Defected Records founder reignites phones at Clubs Debate
The founder of Defected Records, Simon Dunmore, has taken to Twitter to voice his beliefs in regard to phones at clubs/festivals, specifically when used to take photos and videos of performers. A label known for being proud advocates of positivty on the dancefloor, the tweet, which has since generated considerable debate with vocal proponents from each side, reveals that he believes if phones were available in the 80s and 90s then the situation would essentially be a mirror of what it is now, with fans eagerly wanting selfies with performers, and wanting to film concerts to look back on.
He tweeted:
If 20yr old clubbers had phones w cameras in the 80’s /90’s do you think they wouldn’t be asking 4 selfies w Frankie Knuckles /Roger Sanchez / Kevin Saunderson….or taking a picture when Adamski played Killer at an M25 rave / or Mike Pickering dropping T-Coy tag the Hacienda?
— Simon Dunmore (@SimonDunmore) January 7, 2020
He makes a valid argument, pointing out that if the technology was available people would indeed film performances and ask for selfies with these prolific 80s and 90s artists, such as Frankie Knuckes, known for his role in popularising house music, and Kevin Saunderson, thought to be one of the originators of techno music, as they were just as much of an inspiration to fans back then as artists such as Avicii, Tiesto, and Martin Garrix are to fans today.
In response to a comment querying whether DJs in the 80s and 90s would use USB sticks over vinyls Dunmore replies:
? yes. DJs are early adopters of technology….they jumped to CD’s / CDJ’s quickly enough.
— Simon Dunmore (@SimonDunmore) January 8, 2020
Whilst Dunmore is a firm believer that technology would be quickly adopted by both DJs and audiences, not all are convinced. On the other side of the argument is the belief that the 80s and 90s were about ‘living in the moment’, as one person replies:
“It was never about the DJ, always about the music and the people you met.”
Which is a valid point in itself, but this leads to questioning about whether this was due to the era, or due to the lack of technology available at the time. Dunmore replies, suggesting that due to human nature, camera technologies and social media would have been adopted, regardless of the era.
Another DJ and label founder, who goes by the name Husky, weighed in on the debate, stating:
I don’t understand all the fuss. If it wasn’t for people filming me I wouldn’t have anything to share! And how good is Shazam, that’s also keeping people connected with the music. Win win!
— Husky (@mrhuskyhusky) January 7, 2020
So perhaps it’s time to move on from this debate and see the benefits in advancing technologies, as Husky mentioned. Endless bickering between generations is never healthy, especially in a scene that thrives on positivity as much as the electronic music community does. Phones at clubs and filming DJs is something we must accept as a community, but maybe we could all benefit from living in the moment a little more often.
What are your thoughts on this? Share them in the comments.
Image Credit: Samuel Regan-Asante on Unsplash
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