Acid Techno
Techno · 1992 · 135 to 150 BPM
Acid techno replants the TB-303 in techno soil, harder and faster than its Chicago house origins. London's squats and free parties turned it into a subculture in its own right during the 1990s, embracing a deliberately dirty sound, while Hardfloor delivered its widescreen version. Here the 303 screams rather than coos, often with two machines trading lines against each other.
12 reference tracks
- Hardfloor: Acperience 1 (1992)
- Plastikman: Spastik (1993)
- Emmanuel Top: Acid Phase (1995)
- Josh Wink: Higher State Of Consciousness (1995)
- Umek: Gatex (1998)
- 999999999: Rave 4 Love (2021)
- Amelie Lens: Feel It (2022)
- Emmanuel Top: Tone
- Emmanuel Top: Stress
- Hardfloor: Lost in the Silver Box
- Charlotte de Witte: One Mind
- Amelie Lens: Radiance
At a glance
- Tempo: 135 to 150 BPM
- First appeared: around 1992
- Machines: Roland TB-303, Roland TR-909
- The sound: Roland TB-303 (souvent deux), Distorsion sur l'acide, Séquenceurs hardware
- Labels: Stay Up Forever, Smitten, Routemaster, Acid Test, Attack Records, Exhale
- Key artists: Hardfloor, Chris Liberator, D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Guy McAffer, Emmanuel Top
Producing Acid Techno
Acid techno runs 130 to 145 BPM; Hardfloor stays near 130 for the widescreen version while London's squat scene pushes to 140 or 145, with a light swing on the sixteenths applied to the hats and the 303, never the kick. A hard 909 kick holds every beat, the closed hat plays only three hits per bar in a velocity pyramid, and the open hat runs all the sixteenths. The TB-303 is the bass and the whole point: a sixteenth-note sequence of four or five notes with accents and slides, cutoff around 30 to 50 percent and high resonance. The genre's real signature is two 303s trading lines, a low one laying the pattern and a higher, distorted one answering, run through overdrive and EQ.
The full production course, in French: tempo, drums, bass, sounds, arrangement, mix, plugins and machines, and a step by step start.
Frequently asked
What is Acid Techno?
Acid techno replants the TB-303 in techno soil, harder and faster than its Chicago house origins. London's squats and free parties turned it into a subculture in its own right during the 1990s, embracing a deliberately dirty sound, while Hardfloor delivered its widescreen version. Here the 303…
What tempo is Acid Techno played at?
Between 135 and 150 BPM.
Who are the key Acid Techno artists?
Hardfloor, Chris Liberator, D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Guy McAffer, Emmanuel Top.
