#DJJesus
What is it about dance music events that produce such potent emotion, ritualised commitment and mass conversion from mainstream cultural forms such as pop music? Dance music is a broad umbrella, encompassing numerous sub genres which all equate to a similar experience. Despite personal preference, all dance music fans agree that there is no other sound which produces such collective joy, dedication and commitment. With the EDM era at its peak, it’s time to resurface a question that has been asked before by sociologists, cultural studies academics and the raver populace themselves.
Is dance music a spiritual experience? Does rave culture
offer a twenty-first century solution to the redundancy of traditional
religions? A quick ask via my Facebook status prompted a strong and impassioned
response.
Thomas Benjamin explained, “I've never had a religious
experience so I don’t have anything to compare to the way D&B makes me feel.
It does, however, make me feel good in a way that nothing else does. It's like
a burning, nascent pounding that starts in my chest and spreads to my extremities.
It makes me feel real, alive and connected. It is, in a word, sublime.” What is
interesting about this statement is that despite Thomas having no former
connections with religion, a commonplace theme in today’s secular society, the
use of the word ‘sublime’ communicates that the music stimulates immeasurable
feelings which have in the past, in literature, art and music, been ascribed to
God. The intense bodily experience described is also prevalent amongst ravers
and explored by Dr. Robin Sylvan in his book ‘Trance Formation: The Spiritual
and Religious Dimensions of Global Rave Culture.’
Sylvan makes an important distinction between the orthodox
faiths such as Christianity that emphasise a severance of body and mind, often
classing bodily impulses as sinful, and the more primordial belief systems that
encourage an awareness of body, and the theory that our bodies are a vehicle
through which we achieve a connection with the spiritual world. For example, in
the Tantric and Indian Yogic traditions, recognition of the chakras is
imperative to a sense of inner peace. Sylvan goes on to explain that the lower
bass frequencies of dance music give rise to an awareness of the lower Chakras,
which are more earthly and animalistic, producing feelings of fear and lust. Furthermore,
darker forms of dance music potentiate the more primal emotions, allowing
anger, latent sexual urges or any other subconscious conflicts to be resolved
through movement. The higher frequencies and melodies are linked to the higher
chakras, such as the heart which produces feelings of love, and the Sahasrara,
which is located in the head prompting out of body experiences. Feelings of
transcendence involve the separation of self from reality, or ‘transcending the
ego’ as Sylvan aptly terms it. Dance music is experienced in the body,
providing a truly somatic experience, leading individuals out of a
preoccupation with the mind. Could the liberating, cathartic experience
prompted by raves be explained in this way?
Echoing this idea, another friend shared his viewpoint, “Techno
takes us to another place where nothing else matters but you and that beat and
for those few hours the world with all its problems doesn't exist. So yeah, I
guess we take comfort from music like some people might look to God to escape
and find comfort.” Our egos are comprised of the concerns of modern day
society, our worries about our own individual lives, the continual voice inside
us on a daily basis which sets us apart from others and ultimately isolates. If
dance music offers a break from this haunting self awareness, it is no wonder
that so many seek solace by attending events ritualistically.
Sylvan emphasizes the importance of the trance and peaks
which combined create a spiritually enriching journey. The repetitive nature of
the beat which transfixes dancers into continuous movement, described by Kai
Fikentscher as a ‘four on the floor’ system, is comparable to tribal music from
West African religious cultures, where the use of drums lead members into
sacred trance states. Providing a platform upon which personal freedom can be
accomplished through movement, the beat is interspersed with uplifting harmonics
leading the group into a simultaneous euphoria. These powerful moments, or
peaks, are what create such a sense of connection and by extension, community
within the dance music culture. Dr Sylvan notes a comment on this phenomenon
from the late Godfather of House himself, DJ Frankie Knuckles who describes it
as “three thousand personalities becoming one.” This commanding energy becomes
a positive force, revitalising individuals and leaving them with a sense of
satisfaction they can carry forward into their day to day lives.
#ravingchakra
Unlike most religious doctrine, the spiritual guidelines of
rave culture are simple, concise and very utilitarian. The acronym P.L.U.R
stands for Peace, Love, Unity and Respect superseding any prejudices stemming
from cultural, sexual, gender or racial differences. Whereas individuals are
more commonly judged on their outwards appearance in the more commercialised
club spaces, the dance music event doesn’t discriminate based on fashion choice,
the sexuality of participants or the age of attendees. In fact, similarly to
tribal cultures the older a dance music veteran is, the more respect they
receive. Like a Shaman who has much mystical exposure, they are perceived as
having a more varied collective experience, and thus are admired, appreciated
and celebrated. This is highly contrasted by the standard shunning of the older
generation in pop culture. Collectively, the inclusive nature of the raver
mentality creates a world in which every individual is welcome; just as a new
member of a Church is immediately received, any person who enters into the
dance music community will feel a spontaneous belonging regardless of their
individual background. The fundamental difference, however, is that most
religions will aim to adapt persons to suit their particular moral code. Within
the dance music culture, people are accepted as they are.
