Electronic artists join campaign encouraging US dance music community to vote

Rave the Vote has partnered with voter registration organisation, HeadCount, to launch a campaign encouraging the US dance music community to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, set to be held on November 5.

Dance music icons including Carl Craig, Louie Vega and Seth Troxler will support the campaign by providing fans with a free bundle of music in exchange for them registering to vote.

The initiative works by offering participants a digital album including tracks and mixes (which will be available to download in late September), only if they check their voter registration status and opt in for text reminders about voting, via this dedicated link.

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Other leading artists supplying music to the initiative include TOKiMONSTA, Ardalan, Walker & Royce, DJ Minx, Rochelle Jordan, Baby Weight, DJ E-Clyps and Hercules & Love Affair.

HeadCount’s collaboration with Rave the Vote (a volunteer project led by INFAMOUS PR) forms the latest part of its ongoing Good to Vote campaign, which aims to drive voter registration through music-related incentives.

Since launching in 2004, the organisation, which harnesses the power of music and popular culture to promote engagement with democracy, has registered over 1.2 million voters.

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This latest development in the Good to Vote campaign reflects the growing popularity of dance music in America, and recognises the importance of its community to the wider electorate.

“Dance music in America is bigger than ever, it's crucial that our community gets out and votes, and ensures its voice is heard. There is a lot at stake in this election, and we need dance music fans to show up and vote for values that are synonymous with our culture; peace, love, unity and respect,” said Rave The Vote in a statement.

This is not the first time that DJ and producer Seth Troxler has publicly engaged with politics, as he played at a 12-hour party set up by Soho Radio in 2018, to protest Donald Trump's visit to the UK.

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The influence that music can have in politics was made clear earlier this year when 'Brat summer' leader Charli XCX appeared to endorse the Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in a tweet stating ‘‘Kamala IS brat”, sparking an internet trend that the Vice President’s own campaign team embraced.

Dance music, naturally, is also an inherently political movement.

Meena Sears is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram