Dense & Pika: "Plastic techno is the new 'deep house'"
It's no longer the sound of the future, they say
Duo Dense & Pika have come out swinging over “samey” sets and “plastic techno”, saying the genre is no longer the progressive sound it once was.
Writing for Ibiza Voice, Alex Jones and Chris Spero commented how different techno was today compared to the trailblazing days of Jeff Mills, Underground Resistance and Basic Channel.
They wrote: “People like Drexciya, Underground Resistance, Derrick May and all of that Detroit generation were imagining the sounds of the future. But then techno was bastardized and repackaged and now people are trying to make records that sound like they were made 20 years ago.
“Now kids are going to big outdoor pool parties and getting blasted with ice cannons and that is not futuristic in any way. In fact, it’s passé. So, no, techno is no longer the sound of the future.”
The duo also alluded to the effects big money was having on the scene.
“A techno DJ earning £30,000 per set was unheard of in the '90s. And it’s bigger than it’s ever been. Even DJs who became famous for deep house have been switching over to techno. A lot of sets can be quite samey. There’s a ‘plastic techno’ sound that has become prevalent which is the new ‘deep house’.”
But the pair did have praise for the likes of Ben UFO and the Hessle Audio crew, and name-checked the likes of Nina Kraviz, Tama Sumo, Helena Hauff and Lena Willikens.
“We didn’t even know what genre [Willikens] was playing and that’s really refreshing and exciting. To have someone actually baffle you with their selections is a rare treat.”
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Get to know Dense & Pika by revisiting our feature on them here.
Louis Anderson-Rich is Mixmag's Digital Intern. Follow him on Twitter