Listen to our podcast here
I am angry. I am really, really angry. Because some people are messing up with dance music and I do not like it. Dance music is way bigger than them to mess with.
This is Johny Walker your host for the FreaKBeatS EDM podcast, a talking podcast about EDM with an attitude and opinion. This is the 151st episode and today I am here to explain why politics and dance music should not and cannot mix.
If you started listening expecting another EDM mix podcast, a mindless EDM news reader, or some pink cotton feel good social feed then best to go now and not waste your time. If you are easily offended or prefer living in your echo chamber now is the time to go and not waste any more of your precious time. But if you are interested in a discourse and debate on why it is inappropriate to mix dance music with politics then stay on and listen to what we have to say.
With the recent social unsettling in the US at the end of May the ugly head of politics reared its head again, and this time it decided to do so in the dance music community.
Or better to say it was the dance music community (or best to say the vast majority of) who decided to mix dance music with politics. And my question is why?
Who is this good for? Who is this benefitting? And is this actually necessary?
Of course the vast majority of fans will agree with the artists, DJ’s, festivals, record labels, digital record stores and everyone else who decided to do so in support of a certain movement due to the unfortunate events that took place in Minneapolis on 25th May. I am not a political commentator so I will not go over these events again. I am sure you can get your political feed and views wherever you think is most appropriate. What I am here to debate is the appropriateness of publicly declaring a preference for a political movement, a party, a political leader or in fact anything to do with politics when you represent dance music and you call yourself its gatekeeper.
Firstly, let me be clear. As a GenX’er I think being political, going out and voting, and participating in public affairs is not just healthy, but essential in order to have a voice and ensure your views are represented in the right channels on your local or national level. I myself am very political in my private life; yes I emphasize that, and have always been since a teenager. The older I become my views have changed and previously naively held opinions have now been abandoned for a more rounded and informed opinion. Occasionally I just have to laugh at what I previously believed or led to believe. And even if you decide not to vote because eff the state as long as you understand why you are doing so, and its consequence I am with you.
I and my co-hosts over the past 150 episodes have kept the podcast apolitical in purpose and by choice. We touched on our distaste of politics getting in the way of Peace Love Unity and Respect (P.L.U.R. in short) back in Episode 101 that we entitled “How Ultra Miami Festival 2019 killed PLUR for good” that aired April 02, 2019. During that episode myself and my co-host Psykyes (hope you are keeping well buddy) discussed political agendas during Ultra Miami Festival 2019 and how a mix of rock music and agendas can kill off the P.L.U.R. vibe for good. Since then I haven’t become aware of a major political sway within the community until these past couple of weeks. Of course here and there many artists proudly proclaimed F**k D. Trump on Twitter or Instagram as it is so fashionable to rile against the establishment once you are a young adult. Other than that nothing major happened
The unfortunate events that took place in Minnesota had a profound effect on social media and political standing. Everyone and their grandmother proclaimed that as gatekeepers (sic!) the show must be paused and bravely declared with a hash tag a Blackout Tuesday. And this is where I draw a line with…almost everyone that did so. Except some older individuals like the Chicago House pioneers who are well in their fifties now or the Detroit techno originals who have spoken of racial tensions when they were growing up in late 70’s in Detroit, who else really had a right to protest. The entire world you may claim because silence is violence. Is that so? Let me take you back on a journey.
When I started listening to house music in late 88 I listened to a gem of a track that has been sampled countless of times thus far. For me, that track powerfully captured the entire philosophy of the music at the time and the acid house movement at large. It was called “Can You Feel it” by Fingers Inc and featured the powerful words of Chuck Roberts. The front of the picture sleeve of the 12 inch vinyl had a picture of Dr Martin Luther King and “I HAVE A DREAM” printed on it.
This record was more than an anthem; the words etched themselves deeply into the minds, hearts and souls of everyone who was lucky enough to participate in that Cultural Revolution. The record had a clear political message. Listen to the words again: “And, in my house there is only house music. But, I am not so selfish because once you enter my house it then becomes OUR house and OUR house music!” And, you see, no one can own house because house music is a universal language, spoken and understood by all”. The music united every one that participated in the ritual that was going out and attending an acid house night or a rave later on. The scene was egalitarian. What was beautiful was that the person next to you could have been anyone, literally anyone and you would not care. You would just hug them and dance together in bliss. I know it sounds like 60’s hippy stereotype talk. I know drugs helped. But what was more important was the feeling of togetherness and coming together under a groove. It really happened people. There were very few cameras to record it but it stays with us who were there at the time.
