What is TechnoTourist.org?
Technotourist.org is a platform for quality electronic music and all things related. Our main focus is quality, not quantity. Technotourist.org is totally independent and totally free from any commercial intent. The site came into life through our passion and love for electronic music, the artists and everybody who makes a difference in this amazing subculture. We refuse to give in to influences and pressures from major record companies, corporate organizations, hypes, etc. However we do keep an eye out for new evolutions in the fields of music, technology and society. Through our website we report on these issues and we try to give our visitors a better insight in the world of electronic music by means of news items, in-depth interviews, picture galleries and the forum. Technotourist.org often steps in where the main stream or commercial dance media fail to report on interesting subjects, artists or events. In the future we intend to keep up and broaden our defense of quality music without ever denouncing our principles of independence and our underground spirit.
Technotourist.org is not ‘just an electronic music portal’. There is a deeper dimension to it. The site came into life after a trip to Detroit in 1999. The Technotourists have a big heart for the city where techno music originated and this love is reflected in our travels and on the website. Over the years we have made contact with many like-minded music lovers from all over the world which has resulted in long-lasting friendships. The Technotourist crew has enjoyed the hospitality, help and friendship of many people abroad and we don’t hesitate to repay the courtesy whenever someone visits our regions. This exchange of experiences between people with similar interests is what ‘Technotourist’ stands for in the deeper context of the word.
Technotourist history
TechnoTourist.org started out in 2000 after a trip to Detroit by Dutchmen Otto Koppius, Wibo Lammerts, Klaas-Jan Jongsma and Hans Veneman in December 1999 to visit a party of the 313 internet mailing list.
At first the website was used as an online photo gallery, displaying photographs of the 1999 trip to Detroit, pictures of the first edition of the Detroit Electronic Music Festival (DEMF) in 2000, and pictures of a few other trips and parties. At this time the website was hosted on Hans' home computer behind a cable internet connection.
In 2001 it became apparent that the number of after parties during the second edition of the DEMF would skyrocket after the success of the first edition. To make life easier for visitors of the festival and for other Technotourists coming to Detroit, a new section was opened on the website: a listing of all known after parties. A piece of handwork that quickly became very large, and very popular.
During the first year of the TechnoTourist.org website, contact was also made with fellow Technotourists visiting Detroit, notably John Osselaer from Belgium and Marie Warnery from France.
A large change in the format of the website was made in the fall of 2001, when the site changed from an online photo gallery with some extras, to a community based news site with a gallery. When the new site was launched, the development team of Hans & Klaas-Jan was soon complemented with the addition of John, who at that time wrote for magazines such as Bassic Groove (The Netherlands) and Overload Media (UK). John submitted various interviews with well-known techno artists, like Jeff Mills and Richie Hawtin. It didn't take long for these interviews to become frequently consulted. Marie later also contributed several photo galleries and an article about the techno music scene in France.
When the level of bandwidth usage got even higher, the server was finally moved from Hans' home to a professional hosting service early 2002.
It's safe to say that, next to the official site, Technotourist.org in 2002 became the most consulted informative website as far as the festival (and maybe Detroit techno in general) is concerned. In the same year we were mentioned in the Associate Press release about the festival next to the official site and nearly all Detroit media refer to our site and sometimes even ask our opinion in articles.
Thousands of people consulted our after-party guide and hordes of them were spotted carrying copies of the document. This year, it will be the fourth time we provide this extensive listing.
In 2003 TechnoTourist.org went from strength to strength. The amount of interviews with respected artists grew steadily as did the picture galleries. There was increased activity on the website towards the Movement festival with a massive peak in May. The afterparties-listing was even more comprehensive as the years before, and also more reliable thanks to the help of people in Detroit's techno scene like Derek Plaslaiko and Andrew Virden. Last year the site's forum became increasingly important to help Technotourists from around the world finding a place to sleep and trying to find their way around in the city.
In 2004 Technotourist.org plans to bring you more news, interviews, picture galleries and an even broader support for the global electronic underground. We will also work on the exposure of the site so more people can find their way to the information we offer. Technotourist.org would like reinforce and expand friendships and the contacts and collaboration with various people in the electronic music scene. We are looking forward to getting in touch with more music enthusiasts from all different corners of the world and with people who are active within the scene.
