Dance Music - Brave New World Unspun
There is a great article about a personal experience from an elder clubgoer who is witness that a lot of us are witnessing. The brainwashing of a whole generation. Not through government practices but through meanless transcomatic beats and lots of drugs. Someone who stays on stage and registers the surrounding thousands of people can see that all the meaning of music to wake up people evoke emotions has died in pure electronic music venues. Its about de pumpin beat and after 2-3hours of pumping beat you see thousands of controlled robots not able to do anything else then dance til 8-12 in the morning. That every week they are so exhausted that during the week they manage not much else then go to work / school (if at all) and relax in front of a TV as couch potatoes. This must be a great sight for mainstream politicians - all those young energetic people completely shut up and only shouting out when a local club closes. They have not even enough energy to fight for their own events - events that arguably tried to form the whole electronic beat scene into something political - make a voice for a subculture (not that they have brainwashed themself into money making monkeys -> LoveParade). Promoters see only money. Not much risk is taken and if there is someone risking something and its successful then its getting ripped of by 100 other promoters making the original idea mood (beach bars in berlin anyone?) by only focusing on the money side and letting the message an original project might have had go away completely. I have no real point in this post other then to make some awareness to this problem as there are numerous discussions about this on the VJ message lists right now it seems to have stuck quite a few people working in the "biz" that once was a subculture that posed out to be different and worldchanging. Still the words "More Fun Less Work" or "Alternative Places For Creativity" are in my ears and now its mostly this high gloss Venue with DJ stars. It even worse elsewhere in the world. Berlin might still be the exception. I hope the eastern european countries are making their industry wastelands available to the arts for free - something that could have changed the whole scene over here forever (e-werk anyone?). Not all this regulations "how loud can I be" "How many toiletts do I need" "Can someone trip over the piece of metal and maybe fall down". Its this attitude that still hinders all new original creativity and ideas from becoming a greater message for a new world that gets away from the pop iconic DJ superstars Britney Spears and American Lead Culture in general. There are three ways the future can shape up I think. Once is becoming like big brother - total control under totalitarian regime - humans are aware and might even fight against this - the other is Brave New World - Humans will not notice everyone will live in a bright white house that looks the other 20 bright white houses in the same street with a nicely trimmed garden. Work will be minimal with help through robotics and everyone will take so many drugs that everything is sunshine happy til you die you do every day the same thing and here the same music.
The third option is that humans behave like humans. Beeing little crazy and INDIVIDUAL and NON CONTROLLABLE you have lots of freedom to do what you feel like organize in gatherings of similar interest perform for others try to find you own way into live. Its the last point that is in most danger and its the path I would prefer in front of all others.