This is not a post about the Daft Punk song. Its about the meaning behind that song. We, as humans, have ears… I think we can all agree to this point. (Maybe not, but whatever). What those clever french robots pointed out to the world was the fact that the invention of the computer has given us the ability to replay EXACTLY what we just heard. And yes, sometimes we need to hear it over and over to enjoy it properly.

Enter Techno. These three songs are representative of my favorite types of techno. Less repetition, but none done without a computer. Enjoy.

Amon Tobin – Creatures[play] [buy]

Wild wild song. This song taught me what could be done with even poorly played samples. If you spend enough time hunched over a device, you can create a frantic masterpiece like this with almost any recordings you can come up with. So inspired was I by this particular piece that I filmed a sample editing technique. Steal at will my wily readers. Steal at will.

Squarepusher – Cooper’s World [play] [buy]

Sort of the same, totally different. This guy is crunchy and crazy and it shows in his music. This particular piece was introduced to me by a MiniCooper owner friend of mine. I like the way it takes a long time to get to its point. When it finally does, its an excellent payoff to the buildup, and it really feels like Cooper is hitting his stride. Dig dig dig.

By-Product – Robots Can Dance [play] [buy]

I love this song. It was a random find over at eviltv.net and its stuck with me through the years. “What is dancing but making love set to music,” as Frank says. And if that’s true, then I’ll let you guess whether the moaning girl is the robot or its lover. Naughty reader. I think I love this song most because it tells a strong story with great musical vocabulary.