Here are a couple of jams I picked up in NYC. I have been looking for this Ragtyme record for years and was so glad to find it. Unfortunately, my hectic travel schedule put a slight warp in it but it plays OK on my Beogram. I grabbed a bunch of nice early techno and house records in NYC; I don't think they don't know how good they have it over there.

Ragtyme was a project produced by Marshall Jefferson and represents soulful deep house at its best. There is plenty of smooth with lots of edge to keep it interesting. This 12" was mixed by Frankie Knuckles and features remixes by Lil Louis and Ron Hardy.

This 1988 tune by Innercity reworked by Derrick May is an early techno masterpiece. It was produced by Kevin Saunderson.

Ragtyme - I Can't Stay Away (Ron Hardy's Club Mix)
Innercity - Big Fun (Mayday Re-Edit)

Being the founder of a genre has to be an incredible feeling. Instead of copying Chicago House, or New York Garage jams, Derrick May, along with Kevin Saunderson, and Juan Atkins created a fresh electronic music sound in Detroit. The sounds of early techno are incredibly interesting even to this day. Techno is an exploration of sound and form. It meanders around and displays different patterns and variations of timbre instead of opting for the standard song structure found in house music. As we all know, the British (thanks Black Shag) turned techno into a 160bpm shit sandwich in the 90's. The Germans and a few Americans have rescued and modernized it in the recent decade.

This cut came out on Derrick May's Transmat Records in 1987. It was his first production and my favorite. It was edited by Juan Atkins.

Rythim Is Rythim - Nude Photo "Rythim Mix"