Losing interest in dance music

#1

So the stereotype is that as you get old, you lose interest in new music - but obviously if we’re all here that’s not the case. However, as I find myself leaving my clubbing years behind, I have noticed it’s getting harder and harder for me to get excited about DJ mixed dance tracks. Part of this is down to the dominance of continental House and Techno in my hometown - it’s hard to feel part of a scene when bass music events are intermittent and often involved Americanized versions of the sound, and that’s when I do make it out. But beyond that, the thrill of looking for new tracks has become more of a grind, specially compared to the ease of throwing on a new rap release.

Anyone going through this, tips?

#2

I feel you on this sentiment. For me it felt like 2015/2016 were years where I made lots of music discoveries, but 2017 had me listening to artists I’ve only heard of before and hadn’t listened to yet. This year I sorta got back into dubstep for the first couple months lol. However, at the end of the day, bangers and timeless music will always be made at any time, it’s just that social media has oversaturated everything, from soundcloud feeds to twitter timelines. Some tips:

a couple of tracks I love that I found out about this year were simply by accidental discoveries, whether it would be searching through soundcloud likes from a favorite artist, or listening to a track on soundcloud that was posted months ago that I haven’t caught up to yet because I wasn’t interested at the time. For example, with getting back into dubstep at the beginning of the year, I also searched through Synkro’s discography, a producer I’ve always rated since 2014 but haven’t really got into looking into his discography. I ended up finding so much great music I’ve never heard from him, and his collab LP as Kiyoko is one of my most favorite albums of the year. Basically, it’s getting lost down an internet hole trying to find gems.

2nd tip: Not listening to music for a while? Maybe like a couple of days or a week. I doubt anyone would ever do that, including myself. However the 1st one requires a lot of patience and time.

#3

It’s funny…as much as I find myself constantly ringing the alarm bell over the stunning mediocrity of dance music that’s being featured in places like RA, I’ve gone from not buying any new twelves two years ago to seemingly seeing at least one every week that has been a fantastic addition to my collection. I keep a pretty steady catalog of my discoveries here and here but what really cracked me up about @sonraw’s initial post was that I’m experiencing the inverse on the rap side of things…really haven’t heard much that’s grabbed my ear this year after a couple of years where I felt like there was one mixtape a week I could dig.

The best thing for me in terms of finding new dance music I like is a record shop here in NYC called 2Bridges that goes the extra mile to track down the weirdest and most exciting dance music…it’s where I learned about the buy-on-site Russian label Gost Zvuk, Kruton and the Power Vacuum label, not to mention it’s where I get all the UK twelves that have me truly excited about the state of dance music. In terms of finding stuff, I’m pretty big on using record store mailers on top of following certain lists on Discogs tracking the best twelves of the year. Also have a massive list of 500+ music sites over on my site as well that might help…but yeah, in general, it all requires a lot of patience and work but no more than finding good music has ever required imho. Also, did you scope that Synkro and Arovane release on Apollo @yung_dave? Wouldn’t have known it existed if I wasn’t in the regular habit of Discogs’ing labels like that whose release schedule I haven’t scoped in a minute.

#4

For me it’s a little bit different. I’ve always cared about music in general (regardless of what genre it was), but I have a feeling that my expectations are not met when I am listening to new music. Somehow I always find something that just annoys me in a certain song to an extent where I realize that this music doesn’t add anything to my life. It could also be that I am just jealous that a certain xyz can be this successful with such a shitty song :).

Other than that, I am looking for songs telling stories etc., but 99% of the songs out there nowadays are all about intro-drop-break-drop-outro. Which is quite generic if you ask me, sometimes I feel like I have a glassball and can tell what’s gonna happen in the next 10 seconds.

Tips: I started listening to jazz. heheh

#5

Father of two small kids here, so I never get to go out these days. Fair bit of bass music around me to enjoy if I could. Although I’ve never really felt much part of a scene anyway. I probably listen to a bit less dance music now, jungle I think in particular, now I don’t go out. Or maybe I just listen to more stuff that isn’t dance music now I’m not out on the razz all the time.

I mainly listen to the NiceUp! podcast and follow Off Me Nut! on bandcamp (for my bassline needs). Spotify sometimes throws me up good release radar stuff.

