Electronic music occupies a unique place in the modern music industry. Even though file-sharing and social networking have affected every genre, electronic music has, by far, integrated the most with these technological advances.
This integration has produced a very different musical culture that has influences throughout contemporary music, altering everything from the sound of pop albums to the music at fraternity parties. The DJ culture at Tufts has been a major force in shaping the types of music we listen to at social gatherings and in our free time.
The technical literacy of most electronic musicians has helped the genre adapt so seamlessly to the Internet. Digital music production and sound synthesis require a considerable familiarity with software interfaces and programming. Since electronic music demands these skills from its artists, they are much more likely to understand the principles behind software design and web applications, in turn placing them in a prime position to reap the benefits of sites like SoundCloud.com and Facebook.
This reality, combined with the fact that electronic music is generally created with the same machines we use to access the Internet, makes the transition from private audio production to public music sharing far smoother.
From the underground to the Internet
Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook have provided aspiring musicians with a new platform to exhibit their music. Even though countless precursory sites had allowed users to upload and share their music before, these online communities were never designed to facilitate the same level of social interaction as networks like Facebook. By giving users the opportunity to host their music in a community context that extended beyond musicians and enthusiasts to the general population, social networking sites gave electronic musicians a new avenue for sharing their work.
The ease with which electronic musicians establish web personas and communities is evidenced all over the Internet. Innumerable blogs, forums and DJ collectives have all provided people with the means to absorb electronic music and to learn how to produce it.
Online communities like IDM Forums.com and Future Producers.com give new and experienced artists a place to learn and get feedback from likeminded people. This digitized pedagogy significantly distinguishes electronic music from its acoustic counterpart.
Electronic Autodidacticism
For musicians on traditional instruments, pedagogy is usually provided by instructors and theorists. Even though individuals can teach themselves technique and musical principles, the dominant trend in classical and jazz music has favored personal instruction. Although this dynamic builds connections between aspiring and accomplished musicians, it is nowhere near as accessible as the electronic music guides and lessons that abound on the Internet. In this sense, the information necessary to succeed as an electronic musician is far more accessible than its counterpart in instrumental music.
After all, electronic music has always drawn some of its strength from the independence of its artists. While bands and duos abound throughout the genre, electronic music is one of the most accommodating mediums for solo artists. No other style of music can boast as much commercially successful self-produced, self-engineered and self-mastered material. While singer-songwriters and solo instrumentalists may write and perform their own material, they usually defer to producers and engineers when they record their albums. With electronic music, each artist fulfills all of these tasks himself, making him less reliant on studios and record companies and thus more capable of promoting his own material.
This unprecedented level of self-reliance has made electronic music one of the most fluid and dynamic genres today. Since each individual musician is far more capable of producing material and releasing it, electronic music has benefited from an active pool of contributors that stands apart from the record industry. New styles of electronic music are constantly emerging and attaining popularity through blogs, forums and music hosting sites.
Skweee music epitomizes the speed with which various styles of electronic music can grow and influence each other. The term "Skweee" comes from a phrase used to describe the genre's earliest recordings, which attempted to "squeeze" as many different sounds from a single synthesizer (synth) as possible. The result was a more minimal, bare bones sound that emphasized the tones of the synths and syncopated rhythms. While the Skweee scene was initially limited to 7" vinyl releases in Finland and Sweden, the development of online communities like nationofskweee.com and posts on sites like dubstepforum.com have given the genre international recognition.
The Tufts scene
The solidarity and free musical exchange between electronic musicians is just as visible in Boston, where DJ/producer collectives like BASSIC and SUBduction play a huge role in shaping the dynamic.
"In Boston, all the scenes are really well-connected," Ali Berger, a sophomore, said. Berger is a producer and DJ who frequently plays on and off campus, often with the collective Lost in Bass.
Tufts saw what such collectives are capable of producing last Friday in the Crane Room, when C Dubz, Codiac, Damian Silva and Wheez-ie played explosive sets that had students dancing feverishly.
Collectives often form around specific subgenres of electronic music. In this case, the DJs favored dubstep, a genre that gets its punch from heavy, warbling bass lines and up-front syncopated rhythms. Dubstep is a style of electronic music that has recently exploded in popularity. Though it initially took influences from genres like drum and bass and garage, it has become a full-fledged genre in and of itself with the help of Internet exposure and successful artists like Bassnectar and Burial.
For some attendees, the genre itself was enough to draw them to the show.
"I was really excited about there being an event that played dubstep music because I think people have just started getting into the genre. Even just amongst my friends, it's starting to become more popular, especially when dubstep artists use other songs that we all know," sophomore Kristiina Yang said.
Popular electronic vs. original sets
For students, there is a huge distinction between producers' shows and dance parties, the latter usually entailing a DJ with a Top 40-oriented set. Even though anyone can dance to music they've never heard before, the dominant trend at Tufts is to favor well-known songs over new material when it comes to dance parties. While this is great for DJs who focus on remixing popular tunes, it makes life a little more difficult for producers who want to showcase their own material.
"The frats are the most easily accessible dance floors and sound systems on campus, but most of their events are dance parties, not shows, so people are generally expecting music they've already heard," Berger said.
In this sense, the electronic music culture at Tufts is limited. Even though there are avenues for producers and original material, they are nowhere near as abundant as Top 40-style dance parties. Hopefully, the scene at Tufts will grow to accommodate both. If Tufts students gave original material the same chance they give to familiar songs, the producers on campus would have a much larger audience to test their work on. After all, dancing is meant to be a communal affair that involves all of its participants equally — musicians and dancers.
As senior Alex Barstow put it, "The great thing about the energy of electronic music is that it can compel people to get in touch with their more primal urges and let loose. Social boundaries seem less important."
