Why is the European rave scene so much better than the American (IMO)?

EDM is a universal language. With the dozens of languages being spoken in an area less than that of the U.S., it's easy to see how EDM became a language they could share which helped lead to its prominence. You couldn't really do that with hiphop. People tend to listen music they can understand. While I do like french hiphop but mostly listen to american hiphop because it's in english.

EDM is a lot bigger in europe there's no doubt about that. Is it better? That's up to you to decide.

I like the psytrance scene in the U.S....It's big enough that we can get a party going. It's small enough that everyone gets to know each other and you become part of this small community of EDM freaks.

We have a nice little gabber scene here too, while I haven't gone to any parties here this label owner (Ron D. Core) is still keeping it alive.
 
so i saw electro swing live for the first time today, and i can say im very disappointed. very repetitive, no real progression, and i am still wondering why people just can't make good transitions for shit. its terrible. you run a computer through a program that autosyncs and loops your music yet you cant make a simple transition. sounded like someone plugging in an ipod and pressing play on a playlist.

hoping for someone to bring the "wow factor" back. shows are just starting to lose my interest.
 
Europeans are mostly producing all the good tunes. I'd like to think that has a lot to do with it.
 
I've been following this thread hoping someone from Detroit would speak up. IME it seems to be that community comes before the music. If music is a seed, then community is the soil, and flowers can't blossom without soil to grow strong roots in. There's a lot of apathy in American culture and people have bought into individualism in all the wrong ways. In Europe, if your friends are going to some EDM festival then fuck it so are you, even if the tix cost two day's wages. In America, or Canada at least, so many people end up going to shows alone because they can't get any of their friends to give a fuck and part with some bread for the chance that they might have a good time. There's just more solidarity in European society, and people become a lot more receptive to new music when they hear it live. I for sure did not appreciate a lot of music before hearing it live and having my ears opened. Anyway, thats just my 2c
 
Would I get beaten if I admitted I've been listening to some deadmau5? Although technically he's from Canada, not the US.
 
you listen to what you listen to. people don't always see eye to eye to begin with, and that's normal.
 
Yeah I was just sorta kidding, I listen to whatever I want. But why is he a douche? I think I heard that somewhere else but they didn't say why.
 
Okay, outside of Burning Man, i have not seen too many amazing music festival that don't look like they are completely invaded with Law enforcement.
In Canada, we have this Little music festival you might have heard about called Shambhala. It takes place on family land. It is the only Music festival on the planet, i think with absolutely
ZERO Corporate sponsorship.

Another thing that i can say, which definitely separates American Music Festival from European Music Festivals.
is the following.
Now, Try to follow me on this.

If you take a look at music festivals like EDC or ULTRA, or those Absolute insanely huge music festivals, that people die at in the states.
You literally have a scene, where i feel it is the most aggressive music possible being played to people who have gotten themselves fucked up and then crammed themselves into cages, while they climb over top of each other in an attempt to get to the front. To see the artist. This is the reason why you see No One Dancing at Music festivals in the states, it's because they aren't given the chance to dance. They are forced to rub shoulders with people.

Now the stage is so dramatically big whether or not you see the artist doesn't matter. They already have a blinding visual display of lights.
That and the volume and speaker systems are never... "tuned" proper from artist to artist is seems so you have these horrifying deafening squelches which you would have other wise been subsonic electro vibrations.

Now, keep following me on this. Imagine one day, for the sake of population control. Some rich asshole with a cigar in his mouth takes a look at the state of affairs the scene has become.
Says to himself "PEOPLE PAY FOR THIS!" You basically are like cattle, you've inebriated yourselves enough to be assaulted by the slaughter house of Noise and visual dynamics of the lighting.
So, lets just say they decide to hold, one of the most massive, highly technologically over the top music festivals. You have all of the people fucked up and crammed 30,000 people crammed into 3 cages spread over a field of 10,000 people a cage. Then you unleash the most violent, insanely detailed deafening assault on the senses possible.
Leaving the Entire field of people Blind, Deaf and otherwise Insane, as they do not know what just happened to them.

The Cage gets pushed in tighter, and it makes them more easily corralled for the Prison system.

I Totally enjoy the Electronic Music scene, but it is going to HELL in the United States. Seriously.
If you guys don't see this coming.
Then you just aren't as paranoid as me.
But remember Paranoia is just a heightened state of awareness.
 
