Bassnectar’s status in the dance music zeitgeist is an interesting one. He actively rebels against “EDM,” yet quite often plays at EDM festivals. It’s clear that he’s just doing his own thing, but where’s the line? In an interview with Billboard that’s coming out in their print publication this Friday, Bassnectar weighs in on EDM once again, going one step further and taking on Avicii and Bieber in the process.
I didn’t come up with the term — I never liked it. The way I understand it is that it’s mainstream electronic pop. I have as much interest in that as I have in mainstream pop. I can’t speak to it. I don’t listen to Justin Bieber. I don’t listen to Avicii. I don’t listen to any of it. The only problem with it, if there had to be a problem, is that there’s confusion about who is EDM.
He’s not wrong; there’s a great deal of confusion over what EDM refers to, or more accurately, what it represents. EDM is literally “electronic dance music,” and the argument for artists like Bassnectar being a part of it usually goes like this, “Is it electronic? Can you dance to it? Is it music? Then it’s EDM.” But that leaves the term open to much more interpretation than one would originally like, to the point where hip hop and rock could be “EDM,” if they just meet those three qualifications. 
If you take Bassnectar’s definition, on multiple occasions, he has called EDM “basically house and trance,” “mainstream douches in Vegas,” or “[some] schmaltzy guy who sings some barbaric pop lyrics at the chorus.” And if that’s your interpretation of EDM, then yeah, maybe you don’t want to identify with it.
But if you look back at the origin of the term, and its purpose, it was never meant as an affront or insult. It was an attempt to actually unify people and demonstrate that no matter what you like or what room you’re in for the night – breaks, trance, drum & bass, house – you’re all a part of the same scene.
So is Bassnectar alienating an entire group of potential fans? In his mind, not at all. He’s merely basing his feelings off of his interpretation and understanding of the term. As he says, “I didn’t come up with [it] — I never liked it.” However, I’m still going to call him a part of EDM whether he likes it or not.
Source | Image by aLive Coverage
