Sequenced electronic music by Raymond Scott and Delia Derbyshire is cited as a technical precursor to techno's machine-rhythm approach

Efforts to find earlier antecedents for techno include the sequenced electronic music of Raymond Scott, whose compositions ‘The Rhythm Modulator,’ ‘The Bass-Line Generator,’ and ‘IBM Probe’ are considered early examples of techno-like music. The Independent suggested that ‘Scott’s importance lies mainly in his realization of the rhythmic possibilities of electronic music, which laid the foundation for all electro-pop from disco to techno.’ A mid-to-late-1960s tape by Delia Derbyshire (composer of the Doctor Who theme) was found to contain music sounding remarkably like contemporary EDM; Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll said it ‘could be coming out next week on Warp Records.‘

Examples

Raymond Scott built automated electronic instruments and sequencers for commercial jingles in the 1950s — step-sequencers by design, not improvised — showing the loop/sequence paradigm predates any genre.

Assessment

Why does tracing techno’s antecedents back to Scott or Derbyshire challenge the ‘techno was invented in Detroit in 1985’ narrative? What does the sequence-machine lineage tell us about what techno actually invented?