One trance enthusiast, Jonathan McAvoy has been a member of
the Catholic Church for many years, and thus has some direct religious
experience to compare his alternative following to; “I go to church nearly
every Sunday. Going to a trance night is like the church, it’s something you
believe in, you’re in a family.” In fact, like a religious service, Sylvan
points out EDM events adhere to a sense of ritualised time within the format of
their composition. At some nights, such as Armin’s ASOT tours, there are
voiceovers to introduce the DJs, serving as what can be compared to a religious
opening ceremony. At D&B raves, there are sometimes MCs, exciting the crowd
with their lyrical talents like a priest dictating a sermon. There is common
knowledge within the EDM culture that the middle segment of the night, normally
between 12 and 3am, is when the highest peaks can be experienced, whereas the
beginning and the end are usually more down tempo, allowing a soft transition
both into and out of the hypnotic states accomplished.
Another integral component of dance music events centres on the
artists themselves, the DJs. As trance veteran Paul Rogers highlights, “The way
clubs and events are setup these days with the focus towards the front and the
man behind the decks, it gives attendees the sense of a place of worship.” In
fact, Sylvan highlights the DJ as a ‘ceremonial leader’ who conjures the energy
within the space. Often from the position of a raised platform or altar, through
their mixing and attentiveness to the responses of the crowd, the DJs are
primarily responsible for creating the correct atmosphere in which the dancers
can reach their spiritual peaks. House music DJ Ashley ‘Slick Bick’ Plumpton
expresses this sacred connection, “Music is a feeling, I share feelings amongst
music lovers around me who share the same love for a genre or track, or feel
what I feel when it's playing.” Often through gesticulation or vocalised
encouragement, or even just the varied pace of the dancing, the DJ is closely
coupled emotionally to the mass of dancers, manipulating his set to maximise
response. Through this relationship, which functions on such a delicate and
symbiotic level, the utilitarian nature of dance music is empowered, and the DJ
who can also be seen as a god, connects with the ravers themselves in a deep,
meaningful and often very spiritual way.
The process of reaching dance music events can be viewed as a pilgrimage. Many fans will travel miles to attend particular nights, spanning across the country or even across the globe to EDM havens such as Miami or Ibiza, in order to feel reconnected with the culture. Whether the journey involves the tube, a train or a flight, the time spent in anticipation of the night ahead becomes almost as significant as the event itself, providing a basis for the individual to mentally and physically prepare themselves for the spiritual renewal acquired through the medium of raving. Like religious believers who journey to sacred sites in order to reinforce their faith, the commitment in performing the journey to the rave becomes a sign of ritualistic dedication in itself. Returning to the idea of conversion, in his essay ‘Electronic Dance Music Culture and Religion’ Graham St John points out that within many cultural studies “EDM events are seen to constitute contemporary rites of passage.’’ He explores how the mixed music, continual and unrelenting is a liminal component, in the same way the events take place throughout the night, often not ending until the early hours of the morning. These in between hours echo the in between states that are universally experienced during the adolescent stage of maturity. In many religions, this process is managed through an initiation ceremony, emphasising the full assimilation of the young adult within that particular spiritual identity. This is achieved in varying ways. However, what is interesting is that within many unorthodox religions there are often acts of dancing, taking psychotropic drugs, journeys into the wilderness or entering dark spaces such as caves where maximum exposure to the spiritual world is perceived. Initiation into mystery schools, which stand on the fringes of orthodox religion, also involve a symbolic death wherein the individual is reborn and in doing so is spiritually empowered through their closer connection to a higher power. Although not exclusively serving a younger generation, dance music spaces are often black with strobe lights used to induce a sense of disorientation. Often drugs such as MDMA are consumed, which is both an empathogen and an entheogen (enthoegen from the Latin ‘’bringing the God within’). These components combined with a musical possession of the body facilitate a postmodern initiation experience whereby ravers feel a powerful connection to the culture, and simultaneously resolve issues that stem from living in a perpetually uncertain society.
Many dance music fans may not be aware of the direct
similarities to religious formats that their frequent experiences encompass.
Perhaps they are atheists, who have no belief in a spiritual world whatsoever.
Despite that, the strength of communal emotion provoked, the dedicated
following of a mass of people on this planet and the revitalising nature of the
rave provide a positive movement for individuals to embrace. For those who are
more open to spirituality, dance music culture serves as a utilitarian
alternative to traditional religious formats, benefiting the soul through the
artistry of music.
