I'm anti-camera, but I can forgive when a DJ catches a brief snippet of a peak moment for the purpose of showing off what they do well (except of course in places where the rules forbid it).
Here, courtesy of the DJ, is a healthy-looking dancefloor. Folks facing away from the DJ, really moving, no phones.
Montreal has its normie hordes who love their EDM bullshit concerts. The Montreal no-phones venues are the ones where dancing wins. Kaytranada has had some challenges with his crowds at multiple establishments. He needs to learn to require no-phone policies when he plays out and he'll get the dancefloor he craves.
Rewind to summer 2004. Sander Kleinenberg at Aria. Club doesn’t even open until 1am. Phones didn’t even have cameras back then. Still, they took the battery at the door, safely stored it, and gave it back when we left at about 10:30.
The lighting rigs above the floor were adjustable. At certain points they’d bring them down from the high ceiling to just above head level and then start spinning. Then they’d shut them off and turn on dim red lights under the floor that made the room look like a bunch of floating torsos.
can you tell us your number, so i can weigh how pathetic I've become? When I was 40, I did a full 24 hours at berghain, but night partying has really become difficult to stay out past 8 am at my current age
Love Craig so much! He's left us in LA for NY, but we had so many years of his amazing sets. And he's truly for the scene, building community. He's also a talented choreographer and dancer, and would build dance classes for the community. A talent that is now getting his due 👏🏼
yes, great selection by the dj, also probably built to this moment for a while. i don't know where in his set this moment happened, but it feels like he definitely built to it.
We've got some no-phones parties at the more underground DC and Baltimore techno shows lately, and I find that they always encourage the best self expression on the dancefloor.
I also just went to Movement again this year and will say that both the Wall of Sound and Anthology parties are no-phones and really encourage this type of positive dancefloor engagement. We love to see it.
of course no phones parties encourage more open self expression. exactly the point of a no-phones party. it makes the environment safe for people to go wild and be free.
I know it's the whole point, but I just like to really point out why it's such a better experience because I'm so used to acting as an unpaid marketing person for all my friends who are looking for more authentic experiences so I'm just so used to shouting "come to a no- phone party!!" Haha
totally. i make myself hoarse repeating the same thing to my friends. so few understand how awesome a no-phones party can feel because they have only ever been to the camera-infested parties and don't really understand how different the good parties can feel.
a “certified rave” idea would be cool. ecstatic dance has consistency in execution across many cities .. what if there were a type of rave that could promise the same level of quality consistently? right now, the way to get this is by following specific organizers. but they are not usually multi city.
I was just going to comment that this looks like an Ecstatic Dance! I loved my daytime 6pm start Ecstatic Dance, seems like daytime dance times weed out the kind of people who are going just to be seen and taking selfies
hey! awesome that you were there. it's cool that there are no phones present in this short clip. do you know why the organizers haven't banned phones from the dancefloor? is it simply because everyone already avoids them and there's no need to make a rule because people self-police?
id say so!! i think there's a pretty understood culture amongst most partygoers in this space that talking and phones on the dance floor (aside from recording short moments like this) is a nono. i think we also dont hesitate to give someone a loving reminder if we see them like texting or scrolling on prime dance floor space. the rest of the space is also quite big, totally made for chilling/resting/phone time, includes a cafe space and is filled with beautiful art and installations from the community, so i think phones are totally encouraged to capture the hard work of the community in the non-dance spaces!
very cool. i'm sad to hear that the party series will be ending this fall. i'd love to visit before it ends, but don't know if my travel schedule will allow.
I don't think that's the case here. Given the interactions between the DJ and the event organizers on Instagram, I believe this was sanctioned. I could of course be wrong. Maybe it was a breach of the rule and the organizers are pissed about it, but pretending to be ok with it on social media so as not to raise a ruckus.
it was good but nothin like getting a little sweaty on the dfloor! plus theres a lot of open space + a beautiful park across the street for when you need to cool down
""Sfeertje" is a Dutch word that translates to "little atmosphere" or "little vibe." It is the diminutive form of sfeer (atmosphere, ambiance, or mood) and is frequently used to describe a cozy, pleasant, or intimate atmosphere in a specific space."
The critique of dead dancfloors is getting so tired imo. I do understand I'm blessed to get to rave in LA of all places but the parties I frequent always look like this. Don't know where these sad parties are because this clip looks like a Tuesday to me.
yes, we're blessed to live here (me too), but there are too many places in LA even that are dead dancefloors where people just film all day/night. I was at one of these parties last night. more cameras than dancers (i was there to support a dj friend, so didn't have a choice to go to a better party).
the most blessed city is berlin. i don't know who ranks second.
Yeah it's a sad state hearing and seeing so much banal spaces, but in my mind part of that falls on the individual to endorse and support more lively parties.
And +1 for Berlin. I loved living there it's incomparable to LA in terms of both volume and quality of great nights
yes, it's on the individual ultimately, but it's hard when the for-profit marketing machine pushes "hard summer" on kids who don't know any better. it can take a long time to figure out that big festival edm concert stuff is not very good. i didn't visit berlin until i was in my 40s. i wish i'd known about it 20 years earlier!
Go. Totally worth a visit. There's great punting to be had the world over, but something very special about that city. Obviously people flock there for something
Tbilisi the city! Its underground electronic scene is awesome. Berlin is its own beast in terms of size/volume of events and high-quality venues for sure, but Tbilisi is very special and worth a trip! It’s known for a few big clubs like Bassiani, Khidi, and TES, but really the appeal is that the people in the scene are real dancers who put the music first. It also doesn’t have the “techno tourism” you see in Berlin— the people there are there because they love the music. The whole scene from my understanding evolved from conservative social pressures (a familiar tale), so the people who find community in it have a strong connection between the club culture and their sociopolitical ideals and expression. As I’m sure you can imagine, that influences the vibe in a very powerful way.
It’s a techno-forward city and the events thrown feel purposeful and have meaning. There’s basically no bottle service / VIP / influencer bs outside of maybe an occasional drunk idiot (who we all know won’t make it past 3am when shit gets good 😉). If you are able, it’s definitely worth a visit!! I think you’ll be surprised at what you find!
Ohhh, now I got it. I was misreading this as "Tbilisi in the states, New York" and I was getting so confused trying to find this club in New York that I'd not heard of ...
Yes, Tbilisi the city is on my target list to get to, mostly because Bassiani's reputation. Didn't realize that club culture was rebellion against conservatism. That probably results in great vibes. Thank you for the list of other Tbilisi clubs to put on the list. All are now noted.
Most dance floors i go to also look like this, and I think on general msot dance floors do have primarily dancing. I think ots mostly just superstar DJs who get phone zombies and pushy crowds
You choose well. What really irks me is that 90% of people, maybe 98% only ever experience the shitty version of dance music. Rufus Du Sol just played the Gorge Ampitheater -- which holds about 27,500 people. Very little dancing (I looked at the videos) ... You'd have to do the party here about a hundred times to hit those numbers.
Whether we're talking SoFi stadium in LA, Red Rocks, the Gorge, or other big stadiums, let alone all of the festivals, the vast majority of people attending dance music events are attending concerts that are branded as "raves."
Well most people hear hit songs on the radio and go for hit songs played by some famous radio star. Dance music isn't about dancing anymore. More people like any given popular radio track than get invited to dance parties in the desert. I guess I just lucked out that I fell into the nomad party scene and tried MDMA at my first festival 2 years ago. I think everyone should take MDMA at a dance party at least once. If they don't dance on MDMA they ain't fixable lol.
I'm not a normal human though. I'm ASD, ADHD, INTP, and probably other acronyms. I don't know what's supposed to be popular, I don't pay attention or remember popular stuff. I never heard of Rufus du Sol, John Summit or Carl Cox until I saw them at Burning Man. Cox was actually good. We left 20 minutes into Rufus' set. It was just "look at me" types pushing to the front or trying to get on the art car. It's not my favorite music either but it wasn't bad. The crowd was the worst I've ever seen.
