I resisted writing a few thoughts on techno-pop for several years, not wanting to appear to be a knee-jerk reactionary like those who criticized rock and roll in the early 50s, or those who opposed punk in the late 70s, or those who predicted the early demise of rap.

I also wanted to see where techno was going. In the last few years, heavy metal, rap and other genres of pop have gone through several permutations.  Grime? Crunk? Emo? Math? As well, technology also has changed the way music is made and received. Is it ironic that techno, which implies that it is on the edge of technological breakthroughs, seems to be stuck in a rut?

That's what it seems to me. The music hasn't gone anywhere during the time I've been listening. I assume it's a DJ or producer phenomenon, it's heard in night clubs mostly, has a following akin to underground rock, and has its own star system. Somebody, I fantasize, compiles and publishes a chart, where the track and its makers get exposure. Aerobics instructors consult the chart for their sessions. Otherwise, techno is anonymous.

Here's where I have to put in a disclaimer. Most of my exposure to techno-pop has been either in the pool where I swim often, or in the gym where I box twice a week. So I might be listening to the wrong stuff and not long enough to get a broader picture. I go to Contenders gym and drill with Dale Walters an hour a session. There, the music is piped in via a satellite channel and likely is the preferred mode of exercise accompaniment. Though not, it must be said, by Dale or myself.

It is so predictable. There is a drum program with a synthesizer line over top that functions as the song's hook but often is no more than a gimmick. An anonymous woman then sings some innocuous lyric along the lines of "I want your love tonight; I need your love tonight." There is a breakdown in which most of the instrumentation is pulled out. The synth line might continue incessantly or the singer is subsumed in echo. The drum program comes back in after a suitable build up and the song continues as before. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad if it only happened once, but this is the formula for song after song.  I'd be ashamed or embarrassed by such creative bankruptcy.

Occasionally, there is an attempt to branch out with popular songs remixed over top a dance beat. This has produced some grim results. Coldplay's Viva La Vida  reveals the song to be more insipid than first thought. The Scott McKenzie sung San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair) sounds like a bad idea gone even more wrong. First, the song doesn't lend itself to a drum program and sounds forced. Second, does anyone remember what the song is about? San Francisco, the song, is 42 years old while presumably the target audience of techno is much younger. It might have a strong melody but it is no longer relevant.

Then, there is Bachman Turner Overdrive's Takin' Care Of Business anchored to a drum beat. Why? The song chugs along just fine as it is. The dance version does absolutely nothing to add to it, and, in fact, subtracts some of the dynamics in the original arrangement.

That said,  I've listened to a few compilations while working and have found them almost comforting. These tend to be in the trance or ambient mode and lead me to wonder if I'm just exposed at the pool or gym to the wrong stuff. Possibly, I wonder, there is a much wider spectrum and I'm stuck in a small, boring part of it. 

I keep waiting for an epiphany to make it all come clear and fill me with understanding. Instead I hear that drum program and know what will happen next.