Politics and dance music are intertwined and there's nothing you can do about it

Certain dance music fans refuse to accept any degree of engagement in politics from artists, figures or publications linked to the scene. And that's perplexing.

I don’t mean eye-rolling at the occasional political hot take from a DJ who appears on the timeline and sounds a bit self-serving. What I’m referring to is an absolute rejection of the mere notion of politics being at all involved with dance music. You see this feeling expressed in Facebook groups, @ replies, Instagram comments, and it’s becoming increasingly prevalent. Two prime examples occurred recently.

Dave Clarke announced he would no longer perform in the US, citing the “Misogynist Narcissist Racist President in office” as the main factor in his decision. This sparked responses such as “Keep techno out of politics” and the razor-sharp retort of “Sorry, thought this was the Dave Clarke page, must have stumbled onto Billy Bragg by accident! What’s all this Politics doing here?” These comments aren’t taking issue with the motives of Clarke’s choice, but solely the fact he is engaging in political discourse at all.

A similar response occurred when Zedd tweeted a Thomas Jefferson quote and followed this up with a post showing solidarity to the airport protests in America. It’s clear why a Russian-born, German living in the US on a visa would have concerns about policy targeting immigrants, which is something that he should be allowed to voice. In the very least, because that hallowed US constitution protects free speech in all its fine and nefarious forms. But not so according to some of Zedd’s followers. “Stick to music instead of spouting political shite,” followed one reaction, while a Russian-speaking fan provided the feedback “don't mess in politics … I understand you want to have your say, but it is not necessary." These comments came days before Iranian-born DJ Darius Syrossian was forced to cancel US tour dates because of Trump's travel ban.

Often this outlook seems to be predicated on not wanting a conflation of sources of entertainment and political commentary. Comments such as “stick to music” carry the intrinsic message that “I come to you for your art/for your DJing /for your specialised skill that entertains me, and nothing else.” Dance music and politics, however, are intrinsically interlinked.

I recognise that the political landscape, especially now, can be a draining, depressing proposition, and why people would have the desire to find sanctuary in the pursuits they enjoy. But trying to reduce scene players into opinionless robots that exist only to please through their work with no scope for public identities goes against the values the music was built on. It’s a culture that rose out of overtly political situations, with protest and the value of freedom in its DNA.

Vocal samples like “house is a feeling” may have become played out to the point of no return, but that doesn’t change the fact that this is the language of resistance, capturing the raw spirit of The Warehouse, the queer Chicago nightclub and refuge for oppressed minorities to safely express themselves that birthed the genre. No amount of by-numbers SoundCloud producers trying to recontextualise this to refer to summertime rooftop parties and overpriced cocktails will change that. Indeed, a gay club at Glastonbury – founded a decade ago to create a space for LGBTI at the festival – is currently the UK's best venue. And a gay club in Berlin is considered the best in the world.

Techno’s origins in Detroit and its early adoption by struggling black communities suffering through urban decay, such as the Underground Resistance who utilised the sound to convey their struggle and overcome oppression, also means the genre is steeped in political context. “Techno is a movement. It is a revolution,” declared core UR member Robert Hood during his 2014 RBMA lecture, faltering on the precipice of tears while reflecting on the music’s life-changing impact.

Talking about police violence in America and the politicised nature of his most recent album 'American Intelligence', fellow Detroit-based pioneer Theo Parrish told Mixmag: "That's something I've got to teach my son as he gets older. That's a conversation my parents didn't have to have with me. They didn't tell me, 'Be careful son, the police might think you have a gun when you reach for your wallet.'"

This isn’t to say that people must engage in political discourse. But there’s a wilful, privileged ignorance in actively trying to shut down forthright voices so you can enjoy all this music without having to concern yourself with wider issues. It corrupts the music’s ingrained values, and turns the people attempting this into oppressors themselves.

And even as house and techno have become increasingly whitewashed and Eurocentric, politics is still closely intertwined with the global dance music scene in a myriad of ways beyond social matters. For anyone who just enjoys the music for going out and dancing, in the least it’s still illogical to rail against politics because of the controlling impact authorities can have on clubland.

Sydney’s nightlife has been suffocated for three years now in the face of the New South Wales state’s draconian lockout laws. Until 2015, it was illegal to dance in all Japanese clubs post-midnight, which had been legislation for 67 years.

The UK has also had a drawn out battle with institutions of power clamping down on partying. There was the 1994 Criminal Justice Bill which banned gatherings on private land “for the express purpose of listening to music typified by the excessive repetition of a number of beats”, and fabric’s close shave with permanent closure last year on the back of a decision made by a licensing board of elected local government officials. The overturning of this verdict was also almost certainly influenced by the weight of protest that arose from the scene.

Further recent political interference includes the effect that Brexit and the plummeting pound is having on the UK, with Sirin Kale recently investigating how the cost of making, experiencing and curating music is soaring in this in-depth feature. Yet this account of real world, inescapable impact still drew comments like “Leave politics out of music...and just get on with making music!” on the Mixmag Facebook page, as if ignoring the facts will position you in a vacuum outside of capitalism in which studio gear is provided free of charge, and festival tickets and flights to Croatia are handed out to anyone who “just cares about the music”. Paula Temple cogently spoke about the hierarchies in place in the world and in music that cast this attitude as indefensible in our January Gold feature, noting the need to overcome structural violence.

No matter how disinterested you are in politics, if you want to be involved in dance music, an acceptance of this link must be made, because the connection will continue, and the work of activist artists, labels, collectives and publications in amplifying and combatting issues remains vital. Instead of trying to fight this, we should be fighting to support it. So next time a mercenary promoter announces an insipid tropical house day party with drinks deals, catch me in the comments shouting “Keep apathy out of dance music!”

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer. Follow him on Twitter