Techno is more than just hard bass: along with the music, which has spawned numerous subgenres, techno culture embraces fashion, graphic art, design and dance. The first techno tracks, such as Juan Atkins’s “No UFO’s”, inspired by science fiction and produced using a drum machine, reflect the technological developments and zeitgeist of the 1980s. That was the decade in which techno began spreading from the United States, eventually making its way to Europe and also to Switzerland. Techno events were held early on in Switzerland, making it a magnet for top international DJs. Thanks to the Street Parade in Zurich, one of the largest and most prominent techno events anywhere, techno culture has become part of Switzerland’s living traditions. At its core lies the communal dance experience. Venues include clubs, disused industrial buildings and even the great outdoors. These are safe spaces in which ravers are free to express themselves and make their mark on the dance floor in DIY outfits. But as well as celebrating peace, love and tolerance, techno has its challenges, including noise complaints, drug abuse and gentrification.

The exhibition at the National Museum Zurich shines a spotlight on a culture still embraced enthusiastically by millions of people around the world today. Video and audio installations in a setting designed to look like a record shop take visitors on a journey through the evolution of electronic sound and let them explore the social, political, economic and aesthetic dimensions of techno culture in Switzerland.