Tracks like Rank 1 - Airwave may sound corny but I've heard stories of how it tore up Gatecrasher when it came out. Can most dance genres be justified without a proper sound system?

Last edited by Mattsanity on Dec-10-2020 at 15:23

I heard Apple is teaming up with Funktion One to make their next airpods.

It's a funny one. Some tunes - particularly modern ones - sound almost unrecognisably powerful on a good club system. But equally, so much clarity is lost. Producers slave away for hours putting in tiny details and layers into tunes and often when you hear them on a dancefloor nearly all of it is drowned out by the bass.

Of all the genres, I think techno is the one that makes the least sense outside a club. Most of the time it just sounds flat and dull. Play it in a club though and the same tunes sound like heavy artillery.

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Sometimes I sense bass-heavy music played out at local events are only in service of showing off the PK soundsystems. It certainly isn't because the 'music' is any good.


/audio bass lives!

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quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J Of all the genres, I think techno is the one that makes the least sense outside a club. Most of the time it just sounds flat and dull. Play it in a club though and the same tunes sound like heavy artillery.

Exactly. Rebuke - Rattle is one of those tracks.

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cheesey trance never sounded as good to me in a club for the same reason mentioned - the bass just swallowed up the rest of each track. i've always preferred dance music via headphones. but i'm old and deaf i guess.

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fans of every genre will say similar.

that being said, if my music isn't able to be played loudly i'll put on my headphones to get a better experience

quote:

Originally posted by pkcRAISTLIN cheesey trance never sounded as good to me in a club for the same reason mentioned - the bass just swallowed up the rest of each track. i've always preferred dance music via headphones. but i'm old and deaf i guess.

I think trance is actually very poor club music for this reason. It's a genre obsessed with layers, which completely vanish on most club systems. This also applies to classics too. I've heard tracks like Tilt's remix of Children on a Funktion One and been struck by how little of the tune I can actually make out.

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Mixes:
> Maximum Elevation [Progressive House]
> DI.FM 26th Anniversary Guest Mix [Progressive House]
> Live @ Dance:Love:Hub London, 11.10.2025
> Higher Peaks [Progressive House]
> Dance:Love:Hub Afterparty (The Return) 23.11.24

Like these sets? Come see me play live at Kibosh in Manchester: https://www.instagram.com/kibosh.mcr/

quote:

Originally posted by SYSTEM-J I think trance is actually very poor club music for this reason. It's a genre obsessed with layers, which completely vanish on most club systems. This also applies to classics too. I've heard tracks like Tilt's remix of Children on a Funktion One and been struck by how little of the tune I can actually make out.

Even Tilt with John Graham in his prime? Damn!

'Justified' ? You have such an odd use of the English language.

It often takes me a while to recognise classics when they're played in a club as the melody is so hidden and the bass is so large, like Jack said.

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I think its an excellent question. The short answer is obvious: Yes. I think that electronic dance music as we know and love would not exist without people listening at home / on headphones etc. I think that no genre could be sustained while only performed & heard live.

This is where it gets philosophical. I fully agree that some sounds make more sense on a huge system. However after hearing it properly, you remember the experience and the sound suddenly also makes sense when youre listening to it from your bathroom speaker. When looking at it from another angle, its totally similar with how your taste develops when you discover new genres.

Nobody goes from 0 to 100 instantly. You dont really start listening to Surgeon or Krust or Special Request from day 1. You are probably introduced to them via gateway artists/tunes/genres. Its the same old argument that the world needs Swedish House Mafia, otherwise there would be no influx of new listeners for the likes of Richie Hawtin or Ben Klock in a couple of years time. It really is a "trickle down economy" in this sense.

This is where it gets interesting for me. I think that to hear some new & surprising sounds on a proper soundsystem can be a transcendental exprerience. Your mind really can be blown away hearing the right sound at the right time. I also believe that the surprise factor is not to be underestimated here. Are we robbing ourselves of these divine moments by canning all the good stuff at home? In other words, can listening to electronic music at home dilute the experience when hearing the same music later at a proper rave?
For this reason I'm consciously trying to ration some excellent music so as not to listen to it too much.

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quote:

Originally posted by Lews 'Justified' ? You have such an odd use of the English language. It often takes me a while to recognise classics when they're played in a club as the melody is so hidden and the bass is so large, like Jack said.

*appreciated