Dance Music 101

There are many reasons to love our dance music scene. We came up with 101 of them. Share some of the things you love about dance music by using #DanceMusic101.

Reason #1: PLUR

PLUR is an equation as much as it is an acronym. Added up, all of the elements—peace + love + unity + respect—not only amount to the ethical basis of dance musical culture, but to a feeling that intimately manifests in thousands of ways. You know it. It’s that sense of belonging you get when you walk into a good party. It’s the total stranger making you laugh in line for the bathroom. It’s the certainty that no one is judging your dance moves, because no one is judging your dance moves. It’s the person returning your lost wallet at the festival. Purists may say that PLUR has become a cliché, as the dance world has blasted out of the underground and into mass consciousness; in reality, this is simply a greater opportunity for all of us to spread the message via these small actions.

Reason #2: The Community

There are two types of dancefloors. The first is one on which everyone is shuffling awkwardly while intermittently checking their phones and expending roughly 30 percent of their total energy on actually dancing. (Not. That. Fun.) The second type are spaces on which everyone is moving so freely, so in step with the music, so unaware of who might be watching them and what whoever might be watching them might be thinking, that the experience equates to nothing less than total freedom and complete presence. (FUN.) While the dance music community is endlessly diverse, everyone is showing up in search of that happily uninhibited vibe that ultimately connects us all.

Reason #3: The Culture

Merriam-Webster defines culture as “the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits.” The dance scene defines culture as “costumes! dancing! gloving! singing! lights! technology! art! totems! fireworks!” While music is the driving mechanism of dance culture, it is these tangential elements that create the worlds in which the music exists—worlds in which we both live in and contribute to with our costumes, dancing, gloving, singing, and all that we regard as excellent.

Reason #4: IDGAF Attitude

Reason #5: Inclusiveness

In 2015, photos of an overweight man showed up on the online forum 4chan over a caption that read, “saw this specimen trying to dance the other week. he stopped when he saw us laughing.” In the first image, the dancing man looked happy, like most people do when they’re f*cking dancing. In the second photo, the smile was gone from his face. Within days, a group of women started a Twitter campaign to find this dancing man. They wanted to invite him to a dance party where he would not be mocked by a gaggle of shitty trolls, but celebrated. Using the Twitter handle @dancingmanfound, Denis O’Brien came forward and was promptly flown from England to Los Angeles, where he was the guest of honor at a soirée DJed by Moby. Pharell even showed up via live feed.

Since the dance world was founded in the late ‘70s—as a safe space for marginalized groups to assemble and celebrate without fear of judgment or cruelty—stories like O’Brien’s have unfolded countless times, with less fanfare but just as much heart. That’s worth smiling about.

Reason #6: Friendships Forged on the Dancefloor

Reason #7: Festival Meetups

Reason #8: Solo Missions

Reason #9: Walking Back to Your Car With Your Squad at the End of Day One, Knowing You Get to Do It All Over Again on Day Two.

End of day one: You’re exhausted—faded to your core. Morning of day two: Fuck yeah, I can’t wait to do this again.

Reason #10: Running Into Random Friends

Reason #11: Popping a Friend’s Rave Cherry

Reason #12: Rave Families

They say blood is thicker than water, but sometimes sweat is more crucial than blood. Thus, here’s a toast to the heroes who make sure the festival tickets are purchased, the carpool is coordinated and the hotel booked, there is water to drink and a meeting point at which to assemble after everyone disperses to different stages or just straight-up gets lost in the crowd. While you might not have grown up in the same house with these people, the members of your rave family have transcended regular friendship and ascended to a position in some ways more special than your actual relatives, because you chose them yourself.

Reason #13: Those End-of-the-Night Back Rubs

Reason #14: Collectives (DJs, Artists, Promoters, Creative Types)

Reason #15: The Political Side of Dance Culture and Its History as a Counterculture

Reason #16: Freedom of Expression

Reason #17: It’s a Creative Space Where Music and Technology Collide

Reason #18: Totems

Reason #19: Club Kids

Reason #20: Kandi

Reason #21: Shuffling / Footwork / Jackin’

Reason #22: Dance Circles

Reason #23: Art Cars

Art cars are not practical. They’re expensive to make; they can’t go very fast; they’re clunky; they’re illegal to drive on most roads. Built upon the core components of old vans, RVs and service vehicles, these labors of artistic/mechanical love exist only in the fantastical festival world, where they serve no real purpose beyond blasting music, carting around groups of party people, and making onlookers happy as they pass by. The cool thing about the festival world is that this is a completely valid reason for being.

