Episode 37: Love of the Underground

Pop culture. Sub-culture. Counter-culture. Mainstream vs. underground. Where are these lines drawn, and why? In episode 37 of The Passionate DJ Podcast, we explore the ins-and-outs of what we call "The Underground". Is underground music a sound, or an attitude? Is it determined by the amount of money involved, or the size of the culture? These days, it's hard to truly lock down what it means to be underground. Today's modern technological climate has put us in a state of constant connection... something that isn't inherently bad, but it does seem to have extreme effects on scenes which took a lot of sweat-equity to build. The effect of “being wired to everyone 24/7” means we all have access to everything. As it turns out, in 2016, scarcity is scarce. We find that many of today's artists are in somewhat of a gray area. Are acts like Skrillex and Deadmau5 pop artists, underground artists, or somewhere in-between? If you consider them mainstream, what was the defining point at which they became pop stars? What becomes popular in the mainstream often starts in the underground, and is accelerated by exploiting pieces of a subculture into the most extreme version of itself. As Tony says, "Once something becomes cool, they start going for the wrong reasons." We also discuss the role that geographic location plays. Can something be described as underground, merely as a result of how under-represented it is in a particular part of the world? Finally, we discuss how keeping it “too underground” can mean going stale. In order for anything to progress, it needs to change. All this and more, in this week's episode of the Passionate DJ Podcast. Give it a listen, and if you appreciate what you hear... please take a moment to leave us an honest review on iTunes. This type of thing helps us more than you may realize. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/the-passionate-dj-podcast/id874338547?mt=2 Thanks folks, and we'll see you next week! @Tony-DeSaro @TripTurlington