That record brought people together. In the dance floor there was no racism. No one cared what colour the other person was. No one cared who they slept with, how old were they or how much money they had in their bank at the time. All it mattered was that moment of peace, unity and love. And having fun. Let’s not forget that.
So why do I say that politics don’t mix well with dance music? Because that record dispersed politics; it talked about our house and our house music. Not black music. Not yellow music. Not blue music. Not white music. Our HOUSE music. That was the politics of dance. The message was clear. F**k Politics. Just dance. The political message was that nothing mattered in the dance floor, and certainly not a political party, the colour of your skin or who you vote for.
And that is why we thought, we silly GenX’ers, that we would change society for good. We really thought so. And you know what? We actually did.
Few will understand how much society was divided in the UK prior to 1988. On our YouTube channel we have 3 BBC documentaries where the social circumstances surrounding the birth of acid house are shown. There is also another documentary called “Everybody in the place: an incomplete history of raving in Britain”. It’s an hour long. Do go and watch that if you want to gain a better understanding of the social substrate of the time. But before 1988 everything was divided in groups fighting each other. Social unrest was driven by economic disparities. It was tough times. I can’t proclaim I understood much of it because I was too young at the time. But you could feel the tensions in everyday life, in school, in your streets. But music, and in this case house music saved the day. It brought down the walls that separated people and everyone came together to dance looking and hoping for a change. Dancing together. Loving together. Feeling together, creating a better life together.
Were we political? Yes and no at the same time. We became political when the British government decided that raving was too much of a threat and wanted to take it away from us. We became political when in 1994 they tried to bring the Criminal Justice Bill that prohibited “groups of ten or more people” from having “the right to assemble on private land if the gathering is for the express purpose of listening to music typified by the excessive repetition of a number of beats. We became political not to take sides with any group, but to preserve our existence. Our freedom to party. Our freedom to dance.
You see the act of having fun without being controlled by the government, educated by mainstream media, without being directed on what to wear, listen to, or go to, was the political act back then. It was the freedom to be ourselves and our decision to protect that freedom that was the political act. We did it for us, for our House, for everyone who was in our house. So yes we were political but for a very good reason and not taking sides but only protecting dance music itself and our freedom to dance. That was 1994. In Toronto, Canada, a similar protest took place in August 2000 against state-led action to restrict residents’ rights to party called the ‘idance’ protest. I am faintly aware of other similar events over the time taking place in different parts of Europe.
26 years later. Where did we go wrong? Enter the Millennials or Generation Y. Enter YouTube; enter social media changing the social discourse in the beginning of 2010. Enter the US going crazy over politics, and the rest of the world following. Enter an entire generation becoming so fanatic that they would not date another person if they were of an opposing political view. Enter echo chambers. Enter triggers. Enter NPC’s. Enter checking your privileges. Enter being afraid to talk so you are not called an ist ism or phobic. Enter Boy George, yes that of Culture Club in the 80’s and a house DJ in the 90’s and naughties, yes the androgynous Boy George, the king or queen of camp and drag actually being called a homophobe. Enter madness. Enter cancel culture.
I could see it coming of course. Slowly but surely. Peeps at Ultra shouting F**K Trump at every opportunity. Artists on Twitter going off on a tangent, here and there, are commenting on current politics like they were Fox or CNN anchors. Never mind the music. Let us educate you. Let us gain some social points, likes, shares, and retweets. Artists who cared about social injustice. But of course they would never invite for a remix an old Chicago or Detroit black artist. Festivals that cared about issues and tissues. Who would also never give a gig to these old timers. The artists who actually suffered and their music expressed that struggle, the artists whose product of love and frustration that kick-started this whole music; they were not having a voice on social media. Being marginalised. I am proud that I have given from our tiny little outlet a voice and acknowledged these artists for what they have contributed so far. Not because of their skin colour. But for their music.
UK’s The Independent newspaper did an article on “Can dance music and politics really mix?” in 2005 showcasing the activism of Paul van Dyk, Ms Dynamite and DJ Freeland on different social issues. DJ Freeland’s “We want your Soul”, a nu skool breaks anthem from 2003 described the situation of the last decade perfectly and is a favourite anthem of this podcast. It talks about how corporations that are running our world right now (see Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon and their likes) will dictate everything on your life, especially what you will believe in.
