Techno · GenresWhat is techno?
Techno is a type of electronic dance music played on synthesizers and drum machines featuring often dark menacing robotic-sounding melodies with squelchy synth and deep bass lines set to a four on the floor beat. In 1980's Detroit, the Belleville three, first Juan Atkins (Cybotron, Model 500) and later his friends Derrick May (Rhythim is Rhythim) and Kevin Saunderson (Inner City, Reese) began experimenting with synthesizers to create electronic dance music.
Artists to start with
Albums to hear first
Orbital 2
Orbital
Aleph
A Hundred Days Off
Surfing on Sine Waves
Paulina
Frequencies
Music for the Jilted GenerationTechno songs
- Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld
- Breathe by The Prodigy
- JUMP by BLACKPINK
- Firestarter by The Prodigy
- Smack My Bitch Up by The Prodigy
- PINKY UP by KATSEYE
- All I Ever Wanted by Basshunter
- Better Off Alone by Alice Deejay
- CSIRAC by Ninajirachi
- Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk
Techno on Risocast
DiscoveryDaft Punk · 2001
Random Access Memories (10th Anniversary Edition)Daft Punk · 2023
Random Access MemoriesDaft Punk · 2013
HomeworkDaft Punk · 1997
Human After AllDaft Punk · 2005
SyroAphex Twin · 2014
Alive 2007Daft Punk · 2007
Daft ClubDaft Punk · 2003
Neighbouring genres
In the electronic family. All genres
breakcoredeep housebreakbeatdance-popdeconstructed clubdancehallacid houseatmospheric drum and bassdrum and bassdeep technopsytranceacid technoQuestions
- What is techno?
- Techno is a type of electronic dance music played on synthesizers and drum machines featuring often dark menacing robotic-sounding melodies with squelchy synth and deep bass lines set to a four on the floor beat. In 1980's Detroit, the Belleville three, first Juan Atkins (Cybotron, Model 500) and later his friends Derrick May (Rhythim is Rhythim) and Kevin Saunderson (Inner City, Reese) began experimenting with synthesizers to create electronic dance music.
- Who are the best-known techno artists?
- By Last.fm listening: Gesaffelstein, Underworld, The Prodigy, Daft Punk, Niki and Brutalismus 3000.
- What genres are similar to techno?
- On Risocast it sits with breakcore, deep house, breakbeat, dance-pop, deconstructed club and dancehall.
Risocast is free. Install it once and it logs everything you play.
Updated 6 October 2026
Risocast HelpA music log that fills itself in. It records the songs you play on your computer and your phone, turns them into your top songs, stats and a public profile, and finds people whose taste overlaps with yours.
Yes. The app and the website are free.
A song counts once half of it has played, or four minutes — whichever comes first. Songs of 30 seconds or less, and videos or podcasts over 20 minutes, never count.
On Windows, anything that shows up in Windows' media controls: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, browsers, foobar2000, Windows Media Player and more (VLC, iTunes and MusicBee through their free media-controls plugin). On Android, any music app — it reads the same now-playing info your lock screen shows. You can also connect Spotify or import from Last.fm.
Yes. Plays are counted on your device and sent when you're back online, and the phone app opens without a connection.
It does the same core job — scrobbling, automatically — without plugins per player, and adds taste matching: see who listens like you and how much your taste overlaps.
Your profile and listening are public so people with similar taste can find you, unless you make your profile private (then only your buddies see it); your email never is. Nothing is sold and there are no ads; anonymous usage analytics (Microsoft Clarity, Google Analytics) show what to improve. See the privacy policy for the details.
More in Help, the guides and the privacy policy.
Welcome to Risocast
RisocastYour music, logged. Your people, found.
A small player that sits in your tray, writes down every song you play, and shows you who listens like you.
243 songs logged today
Android is coming to Google Play. Get notified
How logging works
On Windows, Risocast reads the system media controls, so any player counts: Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, browsers, foobar2000. No plugins.
On Android the app reads what any music app is playing (it's coming to Google Play). Anywhere else, connect Spotify or a Last.fm username.
Taste twins
See how much your taste overlaps with anyone's, and find the people who listen most like you. The match comes from what you both actually play, not a list of favourites.
Open PeopleWeekly Disc and Taste Map
Every week becomes a disc of your top songs. Every record you play goes on a map, grouped by genre.
Real ones, from the maker's own listening.
Download Risocast
Risocast is free for Windows 10 and 11. Android is coming to Google Play; on any other device, use the web app with Spotify or Last.fm.
- Version 4.0.9 · Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit) · about 100 MB
- Updates itself: new versions download in the background and install on restart.
- Every installer is published with its SHA-256 checksum on the releases page.
FeaturesGuides
Track music on WindowsLog YouTube MusicApple Music statsFind people like youPlayers that workLog VLCLog foobar2000Log MusicBeeiTunes on WindowsLog DeezerLog TidalLog SoundCloudAmazon MusicWindows Media PlayerSpotify historyTop songs of all timeWhat genre is it?Describe your tasteExport your dataComing from Last.fmCompare