If you don’t mind digital, get a cheap digital mixer. Nothing gets me into new dance music now than the thought of mixing it badly and trying to get better. Hunting down a track that will fit nice with others. Even though it’s nearly always for my ears only, it’s great fun.

#6

I think you could just be waiting for the next big sea change to get you into it again.
I’ve felt like this before, nothing really grabbing my attention, getting a bit bored and jaded, without knowing that something really exciting is just round the corner.

#7

Sorry for the slightly patronising advice there :blush: I’ve had this on my mind for a bit though. When I’m going through a dry phase and nothing seems exciting there’s often something great just round the corner waiting to be heard.

#8

What I can also suggest is to try to go out to nights that you would not normally be interested in. For me the best cure is when I go to a Dancehall party. It’s totally different from what I usually listen to, but for some reason dancehall just has this vibe…that makes me wanna go home and look up the latest riddims.

I have the same with techno, especially where mixes with really long transitions. They take me away…

#9

what really cracked me up about @sonraw’s initial post was that I’m experiencing the inverse on the rap side of things…really haven’t heard much that’s grabbed my ear this year after a couple of years where I felt like there was one mixtape a week I could dig.

I think you’re in the majority on this - rap is really known to be youth centric and to alienate the elders so maybe I’m weird. Funny you should mention Synkro: he played here a few weeks ago to maybe 10 people (myself included) so I think stuff like that is what might make me a bit jaded to going out here…

Tips: I started listening to jazz. heheh

Always #Listentomorejazz

think you could just be waiting for the next big sea change to get you into it again.

This is fair, but it’s been a minute hasn’t it? (See that giant Hardcore continuum thread) - I guess part of the problem is that the smaller rumblings don’t make their way across the Atlantic so we’re stuck with a LOT of drum n bass, house, techno etc. I’m hoping for something to shock me as much as footwork did at the turn of the decade…

(And didn’t take your comment as patronizing at all!)

#10

I generally go through phases where I get into something I’ve not heard (or have previously dismissed) and then mine discogs for similar stuff. Got a lot of interesting UKG that way.

Boomkat used to be my go-to but it seemed to be going through a phase of it being quite dark, lots of house techno and experimental stuff but less interesting dancefloor stuff outside of those genres. That was maybe a year or two ago and I’ve not had much money since so haven’t been buying much.

Bandcamp is good but obviously there’s a lot of chaff to wade through.

I also used to get recommendations from Fact and stuff, but have pretty much stopped reading music journalism entirely.

Like @irritatingsteppa I find the possibility of mixing new tunes to be the main thing that keeps me coming back.

#11

Experiencing the same issue just now - finding most dance music a bit rote, empty, unfulfilling but this is probably due to me not enjoying going out as much. House and techno have always been fairly dull to me, although I do enjoy the earlier, more soulful stuff. Rap, soul, rnb are all going under big changes and a bit of a reinvigoration, and the songs are telling stories instead of just something to move your body to. As much as I appreciate moving and dancing and sweating, the music itself is weakened when removed from setting.

Looking at Travis Scott, Teyana Taylor, Kelela for bringing a more ‘cinematic’ approach to rnb and rap music just now.

#12

would also argue that footwork is very soul filled, soul inspired, I think maybe it’s the lack-of-soul in most corners of dance music now that is boring.

#13

Honestly, for me the latest flash of excitement has come from the post v*porwave scene. Lots of really interesting and experimental stuff being made by young producers that are sick of the vwave template. Basically ripping up the rulebook and just getting on with making music.
A lot of this stuff is high energy so it’s potentially club music however I can’t confirm that because I only leave the house to go to work.

I’m thinking of labels like Dream Catalogue, BLCR Laboratories, House Of The Leg. I don’t now what the general consensus is about this scene but I’m quite smitten by it.

(It’s not entirely accurate or fair to describe these dudes as post-vaporwave tbf, that’s just my take on it)

#14

Yeah I skimmed that release. Shoutouts to Discogs and Redeye for being my top two websites outside of music streaming sites to check label back catalogues and releases I’ve never heard about.

Funny thing was, I first saw the Kiyoko LP on Redeye in early 2016. I ignored it at first, but I would’ve never expected to have been a huge fan of it two years later. For me, sometimes digging up stuff I initially brush off can be very rewarding. For example, I heard about Sega Bodega in 2015, but didn’t really listen to him. Fast forward to 2017, he got signed to Crazylegs, put out an amazing EP, and I became a fan of him. Of course his production skills definitely improved as well.

