It is a popular suggestion that America has become a regressive source of techno music over the years. It is regularly perceived that, together with the progressions heard in Europe and especially Germany, US techno producers have fallen from the principal position enjoyed in the first generation. However this opinion accounts mainly for the volume of material released, rather than musical quality.

The amount of producers releasing groundbreaking material may have diminished but of those that remain innovation is still a key component of their work. In small pockets the US scene is still shining brightly. Jon Tejada has consistently been peerless in his productions; Bryan Zentz still remains a genuine musical professor and Dirty Bird Records is shaping up to be one of the most exciting tech based labels around. And one of the biggest stars of the contemporary techno scene is Matthew Dear - who interestingly represents the unique combination of both US and European sounds.

Despite his place in the upper echelons of techno music, the legacy that surrounds Detroit is never far away from the core the artist. However, his respect of the scene and his healthy approach to the origins of techno appear to have allowed him to expand beyond the Motor City and it's musical web.