Partiers love techno, electronic music
By Lauren Duffy
Electronic music has seen a huge surge in popularity recently within the Santa Clara music scene, and bass-heavy, dance-oriented music has shown to be an intense cultural trend among students. Rather than hip-hop or pop music, the soundtrack at many off-campus parties has shifted to electronic dance music.
"I've always loved hip-hop and music with weird, high-pitched sounds over heavy bass," said Santa Clara graduate Mario Diaz, '10, who is a resident DJ of Leve1 Events, a student-run event planning service. "I wasn't that into [electronic music] until two to three years ago... rap these days just doesn't do it for me anymore."
Diaz DJ's with Anthony Lopez as Wobble Headz at "Thizzle Thursdays," a popular weekly DJ set at DaSilva's Broncos, a local bar in Franklin Square.
In the broader cultural landscape, electronic music has made an impact recently in the mainstream music scene on the charts and at festivals. At this summer's Outside Lands Festival in San Francisco, electronic DJs Bassnectar and Pretty Lights played to huge crowds on the Sutro stage. In September, electro-house DJ Deadmau5 was the house DJ for the annual MTV Video Music Awards. Rapper Kid Cudi scored a hit with "Pursuit of Happiness," a track from his 2009 album that featured electronic acts Ratatat and MGMT.
"Music brings back memories, links you to a past experience... listening to [electronic] music, you get that feeling back," said senior Jordan Goff, a promoter for Insomniac Events and Leve1 Events.
LovEvolution, a parade and electronic dance party held yearly in San Francisco, was cancelled due to a dispute over the location based on public safety concerns. City officials refused to have the event at the Civic Center, which last year drew in a crowd of 90,000 participators.
LovEvolution, previously known as LoveFest, was scheduled for Oct. 2, and in previous years the yearly music and dance fest has been wildly popular among Santa Clara students.
Even though it may seem like electronic music just became popular, this genre of music has been present in a niche audience for the past few decades at dance-oriented nightclubs and raves.
The 1970's German group Kraftwerk is considered one of the pioneers of modern electronic music, providing a legendary legacy that has influenced innumerable artists, including new-wave band New Order and post-punk group Joy Division in the 1980's.
Nineties rave culture brought on a wave of electronic artists that achieved notable mainstream success, including Fatboy Slim, Moby, and French house duo Daft Punk. In recent years, "indie electronic" has emerged, a genre that frequently combines synth-pop, electronica and indie influences; Air, Justice, and LCD Soundsystem are a few notable examples.
In the last decade, advancement in computer technology and software like Serrato and Abelton Live has massively increased the amount of home-produced electronic music. With only a laptop, self-taught DJ's are able to create a virtual studio environment, then can easily stream their mixes online.
"Our generation is in tune with electronics and being able to use a computer," said Goff. "Everyone wants to be a DJ."
From house to electro to chiptune, electronic music isn't easily categorized. Diaz said that he loves fidget and dubstep music, and said that his current favorites are the "really wobbly danceable songs" of South-African producer Royal K and the "dirty, grimy bass lines" of Canadian DJ Excision.
Goff, who described himself as a "trance guy," mentioned that with so many sub-genres of electronic music, everyone can find something to fit their tastes.
Senior Kai Serri, a promoter for Level 1 Productions, said that her favorite thing about electronic music festivals is the culture.
"You're in another world," she said.
Contact Lauren at leduffy@scu.edu or at (408) 551-1918.