ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC AND YOUTH CULTURE:
EXPLORING CHANGE AND CONSEQUENCE
IN THE 21st CENTURY
Club Fluid Dance floor, Philly
The subculture surrounding electronic dance music
took shape in the late 1980s and early 1990s at
underground rave parties. Numerous social changes
have, however, occurred since then to transform this
subculture into a mainstream, youth-oriented global
activity.
Burningman Music FestivalNevada, 2003
Electronica, in general, is exploding on the national and,
especially, the international scene. It is a legitimate
popular culture phenomenon of the 21st century.
DJ CP at
Techno Parade
in Belgium,
Summer 2003
Major production houses and national retail stores are
making room for dance CDs. Economically speaking,
electronica comprises a growing portion of the multi-billion
dollar pop music industry in the U.S. alone.
The DJ Booth at
Tribecca Nightclub, Philly.
Electronica brings
life to places that
lay dormant and
offers optimism to
the cynical. In
addition to the
stimulation,
electronic dance
music fosters
connection and
shared identity.
Jazzy Jeff at the Five Spot
It’s a universal language, something
that reduces the space between
people, while broadening their minds.
DJ CP at Techno Parade in
Belgium, Summer 2003
As electronica has expanded, it has attracted new groups of people
and created new genres of music, identities and behaviors. Who
and what are they? What explains the subculture’s wide appeal?
Fans at Club Fluid, Philly
2003
What are the new subcultural divisions and around what
principals are they organized?
Vesago Party at
Shampoo- Philly,
2003
How does
electronica
benefit the
lives of
those
involved?
Vesago Party at ShampooPhilly, 2003
When do
consequences
arise? How
are they
managed?
What can the electronica lifestyle teach us about
social change, young adulthood and collective/group
identity?
John Digweed and DJ CP @
Club Fuse in France, 2003
The growth of
electronic dance
culture has,
however, created a
“moral panic.”
Since the early
rave days, use of
mood-altering
substances (like
ecstasy, GHB, and
Ketamine) have
been part of the
dance music scene.
History shows the
connection
between music,
youth culture and
drug use is
persistent.
Vesago Party
at ShampooPhilly, 2003
MORAL
PANIC!!!!!!!
The perceived danger of this connection is what drives today’s moral
panic. Pointing to official data, legislators have acted swiftly and
harshly (implementing new and tougher laws, broadening law
enforcement powers, and stiffer penalties for violators), thereby,
situating electronica within the War on Drugs.
M
O
R
A
L
Electro Icon at Burningman
Festival, Nevada- 2003
P
A
N
I
C
Legislation32
MDMA, GHB, Rohypnol, and ketamine have all been
scheduled under the Controlled Substance Act (CSA),
Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention
and Control Act of 1970. The Schedules of the club
drugs are as follows:
MDMA—Schedule I as of 1998
GHB—Schedule I as of 2000
Rohypnol—Schedule IV as of 1984
Ketamine—Schedule III as of 1999
Club Drugs Legislation
• Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act 2003
– Scheduled club drugs with the controlled substances
act- by DEA, increased penalties for sale and use.
– Makes it a felony to provide a space for the purpose of
illegal drug use, intended to cover the promoters of
raves and other dance events. Adjusts wording of socalled crack house law to cover temporary locations.
– Other laws pending (CLEAN-UP Act)
Unfortunately, official
data are troubling. The
2002 National Survey on
Drug Use and Health
(NSDUH 2002) revealed
more than half a million
people (676,000)
reported using ecstasy in
the past month. This is
about four and a half
times the number of
current heroin users.
The largest group of
users are between 18
and 25 years of age.
Candy Kid @ Vesago Party, Philly
2003
New civil rights issues have arisen from the Rave Act, which is
currently being debated and contested by many political
groups, including the ACLU and the Drug Policy Alliance.
DJ Darvon at Burningman Festival, 2003
Are party promoters and DJs unfairly taking the heat for
this panic? Most research, including my own, has found that
DJs are the creative force behind electronica. They are the
leaders of this international phenomena. Please welcome two
icons in today’s electronic dance music scene. Philadelphia’s
own:
6
1
1
Nigel Richards
Best of
Techno/Electro!!
R
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d
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DJ Circuit
Breaker
Best of Hard
Nigel’s latest CD- On sale now --EVERY WHERE!!!
DJ Circuit Breaker’s Next Show-
Halloween at Emerald City, Philly
www.611Records.com