Mixmag published an article on dance music and politics intertwined in February 2017. Dave Clarke announced in 2016 he would no longer perform in the US, citing the “Misogynist Narcissist Racist President in office” as the main factor in his decision. A similar response occurred when Zedd tweeted a Thomas Jefferson quote and followed this up with a post showing solidarity to the airport protests in America. Iranian-born DJ Darius Syrossian was forced to cancel US tour dates because of Trump’s travel ban. I can also remember the countless outcries against Brexit from well known UK DJ’s and artists; this is not the right place to go into details. You see the common theme in all the above? Political activism has nothing to do with preserving the dance music scene that is under threat but more to taking sides with X or Y political side, party line or movement.
And then it happened. That incident in Minneapolis and the ensuing protests. And the dance music community responded, en masse, in solidarity. Because, it was their duty, they are the gatekeepers after all. And they paused their show. And they shouted hash tag blackout Tuesday. And some of them donated money for a good cause; but crucially they did not forget to tweet the amount to make sure everyone knows their virtue. And most did not donate but encouraged others to donate. But everyone blackened their Instagram profile. Politics has entered the building ready to crap on our house. Because that is the nature of the beast.
So, what exactly is wrong with politics mixing with dance music culture? Let me break it down for you. It is wrong for the artists lose out. It is wrong because it results in community divisiveness. Everyone loses. No one wins.
Within a few hours the whining babies such as Alison Wonderland came to Twitter to cry about the thousands of followers she lost. No surprise there for me. Why, was she surprised? She should have listened to our podcast. We warned many times. We dropped subtle hints. Do not mix your personal political affiliation with your business.
Just because you live in a bubble it does not mean that everyone out there living in the same bubble. Let’s be logical here. In every election anywhere in the democratic world most election results have a 10–15% maximum difference when it comes to a hugely popular winning party or candidate. Most of the times the difference is something between 5–10%. Let us look at Barack Obama’s election results in the 2008 United States Presidential Election. He won by 52.9%. This was at his hugely popular first win in 2008. That was a mere 7.3% difference with the Republican candidate. He won again in 2012 by 51.06%. The difference was even smaller this time; a mere 5%. Look at the numbers. For someone who can see clearly it means that just over half the people voted for him on both occasions. What that also means is that just under half of the people voted against him. Why would you want to piss off 45–47% of your followers if you are an artist? Well, perhaps that percentage is lower because younger people would favour the anti government candidate but still…Even if it is 30–35%. Why would you want to alienate these fans? And what about your fans globally? After all dance music has spread its wings all across the globes and fans can get ticked off easily in any part of the world.
Let’s be clear around things. It is 2020 and there is another round of US elections this November. The whole world is watching. The blood is boiling hot and everyone is choosing sides. The election is bound to be tight. Current polls suggest a 15% favouring the Democratic Party. As history has shown the final difference will be much less than that. So, at this very stage when the US is divided practically in two halves the dance music community gatekeepers decide on entering the political arena and start taking sides. And then wondering why they are losing followers
Of course, as the echo chamber suggested losing those followers is good because they are all rawcists. But are they? Are they really saying that 45% of the US population is racist?
Because if they are I have some hard questions for them!
If they are they should have been doing something about it all along not waiting for a police incident to happen to wake up.
Or was it the drugs that they snoozed with and they did not realise what was happening in their country all along?
Or did they not bother about what was happening in their country all along?
Or were they just virtue signalling when the signal was given?
Or were they just afraid to be left out in case they were called a rawcist?
Or were they just happy to milk on those rawcist followers previously?
We need answers god damn it. What is it with you people? Which one of the above?
So let’s examine what was achieved here. Every artist, DJ or event lost hundreds or thousands of followers as they claim. Assuming this is true you have thousands of fans who have left you. It is very likely these ex-fans will stop buying your records, come to the events you DJ or play, attend the festivals. Sure you got rid of rawcist fans you did not want.
Did you stop and wonder for a moment what would happen to these ex-fans now? Raving was their outlet, right? Your music was their outlet, right? They would come to your events to dance, right? So what now? What will they do now they feel alienated? Could it be that being left out will radicalise them even more? Join the opposing echo chamber? Find that the conspiracy theories are justified? Never come back again and join other unhealthy activities? Have you ever thought of that when you proudly paused your show?
