A Rant on UK Club Culture
& Our Dance Music Scene
Drugs, glitter, and some ‘wavey garms’… you’re all set for a
night out at one of those ‘events’ we see clogging up our
Facebook news feeds. Oh, and don’t forget to snapchat the
whole night. What a load of shite.
Disclaimer: This is not a personal dig at anyone who’s
taken illicit substances and owns a smartphone.
Before I try and explain where (in my opinion) we are going
Angus O'Ferrall, 4th Year Medical
Student
wrong in the UK, it might help to talk about how other cities
across Europe have got it right. Let’s imagine a weekend in
Berlin, where the craze is techno. Crate diggers, Berliners,
tourists, and anyone else who fancies a bit of the action,
flock to one of the many clubs on offer across the city. Some
of them will rock up on a Friday or Saturday evening, and
some on a Sunday morning. But lots of them won’t leave
until Sunday night or the early hours of a Monday morning.
But why would anyone queue up in the line for a club at
11am on a Sunday? The simple answer is because you can
see your favourite musicians play music in an interesting
and friendly environment (sounds like a nice way to spend a
weekend…). What’s more, clubgoers visiting Europe’s top
venues, such as Berlin’s Berghain or Tresor, can turn up on
the door without having to buy tickets months in advance,
paying fraction of the price that we pay for a typical night out
in a bare British warehouse.
I decided to write this after the huge disappointment I
experienced following a recent night out seeing one of my
favourite DJs spin some records. While trying to listen to the
DJ work his magic, I kept getting bashed around by
boisterous crowd members who were so high that they
probably had no clue what they were listening to.
Appreciation for performers from this type of crowd comes
only when a hard beat is dropped, or a recognisable tune is
played. Accordingly, performers are encouraged to abandon
their unique skills to please the audience. A DJs job is to
provide the soundtrack to the people’s evening, so in many
ways I can’t complain. But surely our nights could be more
enjoyable, friendly and engaging if we started providing a
proper environment to listen to music.
Some London clubs, such as Village Underground in
Shoreditch, do make an effort in this regard. No phones
policies, proper attention given to sound systems, and care
given to the experience of clubgoers (interior, lighting etc.)
all make a huge difference to the enjoyment of performers
and dancers alike.
he UK dance music industry is geared up to be a money-making
business rather than one that cares about its supporters and the
quality of its products – as is the case for many entertainment
businesses in the West. The consequence is that the passion of
performers has been drained. This doesn’t stop acts coming to
the UK though, as musicians all need to make a living, and our
over-priced dance music events can provide them with that. But I
for one am getting tired of being grinded through the system, and
will be saving myself for evenings put on by smaller promoters in
more intimate venues, where there is a genuine care for the
experience of customers.