Dave Anderson <(Address removed)> said:

Hi Natasha,

I'm 35 give or take a year, I can never remember.

I got a couple ideas on a couple of these things, it's something that's
always interested me as well. You gave Lord B a stunningly detailed and
interesting answer to quite a probing set of questions, so here's some
thoughts.

Natasha Footman <(Address removed)> said:

It was the vibe/energya club can generate that interested me most.

I think that's part contact high. I don't have a great understanding of
other dance music forms, but particularly in the house/techno circles
within which I did/do move, the music effectively decommissions the
analytical part of your brain and allows a bit more direct communication
between what you are surrounded by and your experience of it. Or to put
it another way, a trance-meditation like state of constantly
"experiencing" without the interference of a learned "language".

Or to put it another way, if you dance enough, your ego is
decommissioned, and at that point it becomes very easy to enjoy the
company of strangers with no barriers. At that point the music becomes a
thermostat that can be turned up and down on the crowd and everyone goes
together. It's a uniquely fun experience and the fact that this
ego-decommissioning is so alien to every day life makes it all the more
alluring.

In essence then, I think I just want to find out why it is people club,
and why they love it so much - to try and find out what that 'je ne sais
quoi' is. Whether this can be done is another question :P
Tasha

It's a very big and a very small question. I have an occasional random
blog - there are a couple posts where I've touched a bit on this
stuff... one here which via a specific record is also talking about the
decommissioning of the analytic brain, and one here which via a specific
club night hints at the collective dynamics of a properly constructed
night. Might be something in there for you.

As the KLF said:

"it is through dance music and dancing we are able to get momentarily
back to the Garden. Of course, in the clear light of day this is all
very silly".

That is though tongue-in-cheek, completely true if you ask me - and is
also a perfect illustration of what is currently wrong with the "clear
light of day" that we have constructed for ourselves, and why "clubbing"
continues to be attractive.

Of course, kids taking bangers and getting off their heads is also a
reason. But that's just a shortcut to the decommissioning if you ask me
- it can also occur without. It is a good night out, a party, etc, but
there's more under the surface I think.

cheers,

dave