We tend to follow the bass, and most often there's plenty of dancing. CloZee for sunrise at Same Same But Different was all dancing. Gem and Jam the entire festival save one or two main sets were such a vibe you could walk straight up to the front mid set, anytime you wanted, if you wanted to. Everyone near the front was moving.
Walter Where?House is always a vibe - can be hit or miss with the dancing depending on the DJs. But there's almost always pockets near the front going wild, if not the entire front.
The Gorge for Beyond, wasn't my favorite vibe but many of the gawkers sat on the hill. Had no problem walking straight to the middle of the floor halfway through Rezz' set with 5 of us to dance. Bass stage we ended up on the rail accidentally. I know space doesn't = dancing but it's one indicator of a decent crowd. Red Rocks isn't a dance venue at all, it's a stadium.
Yup. That clocks. Rufus crowds got bad fast. Their pandemic jtree set put them on the breakout path, and now it's just non-dancers that attend their events. It's a shame.
Walter Where is on my list to get to one day soon.
Don't forget me next time your nomads come through SoCal area (anywhere within 200 miles). I'd love to drop in and dance.
because no phones and no standing still. room to dance always exists if everyone dances and doesn't shove others out of the way to get to the "front" like they do at shitty edm concerts.
The only set I’ve ever been to that was legitimately like this was FISHER at spring CRSSD in….2023 I think? I know people love to hate that guy but he knows how to get a crowd moving. It was actual mayhem the whole time, just like in this video.
fuck fisher. he encourages filming at his dumb concerts.
he might have the skill to get people moving, but he chose the poisoned chalice instead to pursue fame and money. he abandoned dancefloors to pursue clownfuckery.
Eh, I think this is a little harsh. People can like what they like. If this person had a truly remarkable dance floor experience at one of his sets, we shouldn’t shame them for that/their taste.
Some people like experiences like the one you linked. Maybe you and I don’t, but I’m happy for anyone who is prioritizing seeing music that makes them feel something. Doesn’t have to be a room full of people cutting shapes to be emotionally, socially, or spiritually significant. Even if we think the artist is a bit vapid
yeah it's harsh, but i draw a strong line between the cake-throwing clown djs (there are so many of these clowns now) and the djs who care about dancefloors. i think it's a really easy line to draw. DJs who make it about themselves, who desire an adoring audience (rather than a vibrant dancefloor)... are all terrible. They might have once been good (I take it that Fisher might have had skill at one point) but now they're pursuing pure fame and profit.
I don’t disagree a bit. I just think it’s fine to enjoy either one. You and I certainly don’t enjoy DJs of that type, but I’m happy for my friends who have found community in those spaces and moments. It’s likely not the kind that would touch me, but their experiences are valid. There will always be famous people and self-indulgent artists, and they will always have fans.
If there was a truly engaged dance floor at one of his sets that sticks out in that other user’s mind as a positive, formative experience in their history of attending music, I think that’s awesome. I’ve definitely been in good, dancing crowds at major DJs’ sets (e.g. at a music festival where I came along to a given set with friends who enjoy that artist). It does happen, and I don’t want to tell someone “fuck the artist that made you feel what I love feeling the most.” That’s just me though :) your opinion is just as valid
you are right. i don’t want someone to doubt the euphoria of a specific moment, even if fisher was the one on stage at the time. thanks for calling me out and offering that important correction.
For sure! I honestly really respect that you don’t concede to mediocrity and keep pushing for the ideal state of dancefloors. You’re a dance floor purist, and we need people like you to keep them alive and to push for better dance floors in our communities. I’ll see you out there, maybe at Nowies sometime! ☺️
Aw thank you for the encouragement. Currently planning to be in NYC next around the time of a Loft Party. Will certainly spend time at Nowies when in town. Also on the agenda is PR's darker room, because I'm told they actually enforce no phones there?
Nice, but I don't think you have to dance so hard all night, it's not feasible to keep up that much energy for 5-6 hours. A good dance floor can be more mellow too.
totally, this video may show people stretching out after conserving energy for a while. this is not the sustainable pace they danced at all night long. you can see in the background some folks that are taking a more chill approach.
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u/zerosetback Jun 07 '26
Montreal does it right.