Author here. Thanks for sharing the blog post on HN; it was a nice surprise to see it in the first page.
replies(3):
> The techno scene originated in Germany, reached the UK, and it was later associated with the Chicago & Detroit EDM scene in America.
Techno was invented in Detroit, house music in Chicago. Germany like techno. In no sense whatsoever did they invent or originate it.
I was AFK all night after posting this, but I actually regret not acknowledging international contributions to techno music and culture, which was and is huge.
But I can't agree with this:
> Where it comes from is defined by where you draw a line in the sand.
There was a time before anyone called music 'techno', and a time after. That's the line, and the part of history which crossed that line happened in the Detroit Metro area. There's no disputing this.
Techno parties are all about having a good time and welcoming everyone, no matter who they are or where they're from. The music is absolutely a blend of influences from all over, and Germans took to it (hard!) for a reason. But roots is roots.
Both Chicago house and NYC/NJ Garage house developed in the early to mid 80s, whereas techno (as a term as well as a cohesive sound) didn't become a thing until the late 80s.
To be clear, I'm not trying to downplay the absolutely massive importance of the Belleville Three at all. But I would consider Juan Atkins' early work to be electro, rather than techno. And meanwhile Kevin Saunderson's best songs always felt more house-like than techno to my ear.
Anyway, jungle's most immediate predecessor was UK breakbeat hardcore, which combined breakbeats from funk and hip hop, with synth influences from acid house (Chicago) and new beat (Belgium), among other house-derived genres. I guess I just don't hear much of a techno influence in early jungle. In my view, that doesn't come in until some slightly later drum and bass subgrenres like techstep.
That all said, definitely agree that the timeline described in the article (which gave credit to Germany and the UK) is just plain wrong.