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Licence: Public Domain
Source: Wikipedia
First, let me wish you a Merry Christmas!
There are two reasons why I want to share this short story with you. Well, actually they are more than two, but two would suffice for you, wouldn’t they?
The main reason why I’m sharing this story with you today is because I’d like to get your opinion on the matter. The other, less obvious, but still valid reason is because I wrote this post while I was still deeply upset about the whole event and it stayed in my drafts folder almost a month before I finally decided to post it here.
On a recent party while I was introducing myself as an avid electronic music fan who’s collecting records and mixing electronic music, etc., etc., to one of the guests on my table, one of the other revellers, somewhat spontaneously interjected my explanations by whispering to the people around us something in the mood of: ‘He’s just one of those… pirate guys who see themselves as DJ’s!’. At that moment I felt like a complete idiot and decided to ditch the whole conversation altogether, by taking my drink and turning my attention to the other stuff going on in the other corner of the room. Despite pretending that everything is ok, these words deeply upset me on a personal level and after I got home, I couldn’t stop thinking about that guy and his words didn’t stop haunting me for many days afterwards. Not because they are factually untrue. Of course not. I admit that I’m not a professional DJ, in fact I have never claimed otherwise as I am currently perceiving, and have always perceived myself as a passionate electronic music fan. I realise that he had not intended to upset me personally and this was probably meant to be a casual joke, but somewhere deep in my soul, his words continued ringing like the chimes of Big Ben. Somewhere deep in me, I felt the enormous hatred and the profoundly negative connotation the words carried with them at that moment.
This made me think, is really the DJ profession and the electronic dance music scene viewed and respected as a lifestyle choice by the mainstream or it is being viewed more as a degenerative drug-fuelled, full of topless sweaty drunks and hippie-inspired subculture?
What do you think? How do you perceive the electronic dance music movement and do you recognise it as a culture at all?
I’m really eager to hear your opinions in the comments below.