Reason #24: Camping at Festivals

Reason #25: Lasers—Freaking Lasers

Reason #26: Smoke Machines

Reason #27: Flow Culture / Gloving

Reason #28: Glowsticks

Reason #29: Cassette Tapes

While vinyl is making its much publicized comeback, there is still nothing quite like the cassette tape. Once the DJ’s preferred method for sharing mixes, cassettes have become little plastic pieces of rave world nostalgia, now used as much for decorative purposes as they are for playing music. We’re happy they’re still around, in any form.

Reason #30: DJ Mixes

Reason #31: Sunrise DJ Sets

There are the light shows that happen on a high-tech festival mainstage, and there are the light shows that happen when dawn breaks over the eastern horizon and the sky overhead is painted a dozen sublime shades of orange, pink and purple. Both of these shows are dazzling, but only one encapsulates the magic and majesty of Mother Nature herself. Happily, the dance world has long embraced the sunrise set, adding the glory of music onto the most mystical hour of the day. Whether you’re getting up early or staying out late, the sunrise set remains the most exclusive set time in the scene.

Reason #32: B2B DJ Sets

Reason #33: DJs That Know How to Read a Dancefloor

Reason #34: When an Opening DJ Knows How to Build a Vibe

Reason #35: When the DJ Drops an Old-School Hip-Hop Track Into a Drum & Bass Set

Reason #36: DJ Residencies

Reason #37: Digging for Music and Finding a Rare 12-Inch in a Thrift Store Bargain Bin

Reason #38: Multi-Deck DJs Who Actually Use All of the Decks

Reason #39: Marathon DJ Sets

Reason #40: Collecting Flyers

Buying a T-shirt at the merch stand is an ace way to remember a show, but if you’re going out every weekend, those purchases add up quickly. A more economical way to commemorate your night out is by collecting party flyers—the ones promoters hand out as you leave the club and/or the ones taped to the walls of the clubs themselves (we’re not advocating stealing, but…). Over time, a stack of flyers turns into a full-on art collection that encompasses not only your own party history, but the look and feel of the scenes you inhabited.

Reason #41: Hula Hooping

Reason #42: Sample Culture

Reason #43: Anniversary Remix Packages and Re-Releases

Reason #44: Bootlegs / White Labels / Vinyl-Only Releases

Reason #45: Vinyl

Reason #46: Remixes That Are Better Than the Originals

Reason #47: VIP Edits

Reason #48: VJs, 3D Mapping, Mind-Blowing Structures Onstage

Reason #49: Gearheads and Analog Geeks

Reason #50: Trainwrecks

Because we’re human and humans make mistakes—plus it’s a great way to tell that the DJ up there playing music for you is actually doing something other than pushing play.

Reason #51: Festivals

We’re Insomniac—duh.

Reason #52: Underground Warehouse Parties

Reason #53: After-hours Parties

Reason #54: Raves

Reason #55: Nightclubs

Reason #56: Boat Parties

Reason #57: Silent Discos

Reason #58: Chill-Out Rooms

Reason #59: WMC / Miami Music Week

Reason #60: Ibiza

Reason #61: Map Points

Reason #62: Road Trips to a Party

It’s said that clichés are true for a reason, and that’s because the journey often really is the damn reward. Jumping in your whip with a bunch of friends and road-tripping to a festival is often the best and most memorable part of the party—from the music you blast through the car speakers, to the junk food you pull over to buy at the gas station, to the times you get lost before triumphantly arriving at your chosen destination. Whether you’re taking an Uber to the club or an RV to Burning Man, the open road both builds anticipation for the party and offers moments for quiet reflection on the ride home.

Reason #63: NOS

There’s a 60-square-mile patch of arid earth nestled at the foothills of Mount Arrowhead that is sacred ground to Southern California ravers. Within said patch, there’s a building where tens of thousands of SoCal kids have walked in as EDM rookies and walked out ravers. It’s called NOS, otherwise known as the National Orange Show, and it’s hallowed ground for dance music.

Reason #64: DJs That Use Their Voice to Speak Truth to Power

Reason #65: Live-Streaming Sets

Because sometimes you just can’t be there in person. Thanks, Boiler Room, Mixmag Lab, and all the other outlets providing a steady stream of great videos.

Reason #66: Branded Parties

Rumors, El Row, Circoloco, and all the dance music labels providing unforgettable nights on the dancefloor.

Reason #67: The Bounce of a 909

Reason #68: The Warmth of an 808

Reason #69: The Squeal of a 303

Reason #70: Minimal Production

Dance music knows how to go big, but you really don’t need anything more than a dark room, dope music, and a place to get down.

Reason #71: Reece Bassline

Detroit techno maven Kevin Saunderson produced a track called “Just Want Another Chance” under the Reese guise. Then drum & bass legend Ray Keith sampled said tune and turned it into a monster called “Terrorist.” It has since become a regular sound heard in drum & bass and dubstep.

