Listening: Last Night A DJ Saved My Life 2xCd set (Nuphonic)
Mood: David Icke-ish.
Last November Alex Petridis proclaimed the death of dance music in an article in the Guardian. If you have ever loved dance music, or are curious about it, it makes for an interesting read.
When I first read it I couldn't help but agree with a lot of what he says, but as he focuses on the mid-90's to the present-day, I think his perspective is too narrow for a complete evaluation on the state of dance. I don't agree with all of his conclusions about why things are the way they are, nor do I believe dance is dead either - just suffering a massive headache from consuming too many bad E's.
Petridis entered the scene around the mid-nineties, the same time big corporate sponsors started to infiltrate dance parties, and cites that time as the "height" of its success. For me, that was actually the beginning of the end of what made house such a meaningful part of my life. Honestly, I think the height of its real success was much much earlier. But my idea of "success" is probably different to what most other clubland commenators would say it is.
It has nothing to do with how many people bought tickets to dance in a sporting stadium (while being able to recharge their phone), or how many weeks a label like Defected or Peppermint Jam had a 12" at Number One, or how many Chill Out complilations have been sold to hotel chains, or how much money a Dj can command to play records. All these things and more have contributed heavily to the state of things today. Then there is that much loved and much used effect dance producers like to employ on their records. The hi and low-pass filter. Don't even get me started.
DJ magazine wrote a scathing response to the Petridis article saying that he was turning on the very scene that gave him a career in journalism in the first place, and considering he got his first job at Mixmag, I suppose that's a fair, if not harsh evaluation. But have a read and make up your own mind.
Then prepare yourselves for a little bit of home-grown disco history from the desk of Liz Millar. I'm ready to let loose.
Coming soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment