“The Berlin Techno Myth and Issues of Diversity (2020)” by Bianca Ludewig | Book Chapter

Abstract: “In this chapter I will give an overview of diversity issues within the field of electronic (dance) music and Berlin club cultures. This perspective is taken from the viewpoint of a member of the female:pressure network and a scholar of popular music studies and cultural studies. This chapter starts out to grasp the issue of diversity within the context of my PhD research on German and Austrian avant-garde festivals or transmedia festivals (I define transmedia festivals, as urban festivals which showcase not only club and experimental electronic music, but alongside a diverse range of other art forms such as discourse, media art, sound art, sculpture/installation, or performance that are often linked to technology). By unraveling the quest for more diversity in club cultures, I will start with a discussion on gender inequality and how these are linked to technology, introduce the platform female:pressure and discuss the muting of diverse perspectives in the history of club cultures. I also point out some of the myths that have been repeatedly contested about Berlin techno, as repeating them does not make them facts, it made these tales just more suspicious; or at least incomplete (at the cost of other groups and subcultures). Subsequently I connect this discussion with the booming business of techno in Berlin and close with pointing out the recent rise of collectives and the challenge of collective problem-solving, and end with a bird’s-eye view of the issues at stake. The title of the book The “New” Age of Electronic Dance Music and Club Culture is very much inviting such an investigation. This is done via a mix of personal accounts and discussing the work of other scholars, media coverage, and video documentation.”

This book chapter is part of The New Age of Electronic Dance Music and Club Culture and is available at Springer Nature.

ANO

2020

AUTORES

Bianca Ludewig

EDITORES

Springer Nature