Reason #72: The Build

Reason #73: The Bass

Reason #74: The Drop

A sonic innovation squired into existence during the rise of mainstream dubstep, the drop made it possible to ride music like a roller coaster. A communal climax in which we all physically participated at festivals and sweaty clubs, the drop introduced a level of heaviness not yet widely experienced in the US scene. While the trend seems to have cooled a bit in the last few years (artists including Skream have admitted that the music became too much about the drops), they are still incorporated into a wide variety of electronic genres and remain an irresistible thrill.

Reason #75: The Experimental Nature of It All

Not just for the dancefloor, it’s perfect for a workout or a chill-out—depending on what subgenre you listen to.

Reason #76: Free Access to Music

We love free downloads and that “pay what you want” is becoming the norm

Reason #77: Collaboration Culture

Reason #78: Subgenres

Fact: There are more born in the dance music world than in any other genre.

Reason #79: Lo-Fi Scene

Reason #80: Crossover Projects

The advent of EDM caused a collision of commercial and underground, and it’s turning out some pretty memorable sounds.

Reason #81: Boutique Labels

Cheers to all those straying away from suit-and-tie types.

Reason #82: Turntablists Being EDM DJs

We’re looking at you, A-Trak and Craze.

Reason #83: Side Projects

Artists taking on various guises to explore the shades of dance music is a wonderful thing.

Reason #84: 2-CD Mixes

Not so relevant in today’s world, these double-pack jewel cases were a treasured thing back when CDs were a thing.

Reason #85: It’s Global

Reason #86: DJ Headgear Gimmicks

Reason #87: Because We Can Dance Like No One Is Watching

Reason #88: Memes

Reason #89: Dance Music Makes You a Better Human

It also heals your mind, body and spirit.

Reason #90: Escapism

Reason #91: Raves in the Middle of the Desert

A desert is not a reasonable place to throw a party. These landscapes are too hot during the day and often frigid at night. They are dusty, inhospitable and alien. It is this inherent intensity, of course, that makes the desert an ideal, surreal place in which to rave. It beckons only to the most hard-core party people. From Dune to Burning Man to Moontribe to EDC itself, hundreds of thousands of dedicated adventurers have trekked into the desert to experience that special thrill found when arid mysticism merges with music.

Reason #92: Goosebumps on the Dancefloor

Reason #93: Provides Inspiration and Encourages Creativity

A festival rarely ends when the music is over, because so many of us leave events feeling inspired by what we have just experienced. Maybe the music inspired you to start producing your own beats; maybe getting down on the dancefloor resulted in your signing up for a dance class; perhaps a meaningful interaction with someone in the crowd caused you to go home and call that special person you’ve long been avoiding. Whatever the case, the fact is that dance music and the parties that surround them have inspired millions of people to make meaningful changes in their lives. While the scene often gets attacked by the media, those of us in it know its inherent good.

Reason #94: Hugging!

While a long embrace certainly feels good on the body and in the heart, the real benefit of hugging is all in your head. Whether you’re holding someone or being held, hugging has been scientifically proven to boost levels of the hormone oxytocin. This neurotransmitter is associated with increased feelings of relaxation, a greater willingness to trust others, and general psychological stability. Oxytocin also appears to help us reduce stress levels and general anxiety. So yeah, hugging is basically free medicine. Go get it.

Reason #95: Mentasm Riff (aka the Hoover Sound)

Reason #96: It’s a Way to Peace on Earth

Reason #97: Lineup Reveals

Reason #98: Live PAs / Bands

Reason #99: Disco Balls

The disco ball’s first appearance in the history books comes from 1897, when an early mirror ball was hung at an electrician’s union party in Massachusetts. It must’ve been bitchin’. In the 120 years since, the disco ball has become clubland’s most whimsical design flourish, appearing in venues around the world and now coming in shapes including great white sharks. There is no good reason for the disco ball’s sustained success beyond the fact that we humans are innately attracted to shiny things. That’s good enough. Long live the disco ball.

Reason #100: Dance Music Movies & Documentaries

Feeling lazy? Couch-ridden? Uninterested in changing out of your pajamas? Even those in full-on Netflix-and-chill mode can dig into the dance world via the collection of great movies and documentaries that have been made about the scene. From classics like Go, All Gone Pete Tong, and 24 Hour Party People to more modern takes like Eden, Under the Electric Sky, and the new Steve Aoki doc—which everyone is raving (GET IT?) about—these flicks capture the maturation of the dance scene, from its underground infancy to its current world-domination status. And you don’t even have to leave the house.