While revisitng some of my old favorites from the techno/big beat/electronica (I never really understood the technicalities seperating the genres) era this month, I made a sad discovery linking quite possibly my three favorite groups of the time (Underworld, Orbital and The Chemical Brothers). All three had:

a) Just released an album nearly unanimously considered to be the worst of their career (A Hundred Days Off, The Altogether, Come With Us)
b) Just released a greatest hits album in a mad bid to stay relevant
c) Put the years that the collection spans in the title of the album as if to say “we’re not dead yet! Please don’t give up on us!” (Anthology 1992-2002, Work 1989-2002, Singles 1993-2003)

Sad, really. My first period of real love for music coincided with the techno explosion of ‘96/’97, and as such, the only CDs I bought from the time period that I still love are Dig Your Own Hole, Fat of the Land, and the soundtrack to The Saint, among a couple others. As such, the genre will always have a special place in my heart, and it’s very sad to see these bands grow into irrelevancy.

Escape from the period isn’t impossible, however, as shown by Daft Punk–Homework was as much of a classic as any of these albums, but Discovery was arguably even better, and just as relevant. Could these groups so tied to a place and time buck odds and have life after the death of techno?

I guess this is partly inspired by Sam’s Britpop entry, but this is something I’ve been thinking about for a while now. Britpop was already more or less dead and useless to me by the time I really got into music (I loved “Song 2″ for about four years before I first heard Parklife) but the groups of this era have stayed with me all the way through my musical development. It’s hard to say goodbye.