Ask any wide-eyed raver wearing kandi at EDC what PLUR stands for and they can probably tell you: Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. But ask them where and when the term originated? Not likely. There’s a history to dance music that is often lost in the new zeitgeist of playlists, branding, and streaming numbers, and techno pioneer Jeff Mills believes electronic music has “lost its political edge.”
“Music, especially dance music, used to be more political. The make up of the people back in the 1970s and early 1980s was very mixed between gay and straight, people from everywhere, it was a melting pot.”
That “made it easier to speak about certain ideas like violence, brutality and racism,” Mills insisted.
“Now electronic music is primarily made by a certain type of people, typically middle class that probably have a pretty comfortable lifestyle.”
Some artists like Gramatik and Bassnectar have kept up the political activism side of their music, while others like Griz, Ekali, Moore Kismet, and more stand up for gay rights. But overall? Dance music doesn’t stand for what it used to.
You can read the full article on Yahoo! News here.
