You Are What You Listen To
I wondered if it was true the other way as well. And as I roamed the streets of Germany, I got my answer. YES! Germany’s most famous art form- TECHNO is not what made Germans- Germans, rather it’s the Germans that made Techno!
Since the industrial revolution, Germany has been at the top of the game with machines and technology. Technology and efficiency are engrained in their culture. There are machines everywhere in Germany, from vending machines to cash registers and sound-aided traffic lights, whizzing cars, loud construction and the S and U-Bahn outside and under. For musicians to fall in love with the art of a particular city, they first have to fall for the city. In Germany, the connection between the city and its art — TECHNO is very evident. Taking up any action here involves the use of at least one machine and machines make noises. These noises are what convert technology into techno.
For example: As you travel through the U and S-Bahn the wind gushing in through the windows along with the revving engine, slipping wheels, and crackling electricity in the wires, sound like an ongoing 'flanger' in the soundtrack, the traffic lights, adds beats to the same. These sounds which the residents are used to are what essentially make the sounds in a Techno Track. After experiencing this, I would define Germany, or specifically, Berlin, as an open disco theque with multiple stages for different kinds of arts and recreation, interwoven together on a plane discreetly showcasing itself.
This might even be the case with India. Indians have noise-making items all around their house. They like the clutter. We are not used to the silence around us, and maybe this constant clutter is what inspired Bollywood’s beat-rich music. The random bells and horns on the street as you navigate through a bazaar, over the calling of hawkers, don’t bother us, in fact, we would feel weird in a bazaar without such a soundtrack. These habits and experiences which are ingrained in us are what define our music, which is full of multiple instruments running on different rhythms and tones.
Analyzing the quote further, I come to realize that maybe the quotation is incomplete and it’s actually ALWAYS the other way around AS WELL. It's not just the music that makes us who we are as a people, its also the people (Culture) that make and define our music. After all, music is also a language, and which language isn’t affected by our culture? And with Germany being a Mecca of all things engineers and all things technical, it’s only a given that its background score is TECHNO.