So what did you achieve when you “paused” the show? Were these rawcist fans previously attending a festival like EDC ready to commit racial crime or discrimination? Did you see a lot of violence in these festivals? Because I do not remember any being called out. So again we are either lying to each other looking the other way or there was actually no violence on those events. Did you see people not dancing with other people together, singing together, jumping together, and hugging each other in these festivals? Because, I sure did. In fact it sounds to me this was the perfect place to have those rawcist fans in. Somewhere where they actually forgot their racism if there ever was any to start with. Somewhere where they felt connected to everyone else. Somewhere they shook hands with people of any colour they did not know. Somewhere where everyone took care of each other. These festivals and this music look to me like the perfect place to convert a racist to a non-racist, to a person who can accept and be accepted. To unlearn unhealthy practices of the past if there were ever any to start with.
But not so, for all those who hash tagged blackout Tuesday. They seem to want to get rid of those rawcist fans. They don’t want them in their festivals, their clubs. They want them to go out, roll in their hate and vitriol, find other likeminded people so they can get together, get organised and plot. Well done gatekeepers of the dance music community. This is what you wanted to achieve all along? Marginalise and divide the community. Divide the fans and alienate them. Let them find other political groups that will fulfil their need to belong to a community that understands them and listens to them. Well, a cynic would say that racial tensions and divisions was always the plan. Race wars always favour those in control. Divided we fall. United we stand.
But the damage done is far wider than losing a few rawcist fans. The damage that will be done in the music scene will have a greater impact on the greater EDM economy at large. The EDM contributed to the global cultural economy precisely because of its strong subcultural basis. An entire area in impoverished India, namely Goa is dependent on dance music tourism and the full moon parties. This story has been repeated countless of times around the globe. For every DJ, you the fan, jump at his or her bass drop there is a massive array of people working to get them on stage. The industry is composed of the recording, distribution, selling and consumption smaller parts. The festivals and gigs are part of the night time economy that so many people’s livelihoods depend on. And mostly people lacking a steady job, depending on these gigs to put food on their table; to be able to fulfil their dreams. The next super star DJ may be among them. Just because of the gigs he lost he will never be able to produce that tune in the coming few years. He will quit and find another underpaid job. With every leaving fan that economy shrinks a little more. We, the people who are the real gatekeepers and have been around since the dawn of acid house have seen that circle happening three times already. And with every circle of growth and shrinking some people out there get into the poverty zone. Families are disrupted. Divorce is constantly on the rise. Children are not educated. Alcoholism, substance abuse. Why in the love of anything that is good would you want to do that? Is it not black families that are particularly struck in the US by poverty? Why would you hit with your actions these very same people that you proclaimed you wanted to save?
By all means, go out and protest for the cause you believe in, donate all you want, I am not against that. But do it on your own space, anonymously. You still count if you turn up in a protest. You still count if you donate anonymously; your money will be put in good use. You still count if you stretch out your arm and help a black person in need. Invite them to your house to share stories, to break bread and share a plate of hot food with. You still count if you link up and promote a struggling artist and musician and you ask them to play alongside you if you are a famous DJ who blackened out your Instagram timeline. Go out there, find them and make them famous. Well deserved recognition is what they wish for the most. You do not need Instagram for that. Because the cynic in me says you are doing it for the virtue signalling points. You do not need to publicly shout it out from the rooftops. Because the cynic in me says that the people who have the most to hide shout the loudest.
Music being a politically-charged art form and means of expression is nothing new of course. Punk Rock was the last genre that was vocal about it. Dance music emerged out of the depths of riots, violence, the cries of “Disco sucks” at Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1979. Electronic Dance music and its subculture shone a light into that darkness. We found a place where we did not have to be politically educated by the establishment. All we wanted to do is dance. The House Crew said it loud and clear in 1989’s “All We Wanna Do Is Dance”. All we ever wanted to escape from the foul smelling reality, the constant media education on what is good or bad, what is proper or not, we wanted to be citizens of our own utopia for a few hours a week. Now, the so-called gatekeepers decided that we cannot have fun anymore; that the education ought to be continued even at the clubs, the festivals, at every possible opportunity. God forbid, if we the plebs found a small oasis to surrender ourselves to and have fun for a little while. No. The education and preaching must go on. Like maniacs who thrive on their ongoing need to keep talking or preachers who get paid by the local religious franchise they must keep educating us at every opportunity, non-stop no matter what the cost. Because it is the preaching that matters not the actual result.
