Musing on music re-education with chairman Mael

It’s a new year, and the promoters, DJs and miscreants of the Beijing dance scene have reviewed, rewound and (attempted to) remember the past year’s failures and successes in order to make their annual New Year’s resolutions. For 2008, a number of Beijing promoters–the names of whom will be withheld to protect the innocent–are discussing music “education programs,” which would teach locals and foreigners the cool categories in dance music culture.

It's true that most of the clubbers hopping next to the DJ booth would be hard pressed to demarcate the boundaries between house, techno and breakbeat, not to mention niche genres. (Hyphy House anyone? How bout Crunkstep or Baltimore Club?)

To address this troubling lack of vocabulary tests in the Beijing club scene, a number of promoters are asking tough questions like the following: Can people become infatuated with electronic music without knowing what genre it is? Is some schooling not needed to explain the esoteric electronic music world to the Chinese clubber?

“That’s patronizing”, declares Beijing-based, French DJ Mael, who has the kismet to be crashed on my couch while I write for this column. “People are smart enough to do their own research if they like the music a DJ plays.”

As electronic music in China has developed differently than its counterparts in the West, the term “education” in regards to music events does sounds condescending, implying that the local clubber’s current tastes are misguided.

More importantly, what would such an “education” mean in practice? Would it mean promoters and event organizers would “define” what house or drum ‘n’ bass music is according to their own descriptions? Is not simply holding a non-mainstream music event “education” enough?

Mael again chimes in, “Look at the Beijing rock scene, nobody came in with an 'education' program, it’s been ‘DIY’ growth. People in music work on what they’re passionate about and sometimes it catches on and grows.” Fair point: Any Beijing music event organizer in it for the money is woefully misguided.
“You don’t have to be a preacher to promote your music,” continues Mael, “If someone doesn’t like it that doesn’t mean her tastes are wrong.”

So how can we promoters spread dance music diction without a stick of chalk and a ruler? A wise (chair) man once said “You want to know the taste of a pear, you must change the pear by eating it yourself. . . All genuine knowledge originates in direct experience.”

Dan Stephenson