Event: Dancecult Conference 2025 (24.-25.01.2025 TU Berlin/Hybrid)

Dancecult Conference 2025
24.-25.01.2025

Technische Universität Berlin/Hybrid (Zoom Livestream)

Conference Website
Programme & Livestream

Dancecult Research Network (DRN) is an interdisciplinary network of academics, scholars and students researching all aspects of electronic dance music culture (EDMC). The DRN acknowledges that, from proto-disco through what is today labelled “EDM”, from the practice of the DJ to the present ubiquity of dance clubs, the aesthetics, politics and cultures of electronic dance music permeate underground and popular movements.

The conference aims to explore various dimensions of electronic music and dance cultures and the challenges associated with their documentation, preservation and archiving. Dance cultures have emerged as a global cultural phenomenon, shaping and reflecting the attitudes, values and experiences of diverse communities for years. As they continue to evolve, change and diversify, it becomes increasingly crucial to discuss ideas about preserving and archiving their cultural heritage. These cultures also encompass a wide range of music genres, subgenres and associated practices, including DJing, club culture, festival culture, music production, remixing and more. In Berlin, the location of this conference, for instance, “Techno” has even become part of Germany’s UNESCO cultural heritage list. This inclusion has been critically discussed by different communities, especially by those who highlight techno’s Black roots from Detroit. However, strategies for its preservation have hardly been developed.

While electronic music and dance cultures have had an important impact on contemporary music, art and social movements, their temporary nature and reliance on digital technologies present different challenges for archiving and preserving. Not only do we need to consider the potential technical difficulties when it comes to older technologies in music production, but also the preservation of other cultural materials such as event flyers, posters, ravezines, fanzines and even locations like clubs or festivals, which have barely been preserved and documented.