Electronic dance music, clubbing and raving was always about pursuing hedonism and escaping reality. Perhaps, this is one of the reasons that it could not carry out a political discourse unlike punk rock and hip hop that it was lyrics based. Occasionally, the MC’s were able to communicate messages. Listen to MC Eksman with DJ Logan-D and MC Herbzie, on July 2011 saying ‘‘Hold tight all the DJs, all the MCs, all the producers, promoters, everybody involved in our scene in England abroad, everywhere, making it strong. Remember it’s not about competing, it’s about linking, making it bigger’’. I wish his words could reach the ears of the blackout Tuesday crowd. His words echo the message that everyone should be linked up, not divide the scene because of political events outside the community. It would have been different if what happened in Minneapolis happened within the confines of a club, or a rave. But it never did. That unfortunate event as we all know had nothing to do with our scene. There is no racism in our scene. Chuck Roberts said it “You may be black, you may be white; you may be Jew or Gentile. It doesn’t make difference in our House.”. There is no reason to raise a political flag within our scene for the same reason. House Crew said it loudly in 1989 “People. Don’t believe the lies. Don’t take in all the headlines. ‘Bout drugs, trouble, noise, fuss. That ain’t the way for the most of us. People. Don’t believe the lies. Don’t take in all the headlines. All we wanna do is dance”.
It is within your own right to believe and act any way you wish in your own house. Keep it there. But in our House there is only house music. We keep it clean. The only thing that matters is…House music. House music matters. And the music never stops. Music unites. Never divides. Period.
House Crew — All we want to do is dance (1989)
Lyrics
Yes, I’m here to say hello
So get with this, ’cause I’m mellow
Smooth as silk and just as expensive
And my knowledge of rap is extensive
Now is the time, here is the place
Cut the midrange, drop the bass
Because the party has started, don’t you know
Underground is where we wanna go
Moving, how’s the crowd
It’s not offensive just ’cause it’s loud
Don’t reject it, understand it
’Cause it’s something you can’t command
This music of all colours and classes
The force, of course, that unites the masses
Yo NT, you better hear this song
’Cause the dance goes on
People
Don’t believe the lies
Don’t take in all the headlines
‘Bout drugs, trouble, noise, fuss
That ain’t the way for the most of us
People
Don’t believe the lies
Don’t take in all the headlines
All we wanna do is dance
Dance [8x]
“Unacceptable,” say the media
While the tabloid presses get seedier
The chancellor, ha, he’s getting greedier
The lower classes never been needier
Don’t understand the amount for enjoyment?
Just take a look at the figures for employment
Lady, tell me about liberty
Gimme a chance to dance, I wanna party
(With you, with you) The warehouse concept
I’m not trying to say that it’s perfect
Whether you’re talking hope for this culture
You’ll be moved by the big blue vulture
Violence, drugs, noises reported
Don’t believe that, man, it’s distorted
Hold it, no, yo, you got it all wrong
We’re just dancing and the dance goes on
People
Don’t believe the lies
Don’t take in all the headlines
‘Bout drugs, trouble, noise, fuss
That ain’t the way for the most of us
People
Don’t believe the lies
Don’t take in all the headlines
All we wanna do is dance
[2x]
And the dance goes on
All we wanna do is dance
Dance [6x]
All we wanna do is dance
And the dance goes on
[3x]
All we wanna do is dance
Power to the people, yeah, let’s do this
Jump on the house train, let’s move this
Get wide got legalized
Let the public open their eyes
Pump up the pressure, keep the bass flowing
Going to the top spot, we’re sowing
The seeds of oneness to this station
Turn this whole damn house into a nation
Rock it, the Juice is on solo
I’m the Dan the man and I’m good to go
You can’t miss me, you can’t diss me
I can’t help it if girls wanna kiss me
Kick it, yes, one two, I’m on show
Heed the message, ’cause I said so
Legislate, take this to the one
Let the dance go on
People
Don’t believe the lies
Don’t take in all the headlines
‘Bout the drugs, the trouble, the noise, the fuss
That ain’t the way for the most of us
People
Don’t believe the lies
Don’t take in all the headlines
All we wanna do is dance
People
Don’t believe the lies
Don’t take in all the headlines
‘Bout drugs, trouble, noise, fuss
That ain’t the way for the most of us
People
Don’t believe the lies
Don’t take in all the headlines
All we wanna do is dance
(People)
Dance [22x]
Let the dance go on [4x]
Dance
Let the dance go on [5x]