For the Love of Music

(Photo Credit: http://uploads.dancingastronaut.com/2011/10/Sensation-BCN-3.jpg)

With the boom of electronic music in America, since it had already taken over the world a while back, there are so many new fans of the music. I can't say I'm a veteran of the electronic music scene given I've only been in it for 3 years now. However I have grown to love this music more than anything and have witnessed the massive changes that have happened these short 3 years. It's been a blessing and a curse seeing the explosion of electronic music in America. I'm writing this purely based on what I've seen change over the years and because I don't want to see the music I love deteriorate.

I got into electronic music because I fell in love with it. Like anyone else I started out listening to more "mainstream" artists but as I got deeper into the music I discovered that there is so much more to explore and enjoy. This only made my love grow for this music and scene. My taste in electronic music evolved the deeper I explored. And that's my hope for anyone who starts listening to electronic music. I feel like today there are so many people who say they "love EDM" but really are only in it because it's now the cool thing. I remember showing people music by Deadmau5, Skrillex, Feed Me, and so on over 3 years ago and responding with "What the fuck is this shit?" And now those same people claim to be "EDM Fans." Don't get me wrong I love for people to discover and get into electronic music. But I want people to get into it because they love it not because it's the cool thing to do. It's frustrating to see how many bandwagon fans are in the electronic music scene. I'm not trying to be protective of this music because I love sharing it with others. However, I don't want people to have a closed mind and refuse to explore the music further. The biggest thing I hate hearing is "This song sucks. There's no drop." I want people to understand that electronic music is more than heavy bass and drops. It's about finding what you like personally and exploring those sounds deeper than what's at the surface. It's just frustrating to talk to someone who says they "love EDM" but can't even have a decent conversation about the music because all they know is David Guetta and Steve Aoki (not hating on them).

After going to Ultra this year, which was beyond amazing musically and visually, I've realized what the boom of electronic music means in terms of crowds. I cannot say enough how upsetting it was to see shirts with anything Molly related written on them. I'm not against people doing there own thing, but advocating or promoting drug use is by far the stupidest thing a person can do. This is exactly what gives our scene such a bad name. The frustrating part is that most of those people don't even appreciate the music and just want to get fucked up for fun, ruining it for the rest of us who truly love this music. When I say the boom of electronic music is a curse it's because it has attracted the wrong kind of people into the scene. I used to want electronic music to explode but if it means going to shows full of people with no idea what's going on I'd rather the music stay underground. I know every music scene has it's drug use and batch of bandwagon fans, but you can tell when people go to a show to experience the music or just to have an excuse to do drugs, drink, and have sex. Going to a show should be about the music and nothing else. I'm not against people using things to enhance their experience but the music should be the reason you go to a show or festival. It's starting to get frustrating going to a show with a crowd that has no love for the music. And going to a frat and sorority run university only adds to my frustration.

I guess what I'm trying to say is simply do it for the love of the music. If you're new into the scene don't feel like I'm hating on you. I love it when people discover this music and fall in love with it like I did. I want people to realize why I love this music so much. I don't expect people to love it as much as I do, but it would be nice if people appreciated it more as a work of art than as a reason to get crazy.  I love to see electronic music grow as long as the passion for the music is still there. I hope the trend of people getting into the music because "it's cool" and "everyone is doing it" changes soon. I hope there are people who feel my frustration. And to those who do it for the love and passion of the music I thank you. I'm sorry if I sound defensive or even cynical about this topic, but I truly don't want the scene to deteriorate or have a bad name because of foolish people. But whatever happens I will always stand by the side of Electronic Music. I do it for the love of Electronic Music.