Is there anyone out there who’s actually capable of making a dance music documentary that tries to be fair to all sides? Ears To The House is beginning to think this fairly basic task is well above the ability of most – and now, even the normally sensible Germans have fallen victim to the trend.
One person who certainly doesn’t like it when his own version of events is questioned is Juan Atkins – a man who ridiculously claims to have invented an entire genre of music. When your favourite dance music website began asking about him last year, his response was to threaten us with a defamation case.
It’s unclear whether the German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle has heard from him yet. However, once he discovers that the 19-minute documentary mostly pushes the narrative of how Germany was techno central for many years – as opposed to Juan Atkins himself – he probably won’t be happy…
The British influence on techno wasn’t mentioned once. Germany’s very own Kraftwerk’s role in its development – openly acknowledged by the likes of even Juan Atkins – was barely mentioned. Nor was Chicago’s role in its development given any real attention.
Is it really too much to ask for a little objectivity when producing these documentaries? Or is there too much money to be made from being biased? We can’t help but wonder…
* In case anyone’s wondering, the English translation for “Wird er damit drohen, sie ebenfalls zu verklagen?” is “Is he going to threaten to sue them as well?”…
