Underground Dance Music Culture in Boston | Basement Movement

If you’re finding yourself at the beginning of a journey into the world of underground electronic dance music, welcome. You may have asked yourself, "What are some weird types of music I've never heard before?" or "What can I listen to if I've grown bored of watching rock bands at local dive bars?" These are both good questions. Before we go any further, I need to warn you - this is an adventure with no end, a pursuit with no goals - it’s an endless ocean of content good and bad, for personalities big and small. It has the power to move you, to change your views, and introduce you to concepts and cultures you’ve never imagined. It’s a humbling pursuit, to say the least.

Today, there are many new types of electronic music in Boston, and if you're looking for popular yet relatively unknown segments of electronic music, you have come to the right place. I remember my own foray into the vast frontier of dance music. It was a dark, snowy night in February, several years back. I had been meaning to visit an old friend who had been consistently inviting me to all these strange events on Facebook without prompt. As a certified music lover, I figured I’d heard it all. Eric Prydz’ “Call on Me,” Darude’s “Sandstorm,” Benny Benassi’s “Satisfaction” - I thought of these tracks as nothing more than musical anomalies, at the time unaware that they were merely pop-cultural submissions to the expansive, shadowy subculture of the electronic underground.

I believe that I’ve identified one of the driving factors behind why dance music remains such a secret in the age of Google shedding its blinding light on everything it touches - simply, internet search engines cannot index for sounds. And even if they could, the human brain is unable to translate the recordings within it, into searchable terms. Highly specialized search apps such as Shazam have emerged to fill this gap, decoding recorded music when the setting is right.. (and when there’s WiFi). But these programs are tremendously touchy, and frankly, not gonna go down the same fucking rabbit hole that you’re about to. This creates an atmosphere of obscurity surrounding dance music; without a way to know what exactly it is you’re listening to, often times, it just fades into the ether. This may have the added effect of turning new listeners of the genre away. But new listeners of dance music, I urge you - forget about it. This phenomenon is unavoidable, and the deeper you go, the more you’ll experience the beautiful pain of hearing a perfect track, in the perfect moment, and then never again, for the rest of your life.

Now that we’ve got this disheartening disclaimer out of the way, let’s get down to some hard-and-fast useful information for those looking to learn about new types of electronic music in Boston. This advice is based on nothing but my own meandering experience.

This piece of advice is applicable to many situations in life, but in the realm of dance music, it’s a crucial step that leaves those who avoid it wishing they hadn’t. Primarily, it makes your interactions with the bar quick and seamless, increasing the likelihood that you’ll get called on quicker, and get yourself back to the dance floor. It also makes you look cool, opens you up to any additional marketplaces that may be occurring around you, and reduces your risk of leaving your card behind. I really wish I could say that this is something I practice frequently.

One of the major tenants of the top clubs in the world, this advice should be followed wherever you happen find yourself dancing in the dark to electronic music. As I mentioned before, the whole experience is meant to be ephemeral, so please just enjoy it. Trust me: you’ll almost definitely never look at that video ever again, and you’ll just look like a dork, as your bright screen pierces the darkness. One exception, daytime festivals, sparingly, and from the back.

Trust me, you’re not too cool to dance. If you are too cool to dance, you won’t last all that long in the underground dance music scene. You’ll instead go back to playing Call of Duty, talking about football, and drinking at Stats - on a Friday, and on a Saturday. Submit yourself to the music. This won’t be an alien concept to you. We’ve been doing it our whole lives, forged in the fires of submitting to the wishes of family, the judgement of peers, and the rule of law. The difference is, in this scenario, it’s a good thing to get lost in. Realize that you are a part of something bigger, and use this unique opportunity to unload some of the baggage from your week. Future you will appreciate this.

Self explanatory. Leave your ego at home. If you brought it by accident, leave it at the coat check, but don’t forget your ticket, or you’ll never get it back.

This one can be hard to follow, because there seems to be an abundance of evidence available that the DJ in fact does have time to speak with you. You will undoubtedly be overwhelmed by their coolness, the way they move the room, maybe even the lackadaisical manner with which they spin their cuts. However, I cannot stress this enough: unless the DJ is your friend, you’re a girl, or the building is literally on fire, the DJ does not have time to speak with you. Maybe, maybe after the show, but then, he’s probably heading to the after party. More on that next time. Because come on, you gotta ease yourself into this lifestyle.

Most of all though, just have a good time. This world you’ve stumbled upon is a weekly celebration of life and love, so just let it all go.

-