How about techno? Ten years ago it was all over the place. Do they still make techno music? Never liked it.

I don't think it's dead in the clubs...but I'm not too sure about that. Personally, I have no use for it. I don't like it. I like my music to have melody...chords, interesting lyrics...you know, like a song!

Techno is, IMHO, bad music. It's mundane and repetative...but some people like it cause they can dance to it. If it's not dead yet I hope it will be soon.

Never really liked it myself.

If you're talking about the relentless, repetitive, and mostly-tuneless electronic dance music that emerged in the 90s, then I agree with the opinions above. However, there were a few artists thrown into the "techno" category (at least by record store employees) whom I think really transcended the genre. Among them:

DJ Shadow -- Using samples from other people's records, he made "Endtroducing," an album that is not only musical but downright beautiful at times.

Fatboy Slim -- He's had his ups and downs but his best work features a lot of old school samples, an obvious sense of humor, and a driving beat. Speaking of driving, "You've Come A Long Way Baby" is one of my all-time favorite play-in-the-car albums.

The Future Sound of London -- Probably the most "electronic" on the list but along with The Orb they made some of trippiest music of the genre. Definite headphone music.

Moby -- I would imagine "Play" was probably the best selling album ever by a "techno" artist, and well deserved. It's still a good listen.

And then there's Saint Etienne. As far as I'm concerned they don't even belong on the list, as they've done everything from dance music to 60s-style girl pop to indie rock and beyond. But I've seen their albums a time or two in the Techno section, so there you go.

God, I hope so...and it should take Electronica with it.

Moby's "Play" was a monster. I immediately loved it and still do.

The summer that song came out, it was basically our soundtrack at our beach house that year.
I brought it along with me and everyone in the house loved it.

I've got the Fatboy Slim and will get DJ Shadow, but probably not UNKLE. But Fatboy Slim is dance/big beat and DJ Shadow is, well, DJ music/sample music, not really techno, I think.

The best techno song that I can think of is Underworld, "Born Slippy", a crossover hit in '95 thanks to the movie "Trainspotting".

Electronica is NOT dead, nor is techno. What is dead is the labels hyping it like they did "Alternative".
Daft Punk are one of the coolest acts on the planet and are immensly popular. Moby is still well-liked and sells (not like he used to).
I personally don't care much for Techno, but Electronica-I do.
Check out the video for "Robot Rock" by Daft Punk-it's fun, it's cool, it uses guitars and it rocks even though you can damnce to it. They rule.

If you like DJ Shadow, you'll probably enjoy the first UNKLE album, Psyence Fiction... after that, UNKLE became more of a James Lavelle solo project.

And no, techno is certainly not dead, but as IP noted it's largely gone back from a brief moment of mainstream hype to the clubs.

You know what? I like Daft Punk and Fatboy Slim, so maybe not death but a mortal wound is what I wish.

Re op? : God knows I hope so!

Daft Punk's first album was the most successful, I haven't heard anything from them in years. Are they in the charts now? I don't think so.

I think Daft Punk may already have had a Greatest Hits out, sometimes a sign of the end of a contract.

You're kidding right? Daft Punk are huge all around the world (no pun intended) and they sell out every concert as they pick and choose when and where to appear to increase demand. They also just won a Grammy. They take their time with studio albums and one is on the way late this year or early next year, so here's the chart action just in the US through 2005 for singles (you won't see any newer entries as they haven't done a studio album since 2005):

2005 Robot Rock Hot Dance Music/Club Play #15

2005 Technologic Hot Dance Music/Club Play #10

2005 Technologic Hot Digital Songs #57

2005 Technologic Pop 100 #65

2004 Face To Face Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1

2002 Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger Hot Dance Music/Club Play #3

2001 Digital Love Hot Dance Music/Club Play #9

2001 One More Time The Billboard Hot 100 #61

2000 One More Time Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1

1998 Revolution 909 Hot Dance Music/Club Play #12

1997 Around The World Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1

1997 Around The World The Billboard Hot 100 #61

1997 Da Funk Hot Dance Music/Club Play #1

And here's the US albums action in the charts:

2007 Alive 2007 The Billboard 200 #169

2007 Alive 2007 Top Electronic Albums #1

2007 Musique Vol. I: 1993-2005 Top Electronic Albums #6

2006 Musique Vol. 1: 1993-2005 Top Electronic Albums #12

2005 Human After All The Billboard 200 #98

2005 Human After All Top Electronic Albums #1

2004 Daft Club Top Electronic Albums #8

2002 Discovery Top Electronic Albums #3

2001 Discovery The Billboard 200 #44

1997 Homework The Billboard 200 #150

And don't forget the increase in mainstream visibility they gained via Kanye West's "Stronger"...

the charts

Daft Punk are not straight techno music as far as my limited understanding of this music goes.I heard that first album in the late 90s ? and conceded at th time there was some melody as in the form of disco or underlying funkiness-similar to Basement Jaxx.Although I've never heard anything by them since.
I took techno to mean that relentlessly fast,screaming beats that was "hardcore".
I think it still has a following in certain sections of clubland.

You don't know me, you're too old / Let go, it's over, nobody listens to techno

Daft Punk aren't Techno-I don't think anyone said they are. They're Electronica/Dance/Pop. Funny-somehow Lady Gaga is also considered this, though I'd say she's Dance/Pop/Hot Skank!