For the inaugural post of oldskooltechno.com, I’m hoping to kick things off with a bang; I present this list of the Top 100 oldskool techno tunes. Obviously, such a list is a very subjective thing, and there are going to be inclusions and exclusions that some people are going to disagree with. For what it’s worth, I’m not defining “Top 100″ to necessarily mean the “100 best,” but rather the 100 most well-known. This may be somewhat distasteful for hardcore collectors and enthusiasts, of which, I consider myself to be one… but there is no doubt that the songs on this list were hugely popular and influential in their time. Let’s face it, the most well-known techno song ever, as painful as it may be to admit, is probably 2 Unlimited’s Get Ready For This. This song is played at virtually every American sporting event in the country, which may actually be one of the reasons it is so painful to hear nowadays. Yes, I have to admit that my “100 Best” list would look considerably different than this one. And perhaps down the road I’ll prepare such a list to expose folks to more underground or rare tunes. Having said that, I still consider the majority of tunes on this list to be quality. For every tune that is somewhat painful to hear by today’s standards or looking back through the window of time… there is a Papua New Guinea. Or a Stella. Or a House of God.

This list was built based in part on my own vinyl collection as I seek to start work on the Oldskool Techno Wiki. It is also based on my memory as a DJ and “raver” back in the glory days of oldskool. Admittedly, the list is Los Angeles-centric, as this is where I played and partied. These songs were in heavy rotation at the major clubs and events in L.A. during the early 90s and most of these songs were also featured on 103.1 MARS FM, a pioneering but short-lived dance and alternative music radio station that was on the air at that time and served to introduce many Angelenos to these new sounds. So the list may be different than what one might expect in the U.K., Belgium, Germany or Holland. Or even New York or Detroit, for that matter. In any event, I hope you enjoy the list and by all means feel free to post those entries you think should be included or should have been excluded. I welcome the discussion. But mostly I welcome you. If you had a passing fancy for this music in your youth, or are still an avid DJ or collector, I hope this site may be of some service to you. I am introducing a forum and I won’t lie, I could use help in building out the Oldskool Wiki.

Thanks for stopping by. Now, Without further ado… The Top 100 Oldskool Techno Tunes.

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Tags: Techno

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