Miguel Afonso Caetano<p>Dance music and EDM festivals/raves is all that is left from the end of the cold war transformations. It's the last spark of a possibility of a global revolution with no borders and no bosses and where people are temporarily united by music and good vibes.</p><p>"Fueled by socioeconomic, cultural and technological changes, dance music and club culture have built on the progress of the past to leave a footprint deeper than we’ve seen before. As costs skyrocket for live instrumental acts to hit the road, a touring D.J. needs to travel with only a USB stick full of music. The continued evolution of D.J. hardware and software has softened the learning curve (and entry price) for beginners, while expanding possibilities for seasoned performers. And digital platforms like Boiler Room — the hugely popular video series that pioneered the de facto online D.J. video format — have changed the trajectory of what it means to be an electronic music artist or fan.<br>(...)<br>That range is another significant distinction of this moment — no single style of dance music has surged to popularity over the others. Hard techno, Afro house, drum and bass, tech house, U.K. garage: They’re all different, and they’re all finding audiences.</p><p>At the same time, local nightlife scenes around the world — demystified by the deluge of online content about them — are attracting more attention than ever. On TikTok, where the “electronic music” hashtag raked in 13.4 billion views in 2024 (up by 45 percent from 2023), dance music’s ever-expanding digital footprint includes influencers explaining the differences between genres, recommending where to hear them or explaining the history of dance music one record at a time. Bedroom D.J.s making music (or sometimes, just memes) can build substantial careers practically overnight.</p><p>It all adds up to the genre experiencing extraordinary reach."</p><p><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/11/arts/music/dance-music-boom-nightlife.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GU8.4oXx.aKEckafsdUrI&smid=url-share" rel="nofollow noopener" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">nytimes.com/2025/05/11/arts/mu</span><span class="invisible">sic/dance-music-boom-nightlife.html?unlocked_article_code=1.GU8.4oXx.aKEckafsdUrI&smid=url-share</span></a></p><p><a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/DanceMusic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>DanceMusic</span></a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/EDM" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>EDM</span></a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/MusicFestivals" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>MusicFestivals</span></a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/NightClubs" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>NightClubs</span></a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/Music" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>Music</span></a> <a href="https://tldr.nettime.org/tags/ElectronicMusic" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">#<span>ElectronicMusic</span></a></p>