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ewww. vaporw*ve. it’s always been a very dodgy music scene for me ever since I knew about it, mostly cause it’s almost entirely internet based, very kitsch and tasteless imo, and it’s kinda lame. But what u said about “ripping up the rulebook and just getting on with making music” has never been so true now. I was reading some press release on some standard fare “deconstructed club music” (lol), and it had mentioned how the boundaries between genres has been irreversibly broken. Of course, at the end of the day people will still make dubstep / grime / drum and bass / bait house and techno, but there’s no more innovation in those genres (except with genre crossing). Dubstep has mostly run its course with innovation, not to say there’s no more bangers being made, but it’s also the scene’s fault for following trends (ie. when Commodo made Space Ca$h everyone wanted to make trappy 140 bangers, and before that everyone was making dungeon), Not to mention how there’s bait lo fi crap.

I guess now that things have settled down in the post-post dubstep era, the most unique voices you can find in music are those as detached from scenes as possible, doing their own thing. But I still like some scenes of course, Bristolian producers make the best techno imo (Livity Sound have always released top bangers), grime’s sorta waned off but Boxed is still doing lots of great stuff inside and out of grime, etc.

#15

You just to realize dance music, or any music for that matter, is not about innovation. Don’t get stuck in neomania.

#16

I did quite like vw for about 5 minutes but the novelty wears off quite quickly for exactly the reasons you mentioned.

The post-vw stuff I’m on about really appeared as a reaction to and rejection of vw (referred to as hardvapour, although I struggle to even type that, I certainly couldn’t say it out loud, haha) it was pretty much the polar opposite to vw stylistically and was made by people who were sick to death of that paricular scene.

Also of the record labels I mentioned it’s only really Dream Catalogue that are directly associated with vw or hv although they do all operate in the same sort of orbit.
BLCR and House Of The Leg are just great imprints in their own right and it’s quite unfair of me to link them with a tag like “post-vaporwave” or whatever (it’s just this is where I file them in my mind because that was my route to discovering them). HOTL in particular are just a really wicked and eclectic label and contain no vw whatsoever.

Anyway… my point is, if there is a point, is that the staleness of one scene has forced people to react against it and do some really cool and crazy shit. It doesn’t always work but I think this is just as valuable as cross pollination of styles, if not more.

I’ll stick a couple of links up when I get home which might better illustrate the type of stuff I’m on about. I’m not that brilliant at explaining myself.

#17

True. Although I love it when you hear something that’s so alien to your ears at first listen and really makes you pay attention. I start to crave this after a couple of years of hearing same old same old.
Most of my all time favourite records are ones that have given me this sensation and are often the gateways to really satisfying periods of great musical discovery (often followed my more staleness and homogeny :grinning: and so on and so on)

It’s a pure cliché but I’m always hungry to hear something I’ve never heard before. Even if I don’t like it I’m happy to hear it and at least give it a chance. I love innovation even for innovations sake.

#18

To me the “innovation at all costs” thing is particularly a UK trait and mostly fostered from the critics on downward. Innovation doesn’t always mean, “good.”

#19

Yeah I completely understand how dance music isn’t about innovation. I guess, when I first got caught up in real dance music (stuff that was happening in the UK, like Rinse FM, hardcore continuum stuff) my mind was so blown on how entirely new, and also fastly evolving, things were. But I still love banging tunes regardless if they’re within the parameters of a scene or doing something entirely new, or even mixing music scenes and communities together (my favorite tbh). But at the end of the day, it’s all about personal taste for me.

#20

because there is no vibe left. once you get rid of the nutters, working class kids, nowhere refusiniks then it just becomes a self-conscious art project thing. which is why if you listen to a post-club nts or rinse show and they they fetishise eclecticism over everything else you’re no longer trapped in that forcefield, there’s no conduit for that energy to go through.

in 2011 i thought the harder industrial sounds coming back would be a kind of implicit musical critique of the capitalist realism ideology but that has never really materialised has it, and now it’s almost cringe to be into intense dance music because of euro and american goths with their masculinist aesthetics - weird when hardcore/hard techno/gabba was once music for far leftists and anarchists - well in the UK at least!