“I think that my concept can fit with every culture because it draws inspiration and direction from a time of humanity when, no matter where you went, people were in touch with the Earth and the spirits of nature, the sun and the Moon, and all of the elements… and so, we’re delving to the same place and trying to bring the same thing forth—but with the technology of the 21st century, and in a way to appeal to the youth of the 21st century… so, I think that it fits.”

— Goa Gil, sampled by Alien Mental in “An Awakening” from the album Mind Hack, 2007

“Nothing is original. Steal from anywhere that resonates with inspiration or fuels your imagination. Devour old films, new films, music, books, paintings, photographs, poems, dreams, random conversations, architecture, bridges, street signs, trees, clouds, bodies of water, light and shadows. Select only things to steal from that speak directly to your soul. If you do this, your work (and theft) will be authentic. Authenticity is invaluable; originality is nonexistent. And don’t bother concealing your thievery—celebrate it if you feel like it. In any case, always remember what Jean-Luc Godard said: ‘It’s not where you take things from—it’s where you take them to.’”
— Jim Jarmusch, Golden Rules, 2004

Like the quotation? Check out Mark Malazarte’s Creative Commons-licensed poster.

“I think the name [Goa trance] first cropped up in the early nineties in Germany. It was popular in Asia, too, in Goa where a lot of my friends were going and where I went. And also in Japan what they were playing in the clubs was trance. It was a whole bunch of different techno, industrial stuff. And I guess psychedelic trance really happened around 93 in London when a lot of people who were travelling in Goa came back, inspired by a particular vibe of music that was played there—and honed into that sound. It felt quite fresh at the time. And then the media got hold of it and christened it ‘Goa Trance.’ It became a very strong category of music, then, which has limited it ever since I think.”

— Nick Taylor, in an interview with Michael Gosney, 1998

“Rather than embracing the potential of the internet and taking the lead in developing convenient, affordable, easy-to-use methods of downloading music, the music industry has concentrated instead on protecting a business model whose core business revolves around the manufacture, sale, ownership, and possession of physical property.”

— Reebee Garofalo, I Want My MP3: Who Owns Internet Music?, 2003

“Techno is the perfect travelling music, being all about speed: its repetitive rhythms, minimal melodies, and textural modulations are perfect for the constantly shifting perspectives offered by high-speed travel. Alternatively, the fizzing electronic sounds all too accurately reproduce the snap of synapses forced to process a relentless, swelling flood of electronic information. If there is one central idea in techno, it is of the harmony between man and machine. As Juan Atkins puts it: ‘You gotta look at it like, techno is technological. It’s an attitude to making music that sounds futuristic: something that hasn’t been done before.’”

— Jon Savage, Machine Soul: A History of Techno, 1993