Techno music grew out of the 1970s-1980s European electronic music scene. Groups leading the charge were Germany's Kraftwerk and Tangerine Dream, as well as Belgium's C.J. Bolland—they all used electronic synthesizers with repetitive basslines and drumbeats.
By the late 1980s, Michigan residents Juan Atkins, Derrick May, and Kevin Saunderson formed a collective known as the Belleville Three. They used many of the same electronic instruments favored by European dance groups. Music historians sometimes credit Atkins with the first true techno song, 1985's "No UFO's". Along with the rest of the Belleville Three.
This early techno music was often improvised live. Producers would start with a foundation of a looping bassline and drumbeat and add synth pads, diatonic melodies, or samples. Popular equipment included the Roland TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines, the Roland TB-303 bassline generator, the Yamaha DX7 keyboard, and the Korg SQD1 sequencer. Most old-school techno is in 4/4 time and played at a tempo ranging from 120 to 150 BPM.
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