being released in the early 2000s. We mix tracks we bought on sites like bandcamp and beatport on professional equipment. The crowd is educated and would throw someone out of the whole scene if they actually started playing a premade mix.

Those people who fake it make social media videos that go viral with people who spend their time online and have never been to a real rave or underground club (or who go to commercial EDM events - which are not representative of the booming underground) - nobody in the scene actually listens to that stuff and theres a lot of us. None of them would ever get booked at a serious event.

And, for the record, there is a boatload of very talented, super attractive female DJs in the scene and they DJ manually. Most of the vinyl only Djs that I've seen live were female and they weren't ugly either to make up for their femaleness. I know you think a woman can only be talented if she hides her distracting attractiveness.

Check your ignorance when you're clearly not in the loop of the scene.

I know what you mean but Metallica, Pantera, and Emperor (black metal) are still all-time classic staples in my discography.

This is your own fault for going to EDM/house/trap parties. Go to better parties, then you'll find better music.

I enjoy Berlin minimal techno but it's not exactly popular.

The key word is GOOD. Not that you just go places bro. You're clearly unsatisfied with the music you're hearing at these events. SO FIND BETTER ONES.

*(Caveat, haven't been to one in the last 5 or 6 years so things may have changed. As always, "it was better next year!")

Eh, I've still got a lot of time for 80s/early 90s thrash. Megadeth mostly, it must be said.

https://soundcloud.com/kmyle/kmyle-empire-bns089?si=0ce480e4...

https://soundcloud.com/kmyle/kmyle-cocoon-original-mix?si=73...

https://soundcloud.com/hate_music/premiere-introversion-sea-...

https://soundcloud.com/regalmusic/regal-undisputed?si=a6bdf3...

https://soundcloud.com/darko-esser/darko-esser-zondag-2008?s...

https://soundcloud.com/hate_music/premiere-wtchcrft-new-frie...

https://soundcloud.com/hate_music/premiere-marco-bailey-trai...

You're right, minimal techno is not the most popular form of techno right now. That's not a new thing that happened in this decade though. Techno has been going through trends of being faster and more maximalist vs slower and minimalist since it began. I'm sorry that you're struggling to find minimal techno nights to your liking, I'm sure there are some out there and I'm sure the trend will come back around. But the techno of my generation is not all EDM or trap influenced so I know you're talking out your ass. You may have been to many techno events in your life, but what you're saying here just proves you're out of the loop like many nostalgic oldheads. So maybe just take a step back and consider that you may have lost touch with the underground. You certainly have if you think drumcode is an underground reference these days.

If I have to go to a club in new york or berlin to hear music it's not culturally relevant. The stuff you linked gets zero play at festivals.

Edit: Festivals have never been the beating heart of the techno scene my friend. I'm sorry to break it to you. And again, I've been to good festivals which do play this stuff - you clearly don't know where to go and you're taking it out on my generation when its on YOU.

Using metal as an example; the 80’s and 90’s as an example had several distinct vibrant scenes, Bergen’s Black Metal, Gothenburg’s Melodeath, Tampa Bay’s Death Metal, as examples. All distinct and vibrant with a period of sustained development with a cluster of artists who seemed to circulate and work off each other.

Today it feels easier to connect with others globally with music genres we like, but it’s almost as if this homogenises the art we produce in a sense.

A core collection of 20-40 artists and musicians working and operating in isolation (comparative to now), sharing what they enjoy, spinning it and innovating it to something new.

To genericise it and bring it back to the core of this place - In a sense one relate these scenes in a way to areas with a particularly strong start-up scene, albeit more freeform and wholly artistic in their endeavours.