Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger: Has Dance Music Got Harder And Faster?

However, economic conditions not only reflect those of the early 1990s, but other aspects of late 20th century culture seem to have infiltrated the dance music landscape.

mixer, real name Reenie Mukherjee, a talented DJ who sells too many tickets to perhaps be called a "hopeful", has also seen a change. "People like PinkPantheress and Nia Archives, these bigger acts are playing and producing more upbeat, jungle-influenced hardcore music," he says. “I like to call it nostalgic musical pornography, there's a lot of 90s stuff in it: you see it in clothes, you see it in clubs where cell phone cameras are banned, and it involves taking yourself less seriously, being more. exempt. . bold in dance and music.

Much has been done to revive the culture and fashion of the '90s, with the younger generation returning to baggy jeans, crop tops, and even shooting it with 20-year-old cameras for that "vintage feel." Generation. Z. And of course music is also part of this movement.

But while he's known for his frenetic, jungle-filled energetic sets, Mixress believes that reputation doesn't fully reflect his sound and taste. "My music is quite heavy and fast and people probably know me better for that," he says. “But do I think it will continue like this in the future? I do not know".

"TikTok has something to do with it," he said. “Even if I'm a DJ, I play different music when I'm at Cauldron because I know the kids will see it, compared to when I play Fabric for example, I know the audience will like the music more. it was a little older that I thought, "Okay, I can do more serious music."

“It [the music played in the Boiler Room ] is not serious; harder, faster, but also more fake," he continues. "Never mind Gen Z, but some of that is down to Gen Z. I could play a full Contraband set at a student party in Manchester and everyone would go crazy, and they did."

Knowing the context they are playing and the audience they are trying to attract has long been one of the key skills of a good DJ. But with the added dimension of dance music being consumed in small groups via TikTok videos and Instagram clips (hour-long sets compressed into short clips of just 30 seconds that last long after the event), it has become a skill. create the viral moment it deserves.

"Modern communication is now so fast that you take what is in front of you to say what you want to say," says Man Power. “There's a rapid re-examination of all types of media at the moment and I think dance music has been taken over and there's no point in being slower or more restrained, it has to be clear in your language. - face, then go to the next one.

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At the lower end of the UK bass continuum, speed garage, the more energetic sibling of UK split-level garage, which spanned four floors, not only rose to the forefront of the UK scene but was often erased. DJs are mostly related to house and techno.

"Speedgarage is big, but not for UK DJs," says Reese LaTeef, a veteran UK garage DJ and collector. "Naked Eris Drew, Super Call, Ben UFO and more. A lot of young people are doing it now.

"I've even seen techno DJs play," he continues. “This is the effect of the interplanetary criminal.

Manchester's Interplanetary Criminal are 2022's monsters, rising from relative obscurity to top the UK charts with 'BOTA (Baddest Of Them All)' featuring Eliza Rose. Thanks to internet success, including the "TikTok Effect" and a strong performance from Mixmag Lab On Location, his sets, filled with some garage hooks, bass house and a dash of donk spice, became popular. . around the world. England, etc.

Speaking to her about her breakout year on BBC Radio 1's Dance Future Stars, Sarah Storey said: “We know that speed garage is making a strong comeback, but it looks like you're on the verge of a comeback at the moment. . "

"In 2019, just before the lockout, two-level garages ruled," he replied. “Now fast garage seems to be at the forefront of every garage genre and it's changing, oh my. I like the period from 2005 to 2023, the formula is the same, but it works."

So the music is the pinnacle of 90s soulfulness and coolness. On social networks and in clubs, bootlegs appear unashamedly for the dance floor: make people "Oi!" music that makes you scream and at the end of the day isn't it? "The music came back quickly," says the mixer. "But it's about making people dance."