Super-Frog Saves Tokyo
Member
I think there are two separate points getting mixed up here.
Completely agree dance music has always had an anti-establishment element. Questioning authority, challenging norms and creating spaces outside the mainstream are absolutely part of its history.
Where I disagree is the assumption that this naturally connects to any particular modern political position. Being sceptical of authority doesn't automatically lead to climate scepticism, opposition to feminism or hostility towards LGBTQ+ people. Anti-establishment movements throughout history have existed across the political spectrum.
I also think several very different subjects are being grouped together under one broad “establishment narrative”. Scientific questions, political movements and social issues each require their own detailed discussion and evidence rather than being treated as a single package.
My original point was tongue in cheek and clumsy in its simplistic viewpoint: but fundamentally, I find it interesting that a culture with such strong roots in experimentation, diversity and providing space for outsiders now has some online spaces where culture-war arguments appear disproportionately prominent.
As a producer who tours and spends a lot of time around clubs and DJs, my experience is that these arguments are far more visible online than in the actual scene. The artists, promoters and crowds I encounter are generally focused on music, creativity and community rather than political identity battles. Online forums can amplify the loudest voices and are rarely representative of the ACTUAL wider culture.
The question isn't whether dance music is anti-establishment. That's clearly evidenced over the course of its history. The question is whether a particular set of modern political positions naturally follows from that history. I don’t think that link has been demonstrated; it is an interpretation, not established facts.
I hope?