I suppose if I put it down here I’m less likely to forget it. I’m also less likely to do it, according to the rules of “Substitution”. I’ve got to start sometime though, so here we go. I’ve been thinking about writing on the topic of the ubiquity of underground dance music and how necessary it is outside of the club. This is something that I, as someone who doesn’t go to clubs any more, (not necessarily because I don’t want to), but who constantly listen to house and techno, has a big stake in. Is this music so specialised that it greatly depreciates in value when not in its natural setting? Does it have as much relevance when listened to on headphones pottering around the supermarket as in a sweaty warehouse?
It’s often the case that dance music DJs, or artists, will be heard to say that they don’t listen to their product when at home, or not at work. It’s also sometimes perceived that this is mentioned as something derogatory, and presents the music as limited in scope. Listening to music has never been more of an individual activity than since March 2020 and the first COVID lockdown. Clubs, bars and live music venues were amongst the first places to be under the cosh and, at the time of writing this, they still are. This doesn’t seem to have seen a slowdown in underground dance music production though, far from it. The period in question has, on the contrary, seen all relevant genres continuing to flourish and be sold. Bandcamp has played its part with “Bandcamp Fridays” which, on the first Friday of each month eliminates fees typically charged to musicians who sell music on the site. This has seen more punters than normal spending on this day and has, consequently, seen an increase in purchases.
Bandcamp has become a musical oasis. Due to its online presence it probably gets stereotyped as somewhere to buy digital only, but all formats are available on it. It is a particularly good place to pick up vinyl limited editions, as a lot of labels release these on Bandcamp only. Analogical Force is an example of this, making a quickly snapped up coloured vinyl pressing available at the steady pace of once a month. Another label which has profited in this way is Furthur Electronix. This label seems to sell out before its releases are announced due to having a loyal following of vigilant collectors. While most of the music coming out on these labels could be labelled as dance floor friendly, the nature of each release has insured that they are objects of desire in and of themselves.
I have noticed no slowing down in vinyl purchasing since the beginning of the pandemic. (Insert data) However, this could be an illusion. I wait to be corrected.
Nor less activity on social media from artists, promoters, radio or journalists. At the beginning there was some talk of DJs and artists having to change career, and some frank admissions of such things happening. However, records are still coming out, websites are still publishing content and social media is still thriving in spite of the absence of clubs from huge parts of the world. There has obviously been some reconfiguration of priorities, but life seems to be going on outside of the environment for which it was intended.
As already mentioned, I haven’t been clubbing properly for a good few years. However, I couldn’t live without electronic dance music, more specifically house and techno. I listen to it and think about it every day. I write about it a few times a week, (mostly reviews at the moment), for my blog. Something which started to accompany a radio show in 2004. It is incredibly adaptable though. So watch this space.
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