Underground DJ club nights are more difficult to come by as venues are harder to acquire and there are also changing patterns amongst the youth. Less are into "clubbing" and many of those into electronic music are seeking festival experiences (which are TOTALLY different and one doesn't replace the other). Also, too many things vying for our attention (Netflix, social media, Tinder, etc.) don't help matters either

Found a LONG discussion on this on YC too:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42606318

I agree with this comment:

quote:

It's not really surprising, but the article seems to conflate raves with nightclubs, with numerous remarks about the cost of being out at a club all night and paying for things like expensive bottle service. Raves are not clubs, and historically have never done that well in club environments. People who are really into staying up all night dancing to techno music aren't buying expensive alcoholic drinks, they're buying cheap water to stay hydrated. Many (though by no means all) take drugs, but generally that means one dose of a drug like MDMA at the beginning of the evening. Psychedelic drugs like LSD are also associated with the rave scene but are less compatible with a nightclub environment (bars, security, overgrown disco lights). People are more likely to consume psychedelics at an outdoor party or a warehouse space. In my view what has killed raves was the declining availability of cheap accessible commercial spaces, police/administrative hostility to informal economic activity, and overcommercialization, which has tended to select for the shittiest music/DJs.

___________________

"In a world of illusion you only see what you feel"

"Bottle service" doesn't really exist in UK dance music culture. I can think of maybe two or three clubs I've been to in the UK that have had VIP rooms, and they were ultra-commercial places hanging on from the '90s like Ministry Of Sound or Godskitchen. It's never been a factor here.

It's funny that just before the pandemic, my perception was that dance music was in rude health. When RA wrote this article The Changing Economics Of Electronic Music: Part 1 in 2019, the very first sentence was: "The dance music industry is booming right now." How the tone has changed since. Pretty much everyone I know who runs a party or venue - whether it's daytime or night - seems to agree it's harder than ever to get people through the door. Venues are closing because they can't make money, clubbers aren't going out because they've got no money, promoters aren't putting on events because they can't get people through the door. So it's not just nightclubs. Everything is struggling: bars, daytime parties, festivals - everything.

But beyond that, it definitely does feel like old fashioned nightclubbing has been usurped by festivals and big main stage events like The Warehouse Project. And an increasing number of the clubnights go to have been daytime events. A quick mental tally suggests I went to 10 "proper" events in 2024 (IE: ones where I wasn't DJing myself), and 6 of them were daytime parties. And to be perfectly honest, it makes a lot of sense. You don't end up staying awake for 40 hours and utterly trashing your sleeping pattern. You can even (gasp) get through 7-8 hours of dancing without drugs, because it isn't 6 in the morning by the time the thing is over. Club culture may be struggling, but the daytime party is definitely a welcome stage in its evolution.

___________________
Mixes:
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24
> Surface Tension [Progressive Trance]
> Back To Deep [Deep Trippy House]
> Terra Nova [Modern Progressive Trance]

If you enjoy any of these sets and want to hear me live, I'll be playing a 2 hour progressive trance set at Basing House in Shoreditch, London on 11th October.
I'm also a resident at our bi-monthly party Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

I guess you could say clubs killed the rave by popularizing the music/culture. Then festivals killed the clubs.

I remember back in our Spundae days (Go Spundae!), the vibe was always awesome! As raver, I loathed the clubbing environment until my first Spundae party at 1015 Folsom nightclub in SF. It's the first time where I felt the rave culture met clubbing culture. No dress codes, booze, albeit, pricier than a rave, good music, etc. The club/promoter attracted a certain crowd that appreciated the music and the culture. Then ALL the club started doing hosting electronic music where booking DJs became competitive. Enter Insomniac Events who pretty much ruined everything monopolized all the talent and made it so much more difficult to book anyone.

Now that I think about it, the talent/DJ costs definitely played a role. When artists fees drastically increased, promoters were forced to increase prices.

Just random thoughts.

___________________
Jaded, old fart is me.

I think that daytime and evening events offer a more inclusive alternative for people who value their health, safety, and balance. Last year, I played all my DJ sets during the day or in the evening. These times, especially the evening, even bring a unique energy that complements my introspective approach to raving and music. Maybe it is time for clubs to rethink their approach? Perhaps the decline of late-night clubbing isn�t the death of rave culture but rather its transformation into something more adaptable and inclusive ...

That said, the allure of night is undeniable. Something about the cover of darkness creates a dreamlike, liminal space where people can express themselves more freely. The connection between the music, the energy of the crowd, and the transformation of ordinary spaces into surreal ones can be electric. The night has its own rhythm, and the moments when the sun starts to rise as the music still plays are iconic for a reason ...

Everything is too damn expensive compounded with older generations having families (retiring) compounded with music sucking 90% of the time. There ya go the end.

___________________

quote:

Originally posted by ChemEnhanced any party from 2003 and back I only remember bits and pieces...i've combined those memories into one awesome party

I haven't gone out for about a year now, so I'm probably not qualified to comment on parties and clubs, but I'm pretty convinced that the tradtional dance music genres of house, techno, tech house, dub techno, progressive house all are at a long-term low point now. This low point might not be visible until we have more hindsight on it in the future.

I'm probably the biggest vinyl crackhead you'd ever meet but my last purchase for a newly released 12" record was back in March of 2024 I believe. The prices suck, 90% of new records are coming from overseas and the shipping + inflated vinyl price does NOT match the quality of the music that is being pressed.

Simply put, its not a good deal anymore, and its not that fun.

I've shifted my interest back to the golden era which for me is 1999 to 2005 and I've been having a ton of fun buying those records from retired djs and collectors.

Everytime I browse Juno just to see what's out there, its just garbage releases resulting in frustration. There is nothing that is even tempting me to pull the trigger once the shipping price is figured in on the shopping cart page.

I sometimes think you love buying records more than you actually love listening to music, Mark.

___________________
Mixes:
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24
> Surface Tension [Progressive Trance]
> Back To Deep [Deep Trippy House]
> Terra Nova [Modern Progressive Trance]

If you enjoy any of these sets and want to hear me live, I'll be playing a 2 hour progressive trance set at Basing House in Shoreditch, London on 11th October.
I'm also a resident at our bi-monthly party Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

I blame social media. Down with TikTok and long live the message board.