We Are Family: Celebrating Our Community

Our community is growing and dance music is without a doubt on the rise. Once thought to be an underground community of late night party goers has now become a celebrated gathering of all walks of life. This obviously has partly to do with the coming of dance music to the mainstream, but let’s take a minute to look past the music, and more at the community.

Photo: The Collector (LA)

Some would say our scene has become too commercialized or too mainstream. Gone are the days of calling up a phone number to get the location of a secret warehouse the night of a rave. Raving once kept secret to friends and family, now socially acceptable on Facebook and Instagram. Seems like every day we find out a new friend has gotten bit by the dance music bug. Part of it would obviously have to do with the accessibility of the music itself with the introduction of Spotify, Soundcloud, and iTunes. But more importantly what has made the scene grow so rapidly, is the scene itself.

Who makes up the scene you may ask yourself? The beautiful answer to that question is simple…it’s everyone. People of all walks of life, color, gender, religion, and age. We are professors at university, investment bankers, baristas, or students. The community is a mix of people, from a sea of backgrounds with one common factor; none of that matters. When we get down to it, the community is an openly accepting family of people who celebrate it’s diversity and welcome ANYONE.

Photo: Joffrey Middleton-Hope

We all have our 9-5, but the moment we step foot on the dance floor we show our true colors. We lose the uniform that society has placed upon us and display our personalities outward. We’re Kandi Kids, Bass Heads, Trance Lovers and Dub Steppers. We’re able to cut free of the bonds we place upon ourselves and truly act as we feel. It’s truly an amazing experience to feel welcome and accepted, let alone the amount of hugging and high-5ing you introduce into your life. This community isn’t just limited to dance music, and by no means are we saying you can’t feel the same about the punk or reggae scenes. But there’s something a little special about the dance scene…and we’re allowed to be a little biased.

So is the growing community a bad thing? Is the commercializing of dance music and increasing number of events eventually hurting us? Honestly, we don’t think so. With growing popularity you will always see brands looking for ways to exploit trends and take advantage of it’s momentum. But even then, you’re only skimming the surface. Yes, we have plenty of “Cookie Cutter DJ’s” and “Button Pusher Bandits,” but just beyond them is an overwhelming community of men and women slaving away, producing beautifully complex works of musical art.

Photo: Tom Donoghue (Tom Donoghue Photography)

Now we’re not perfect, and there will always be a bad apple or two in the bunch – we know that. But those few in the bunch will be but a small drop of water on a growing fire of a community. It’s no wonder the scene is growing and we accept all new members with open arms. We obviously expect things to reach a peak at some point and eventually roll back, but regardless of popularity, the true fans will always be here.

So with that we say “welcome” to all newcomers and hug our seasoned veterans. Don’t forget what makes you unique and never stop being weird. Be sure to follow us on Instagram and Twitter as well and like us on Facebook. 2016 is shaping up to be another amazing year in the PNW, and we look forward to seeing you all on the dance floor.

[bpm_ad]