DJs, Clubs and Technology

DJs, Clubs and Technology explores the commercial electronic dance music scene in Sydney, Australia. Drawing on a decade of ethnographic research and participant-observation, the book considers the various socio-cultural and industry-mediated discourses that permeate the scene. Moving beyond subcultural theory, new and illuminating information is revealed about the production and consumption of dance music in the city, interpreted through a new, post-rave and non-Anglocentric perspective. Issues explored in this stimulating book include the increasing prominence of daytime festivals and their impact on clubbing nightlife in the city, the shifts in digital technology that are radically reshaping the role and work of the DJ, and the impact of overseas dance culture on local scenes. Extensive interviews with Sydney's most successful and established DJs and promoters underpin the key findings of the book. Drawing on theories of popular music scenes, the diffusion of culture, and the social and cultural impacts of technology, this book is relevant to anyone interested in electronic dance music culture, and more generally, popular music, cultural, and media studies, and those interested in the links between cultural practices, technologies and economic processes.