Dancefloor subcultures..

So, we've all been there.. Squashed in the dead-centre of a ridiculously packed and an almost "impossible to penetrate" dance-floor (against most fire-safety codes) somewhere in a nightclub, "half cut" thanks to the recently ended happy hour.. Bouncing and gyrating along with numerous people you don't know (and probably wont ever know), only to enter that magic state of bliss when the music envelopes your spirit.. And you dance like a crazy person, enthralled in the ecstasy of the music.. Unaware of the outside world, caught in your own pulsing bubble of delight! To me, that is undoubtedly the moment that encapsulates the whole meaning of music, and more importantly, it's purpose.. It transports you to somewhere else.. Somewhere better.. Somewhere that has no problems.. Everything else can wait whilst you're there.. It's wonderful.. Complete escapism.. Just as it was intended.. sigh..

So where does the attraction really lie? How does it manifest? What are the driving forces behind those of us who are lovin' the doof doof? We all find things that we love and adore in different aspects of our lives, and it is through these 'memberships' where we try to understand and make sense of the world around us. Our 'memberships' add to our sense of belonging. They lead us to people of common interest. And as a result, we become part of a subculture that draws us together. For those of us who love dance music, the dance-floor has become our common ground, our sacred ground. It's that very place where you find yourself caught in the moment of a thumping great track, the pulse of the bass makes the blood in your veins race through your body, you feel the kick drum in your throat as your vocal chords involuntarily collide with each thud, you're in your bliss and you catch the eye of the nameless person dancing beside you, and you both give each other the nod of recognition, that you understand the other has found their happy place.. Their own bubble of escapism.. All thanks to the doof doof..

Academics have long studied the behaviours of youth, to attempt to understand their motivations and desires, and many studies of subcultural groups have come about as a result of attention in the mass media. But first, I should briefly explain what a subcultural group is. To avoid getting this terribly wrong, I shall quote my lecture notes on the definition:

A music subculture is an identifiable group of musicians, audiences, and participants that is structured according to shared identities, practices and values.

Within each subculture are elements of involvement by its members, that through their actions, further enables the common thread. Again, taken from my lecture notes to avoid emabarassment:

This can be found through the participants social and symbolic practices, such as performing and producing music (singing, composing, creating), consuming music (buying, clubbing, listening, swapping, sharing, discussing, dancing, collecting), using particular spaces, styles of dress, speech and deportment, behaviour (hanging out down the street, dancing, skating, graffiti) & media production (DIY - Do It Yourself).

Now, if one was to follow the initial leaders on subcultural theory, you would look towards the academics from the Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies (CCCS) for instruction, which began in the 70s. They were the ones to develop the term subculture and its application. Interestingly, as with their initial look at the punk scene of the 70s, the studies performed by the CCCS tended to narrow-in on their links with delinquent behaviour, gangs, drugs, & socio-economic status. In today's postmodern society, there is a better understanding of how youth cultures have developed, and some academics believe there are other ways of understanding the pattern and behaviours of today's youth.

In her book "Beyond Subculture: Pop, Youth and Identity in a Postcolonial World", Rupa Huq compares the theories of the CCCS against the current climate of youth culture within the dance music scene. She advises that it has long been the viewpoint of the CCCS that youth resisted social order to directly oppose the ‘dominant order’ in society through ritualistic behaviour, and were found to be from socio-economically underprivileged areas. Rupa Huq suggests this dated theory ignores the idea that in club culture, the premise is about “having a good time” and not “shaking the establishment to its very foundations” or “challenging the dominant order” (103). Huq advises, to properly theorize ‘multifaceted youth’ is to encourage multidimensional theories keeping with the changing nature of society.

The dance-floors of today are far removed from those studied by the CCCS in the 70s. Today's dance arenas encompass a wide selection across the youth population, and the lines of segregation in regards to sex, race, religion, sexual preference, & economic status, have become more fluid and flexible. The dance-floor for me, has always been a place of refuge. Somewhere to escape "all that ails you". And in the coming weeks, I will be exploring more of the subcultural theories and how they relate to the dance music scene, in preparation for my final research paper.