As an American, I couldn't agree anymore, Psychonautical. Everything you said is extremely accurate.
 
probably because the police are fucking maniacs out here, on some straight up diabolical shit, i've never been to a european rave so i can't give an informed opinion though.
 
I think someone else mentioned the pigs... I could definitely see that hampering the American scene. I guess they tend to be a bit less of a problem in other countries like the Netherlands. But I also have no first hand knowledge.
 
it goes beyond pigs .
There is like a presence over top of the entire scene in the states that literally makes you feel like the cage is closing in.

Anyone else remember the 90's industrial scene. They joked basically throughout that entire scene that the cages or walls were closing in. Industrial and cultural paranoia about the end of society.
Done to fast loud ultra heavy music.

Well now in the states the scene has evolved into Trap Music.
Need i say more. Cattle to the slaughter.
This time, it's the venue owners and police who are setting up the cages though.
 
Psychonautical said:
it goes beyond pigs .
There is like a presence over top of the entire scene in the states that literally makes you feel like the cage is closing in.

Anyone else remember the 90's industrial scene. They joked basically throughout that entire scene that the cages or walls were closing in. Industrial and cultural paranoia about the end of society.
Done to fast loud ultra heavy music.

Well now in the states the scene has evolved into Trap Music.
Need i say more. Cattle to the slaughter.
This time, it's the venue owners and police who are setting up the cages though.
Click to expand...

I hate the whole trap scene. It's a bunch of nerdy white guys trying to be "hood" IMO. while there are a few trap songs I have heard that I don't necessarily mind, too many people play a set for 90 minutes that is just without any creativity, emotion, or energy. it just makes me shake my head because i know i have done better sets than some of these guys screwing around in my basement.

so if the cage you are referring too is more of a cage on creativity and expansion, I fully agree. I don't like where the scene is headed over here, as everyone is the same. "Musicians" and "DJs" in the states are a dime a dozen. And I am starting to agree with the videos on youtube insulting the culture saying anyone can do it. because what I have seen thus far is that ANYONE can do it. Music and the arts are left for those who are creative and can become immersed in the work they are creating. Not those who want to appeal to this whole "rockstar" attitude and image. It's the same exact thing that killed rock and roll, the woodstock movement, and even hip hop. What was once a collection of creative and beautiful minds turned into an image of some sort of "cool/hip" culture and a whole attitude of "i don't give a fuck" and a lack of empathy and just utter closed mindedness.

what happened to musicians like Pink Floyd, Jimi Hendrix, and Led Zeppelin? They have been replaced by guys like Motley Crue, Poison, and fucking Nickelback. What happened to the soulful, lyrical genius of Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, B.I.G., and Grandmaster Flash? They have been replaced with assholes like Lil Wayne, 2Chainz, and other "one word over and over for 5 minutes" guys who can't tell stories or write meaningful lyrics. And now, we have lost sight of what electronic and bass music truly was and transformed it into an entire scene of Ultra Miami (more like Ultra USA now). The same 4 on the floor 128 BPM pattern with the same "electro" sound for 90 minutes, or a slowed down 808 beat stemmed from Southern "Krunk" music while sampling someone saying "POP THE MOLLY IM SWEATIN!" or some stupid shit like that promoting for these kids to pop some dirty pill and get injured or even die. It's shameful, and the whole "wow factor" that once filled the scene with creativity, new sounds, and just one amorphous movement of sights, sounds, and atmosphere has now turned into a whole rockstar-style party to get fucked up and be completely ignorant and stupid. And don't even get me FUCKING STARTED on the whole "Miley Cyrus" and "twerking" trend... It's ruining our youth, and crippling society causing it to implode on itself. same with the whole YMCMB and YOLO/Swag movement...

At least there are a few like me who can go apeshit dancing to Jungle beats for 3 hours and not the whole Miami sound. EDM is ruining the dance music scene and the bass music scene. just my 2 cents. maybe i will make the trek over to Shambhala next August or even Burning Man sometime. these other festivals (EDC, TomorrowWorld, Ultra...) all are starting to sound exactly the same. It's pathetic and boring now, and the last show I went to that truly took me away was probably over a year ago. truly upsetting, but maybe it will turn around again. the whole "yolo and swag" crowd always finds a way to ruin everything for the rest of us.
 
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