Techno (or Tekno) is a form of electronic dance music (EDM) that emerged in Detroit, Michigan, USA during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988. Many styles of techno now exist, but Detroit techno is seen as the foundation upon which a number of subgenres have been built.

The initial take on techno arose from the melding of Eurocentric synthesizer-based music with various African American styles such as Chicago house, funk, electro, and electric jazz. Added to this was the influence of futuristic and fictional themes that were relevant to life in American late capitalist society: most particularly the book The Third Wave by Alvin Toffler. Pioneering producer Juan Atkins cites Toffler's phrase "techno rebels" as inspiring him to use the word techno to describe the musical style he helped to create. This unique blend of influences aligns techno with the aesthetic referred to as AfroDiasporic Futurism. To producers such as Derrick May, the transference of spirit from the body to the machine is often a central preoccupation; essentially an expression of technological spirituality. In this manner: "techno dance music defeats what Adorno saw as the alienating effect of mechanisation on the modern consciousness".

Music journalists and fans of techno are generally selective in their use of the term; so a clear distinction can be made between sometimes related but often qualitatively different styles, such as tech house and trance. "Techno" is also commonly confused with generalized descriptors, such as electronic music and dance music.

Of the four individuals responsible for establishing techno as a genre in its own right, it is Juan Atkins who is recognized as "The Originator". Atkins' role was likewise acknowledged in 1995 by the American music technology publication Keyboard Magazine, which honored Atkins as one of 12 Who Count in the history of keyboard music.

It was largely the success of Chicago house and acid house, in a number of notable UK clubs, that paved the way for the Detroit sound. Following the release in 1988 of an album compiled by Neil Rushton (an A&R scout for 10 Records) and Derrick May, titled Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit, the music press began to characterize techno as Detroit's relatively high-tech, mechanical brand of house music, as it retained the same basic structure as the soulful, minimalist post-disco styles of Chicago house and New York house that were forged at the start of the decade. The release was an important milestone and marked the first public use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music. In 1993, Rushton was quoted as saying he, Atkins, May, and Saunderson came up with the name together, but that the Belleville Three voted down calling the music some kind of regional brand of house; they instead favored a term they were already using, techno.

"Techno." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 18 Sep 2008, 17:13 UTC. 18 Sep 2008 <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Techno&oldid=239329320>.