Having been an active, and esteemed member of the dance music scene for over a decade, Brisbane-native, DJ S3RL might be the first artist that comes to mind when one thinks about the Happy Hardcore or UK Hardcore genres.
Renowned for iconic tracks such as “Pretty Rave Girl”, S3RL has not faded away with time, but rather, remains at the forefront of the genre, having very recently dropped an electrifying new tune entitled “Yeah Science”.
Through his tracks, many of which feature satirical, yet comical lyrics, S3RL fans will know that he often makes lighthearted [and usually valid] comments on the state of the electronic music scene.
As such, we reached out to S3RL to see if he would share some of this thoughts about how this scene has changed since he first started out as a DJ/producer, and were fortunate to have received some interesting, and thought-provoking responses.
6 Ways The Dance Music Scene Has Changed According To S3RL:
1. The Music
“First and most obviously, the music has changed. Not necessarily for the better or worse, it will always change and that’s a good thing. I think the biggest change recently being that electronic dance music has made it’s way into pop songs and top 40 radio stations. That alone as been a major game changer. As dance music has become a mainstream fashion, so has the entire scene.”
2. The Dancing
“With dance music going mainstream the masses were introduced to the old school rave dance styles that had remained underground for decades. (Melbourne) Shuffling was around for decades before it was put in the limelight by pop groups. From there other styles were brought to the surface which then encouraged new and hybrid styles to created. Again making rave culture a popular fashion.”
3. The Technology
“Better technology for producing music and better technology for playing that music back makes it a whole new experience compared to how it was in the not so distant past. I remember listening to brand new songs years ago and they sounded ground breaking. The bass was powerful and everything was crisp. Listening to those same songs today the bass is a joke and everything is muffled compared to today’s productions. It’s amazing how far things have come. I can’t wait to see what’s next. Something crazy like like 4D sound or something…?”
4. The Drugs
“Back in the day party drugs were very experimental, not much was known about each drug, especially to the mainstream. Getting said drugs was a lot harder too, Which is another reason the rave scene was so underground back then. Party drugs were underground and so were the parties. These days designer drugs are almost as easy to get as alcohol and it’s socially acceptable to at least try them. I guess that goes hand in hand with the big festivals.”
5. The Fans
“I was going to say ‘the DJ/producers’ for this one but I think supply and demand dictates who becomes a famous DJ. Today producers have been getting famous for literally drag/drop/copy/pasting tracks together. In the past if someone tried that they would not have been taken very seriously by fans. Originality and having your own sound was key to being successful but now it seems the opposite. I guess fans today like what they like and they want more of the same…?”
6. The Events
“Finally, to me the rave scene used to be place to escape everyday life with like minded people. Now that the dance music is such a commercial ‘situation’ and raves have turned into money making music festivals, it has all mutated into a totally different experience.”
Thoughts, comments? Let us know below.
Connect With S3RL:
Facebook.com/DJ.S3RL.Official.Fan.Page
Soundcloud.com/s3rl
Share On
