TECHNO TIPS

As someone who has been selling dance music imports from England and Europe for nearly 10 years, first with a retail store and now via mail order, I applaud Groove Radio (103.1 FM) for giving dance music the exposure it deserves, but I must take issue with the statement that “nearly every other song played is a British dance single” (“London’s Calling Again,” by D. James Romero, March 30).

The vast majority of what Groove Radio plays is tired house music put out by U.S. labels that are far out of touch with the vibrant British dance music scene, while cutting-edge music from across the Atlantic is relegated to a couple of hours of “Groove Radio International” on Sundays. This reflects a disproportionate amount of influence on the station’s programming by many of the same U.S. companies that are admittedly taking a cautious approach to techno and dance music (“Can Techno Save Rock ‘n’ Roll?,” by Robert Hilburn and Steve Hochman, March 30).

Until Groove Radio and other radio stations break away from that rather narrow focus and really make a full-time commitment to expose American audiences to the full spectrum of dance music that is exciting their counterparts in England and Europe, Groove Radio program director Egil Aalvik’s prediction that “L.A. will become like London in the future” isn’t going to come true any time soon.

CHUCK ZAREMBA

Hyde Park Corner Records

Oceanside

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There are two kinds of music out there: the kind that rocks and the kind that drones, and that applies to all genres of music, not just techno. Which is why I want to thank David Bowie for exposing me, at age 50, to the awe, thrill and “danger” of music--again.

If his “Earthling” is the wave of the future, let the invasion begin. And I don’t care what you call it.

ESTEBAN CACICEDO

Santa Monica

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I was fascinated by the report on techno and learned many new things about the genre.

However, D. James Romero erroneously lists Kraftwerk’s “Autobahn” as the first all-electronic pop single in 1974. That title actually belongs to Moog synthesizer pioneer Dick Hyman and his groundbreaking single “The Minotaur,” which was a hit on Top 40 radio in 1969.

It still turned a few heads when I played it during my deejay session at San Pedro’s Sacred Grounds coffeehouse a few weeks ago too.

DAVID DUGLE

El Segundo