Although its importance in the history of dance music, and of techno in particular, cannot be understated, this incestuous compilation is not exactly brimming with the most innovative sounds and engaging compositions. With the exception of the #1 club hit Big Fun, the tunes are not very well constructed or at all memorable, perhaps a reason why it only attained modest sales when it was new. Listeners may be further surprised to hear how housey and dated the tracks are. This situation largely owes to the fact that the fledgling Detroit aesthetic, at the time, was nearly overwhelmed by the influence of the house music of nearby Chicago, and by 1988, repetitive, incongruous samples were all the rage. In fact, the word Dance in the album title was originally going to be House until the last-minute inclusion of the song Techno Music, a Speak-n-Spell sample-laden electro-house demo which is cute, but hardly a gem in the Juan Atkins repertoire. Further detracting from the listening experience, at least with headphones, is the fact that 7 of the 12 tracks, including Big Fun, are recorded in mono, their only stereo content seeming to be just artifacts of analogue transfers. Nevertheless, the tracks on this compilation fit right in with the rest of the 1987 and 1988 releases by the same crew, and it clearly inspired UK producers like Bizarre Inc, Nexus 21, and A Guy Called Gerald.

It is pretty much accepted that Techno, the Electronic Dance music genre born in Detroit, USA during the eighties, has on its essence a combination of Sci-Fi (Science Fiction) elements and African-American Music heritage spread mainly through the sounds of Motown and the like, from Jazz to Soul, Funk & Disco.
Transformed into a whole artistic movement, it was meant to be avant-garde music made by the young students Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Eddie Flashin' Fowlkes, Blake Baxter, Anthony Shakir, among other pioneers. All the mentionned artists are part of this amazing compilation 'Techno - The New Dance Sound Of Detroit'. Released in 1988 under the supervision of Neil Rushton, it would change the course of Techno forever.

Techno is a Movement guided by cultural essences, but also by these kids’ desires, dreams and imaginations about the Future. Among the first evidences of this futuristic influence can be found on the 'Techno Rebels' expression, part of one of the main books of the Sci-Fi writer Alvin Toffler - "Future Shock" - about the impact of the new Technologies. That book had a very significant influence on Juan Atkins (known as the Godfather of Techno) early works, suggesting the use of the term 'Techno' as the title of a new upcoming musical genre.
If this Afro-American legacy left by the references of Jazz, Soul & Funk excerced a definitive impact on the new born Techno music, Science Fiction offered essential elements as well, and this is the main reason why Techno is different from any other form of Electronic Dance Music. This Sci-Fi inspiration did not imply on the existing technology necessarily, but on the whole idea of Future imagination. It was about dreaming, about trying to foresee an entire new reality, which resulted on the first electronic music genre that systematically made use of Sci-Fi expressions, and usual Astronomy terms. Some good examples can be found on Cybotrons's early music on Deep Space Records such as "Cosmic Cars" (and the proper name of the project itself, taken from the same book "Future Shock" by A. Tofler), at the same time suggesting a love heritage for Science Fiction like was on the P-Funk era of Parliament-Funkadelic and the whole Electro movement connected to the Break Dance (which also used several Sci-Fi music titles).

In fact, Techno used that Sci-Fi Soulful combination as a model, but went toward new directions comparing to the other genres mentionned before, from new synth timbres to new standards, patterns and ways of music conception - all present on this amazing selection. Through the music, visual arts and other forms of human engagements, Techno would stand as a testament of a Movement created not only through Music but as a more holistic artistic perspective.

Arguably considered the first major compilation of the genre, "Techno - The New Dance Sound Of Detroit" (1988) was compiled by the music expert Neil Rushton (whose career included a place inside Virgin Records staff and later as the head of Network Records). Neil was briliant in compiling a testament of the upcoming futuristic sounds of Techno that would influence not only Europe but the entire planet since then: Juan Atkins, Derrick May, Kevin Saunderson, Blake Baxter, Eddie Fowlkes, Anthony Shakir would all take part of this selection with tunes of quality and an accurate sense for the future of the dance music.

The release of this compilation is considered on of the major chapters of the history of Techno and an event with almost no parallels on the genre. It is said that the last choosen tune was "Big Fun" (1987) by Inner City, a project made by Kevin Saunderson with the vocalist Paris Grey (which got the collaboration of two other major names of Techno - James Pennington and Art Forrest). "Big Fun" became one of the milestones of Techno and invaded all the radio & DJ charts since 1988, acquiring the status of a major Techno hit all time. "Techno - The New Dance Sound Of Detroit" also brought Derrick May's supreme masterpiece "It Is What It Is" for the first time on a compilation; it was released the same year as the single itself.

Alain Patrick, Aug 31, 2007

A must for any serious techno collector, and incidentally, the first time ever that the term 'techno' was used on a commercial album release.

It's roar, original techno, Oldskool pure and simple. If you haven't heard it then you haven't really experienced techno.

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Legend has it that when Ten Records in the UK wanted to release their famous compilation of Detroit underground dance music in 1988, the Belleville Three were asked to come up with a name to differentiate the Detroit sound from the one happening simultaneously in Chicago. Atkins insisted that his music be called “techno” and needless to say, it stuck, giving the movement its name and making Atkins the default “Godfather of Techno.”

This was one of the first Detroit techno records ever exported from the US. A representative of the record company came to visit Derrick (May) in Detroit and compiled a "who´s who" album of Detroit techno masters. The last track to be put on this album was Inner City´s Big Fun which became an enormous hit.
More inside scoop on this issue and the techno scene´s birth in general can be found in the excellent book "Techno rebels" by Dan Sicko. If you´re into early techno, it is a must-read! I´ve just finished it and it was brilliant!

This is seminal compilation. Legend has it that the artists were asked how to distinguish their music from the sounds coming from Chicago and Juan Atkins said call it Techno, giving birth to the term. Supposedly Derrick May was against it.