Berlin is heralded worldwide as being a city that is open, innovative and diverse: a true multicultural metropolis. Music plays a central role in the city’s claim to this title. Go to any one of Berlin’s many notorious alternative nightclubs and you will hear techno, house and electronic dance music blasting out to hoards of enthusiastic partygoers. Many of these clubs and their participants claim that these parties represent diversity, acceptance, equality and tolerance: Spaces within which social divisions are suspended, difference is overcome and people are united. This ubiquitous discursive assertion is referred to in this thesis as a “diversity discourse”. This “diversity discourse” will be deconstructed and situated within a wider political context, with a specific focus on perceptions of race, ethnicity, sexuality and gender. Engaging with theories of intersectionality, post-colonial theory (looking specifically at Jasbir Puar’s important work on homonationalism) and employing qualitative methods such as in-depth interviews and autoethnographic inquiry, it will be argued that the “diversity discourse” works as a mask to conceal a reality of social segregation. Far from being sites of equality and diversity, it will be suggested that access to these nightclubs is premised on the possession of societal privilege. That being said, it will also be argued that research into EDM nightclub participation refrain from viewing these clubs within a binary framework of “good” or “bad”; Rather, they should be seen as complex sites of ambivalence, within which multiple identities are acted out and explored. The project contributes to the current body of work within the (post-) discipline of intersectional gender studies, arguing for the need for theorisations in the field to encompass notions of intersecting privilege and disadvantage.

This thesis looks at electronic dance music (EDM) celebrity and fandom through the eyes of four producers on Twitter. Twitter was initially designed as a conversation platform, loosely based on the idea of instant-messaging but emerged in its current form as a micro-blog social network in 2009. EDM artists count on the website to promote their music, engage with fans, discover new songs, and contact each other. More specifically, Twitter is an extension of a celebrity’s private life, as most celebrities access Twitter from their cellphones and personal computers, cutting out gatekeepers from controlling their image. Four power player producers in EDM are used as case studies for analysis of the intimacy and reach Twitter provides. Chosen because of their visibility, style, and recognition, Deadmau5, Diplo, Skrillex, and Tiësto represent different EDM subgenres, run their own record labels, have dedicated fans, and are accessible through social media. All use Twitter to announce shows, interact with fans, promote contests and merchandise, and share stories and pictures of their personal lives with their fan followers. Tweets are a direct line for fans to communicate with these celebrities through the reply, retweet (RT), and mention functions on Twitter. Fan tweets to and from these EDM celebrities are also examined by looking at celebrity-fan encounters in the cyber world and the real world, aftereffects of celebrity RTs, and engagement with said celebrities. The internet is the lifeline for this subculture as it changed the way EDM is shared, promoted, and packaged. Twitter and other social media sites give producers the exposure they never experienced with traditional media and allow fans to participate in a global subculture. To sum up, this is a study on how Twitter influenced EDM and personalized the relationship between producers and fans. / text

As the popularity of mashups attests, individual songs and their increasingly irrelevant prepackaged albums no longer seem to constitute a finished product to many who listen to them. Instead individual songs often serve as raw ingredients for use in another recipe – the playlist, the mix, the mashup – which those who buy the songs make and exchange. The strict division between producers and consumers, which the music industry exploited very productively throughout the twentieth century, seems to be breaking down, and I conclude that the mashup models a different, more fluid relationship between musical consumption and production. In this dissertation, I examine mashups from a music theoretical point of view. I argue that the mashup represents an important musical genre with distinguishing characteristics and its own historical development. Chapter 1 defines the mashup and devises a typology that classifies the genre based on two characteristics: number of songs combined and the mode of their combination (vertical or horizontal). This typology leads to the division of the mashup into four distinct subtypes. Chapter 2 discusses significant legal challenges raised by the mashup, especially with respect to copyright. Mashups – at least in recorded form – began as an underground, largely non-commercial phenomenon, due to the cost and difficulty of obtaining permission to use another artist’s recording. I also examine various pertinent musical lawsuits and discuss their influence on the way mashup artists make and distribute their works. Chapter 3 probes the historical factors that led to the development of mashups, including sampling in hip hop music (both recorded and live), collage techniques in art music, and looping and mixing by club DJs. Chapter 4 investigates the aesthetics of the mashup. Critics in the popular press and on the internet judge mashups without specifying the musical characteristics that make a particular mashup successful. This chapter seeks to locate the aesthetic principles that govern mashup production. Using commentary by mashup artists as well as transcription and analysis of several mashups, I divide these aesthetic principles into two categories: construction and meaning. I then develop a list of characteristics that mashup artists aim for when creating their tracks. / text

Informacinė sklaida šiomis dienomis yra kaip niekad intensyvi ir įvairialypė. Komunikacinių kanalų gausa ir įvairovė sukuria galimybę aktyviai dalyvauti komunikaciniuose procesuose net pačioms mažiausioms ir uždariausioms visuomenės grupėms. Nuo to, kokiais visuomenės informavimo kanalais ir kokio pobūdžio informacija skelbiama apie tam tikrą grupę, gali priklausyti tiek jos visuomeninio įvaizdžio kaita, tiek tolimesnės raidos tendencijos. Elektroninės šokių muzikos subkultūra – viena iš įdomesnių sociokultūrinių grupių, kurios komunikacijos pobūdis su žiniasklaida ir yra šio darbo objektas. Darbe užsibrėžtas tikslas atskleisti žiniasklaidos ir elektroninės šokių muzikos subkultūros santykį, įvertinti šio santykio kiekybinius ir kokybinius pokyčius per dešimtmetį, išryškinti komunikacinius ypatumus bei išsiaiškinti komunikacijos privalumus ir trūkumus. Tyrimo hipotezės teigia, kad šiandien elektroninės šokių muzikos subkultūros ir žiniasklaidos bendradarbiavimas intensyvesnis nei prieš dešimtmetį, žiniasklaida subkultūrą reprezentuoja pozityviau, retesnis probleminis žinučių kontekstas. Užsibrėžtam tikslui pasiekti bei hipotezėms patikrinti išsikelti uždaviniai apžvelgti su subkultūra susijusius pranešimus naujienų portale Delfi.lt 2001m., 2002m. ir 2009m. spalio ir lapkričio mėnesiais bei naudojant interviu metodą apklausti ekspertus: elektroninės šokių muzikos subkultūros atstovus, žiniasklaidos priemonių redaktorius bei kultūros tyrimų specialistus. Teorinėje darbo dalyje... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Information spread nowadays is more intensive and miscellaneous than ever. Plenty of various communication channels enable even the smallest and most reserved society groups to participate in communication processes actively. The choice of certain communication channels and information, that should be published, may influence the changes of the group‘s public image as well as further development of it. Electronic dance music subculture is one of the most interesting sociocultural groups, therefore its communication with mass media has been chosen as the object of this paperwork. The goal of this paperwork is to reveal the relation between electronic dance music subculture and the media, to evaluate both quantitative and qualitative changes of this relation during the last decade, to highlight the most important features of the communication of this subculture, to find its main advantages and disadvantages. The hypothesis of the research suggests that the electronic dance music subculture is more visible in the media than it was a decade ago, that the problematic context of the messages is rarer, and the content of the messages is more positive and commercial. In order to achieve the chosen goal and to prove the hypothesis there were messages about the subculture, published in the news portal delfi.lt in October–November of 2001, 2002 and 2009, examined, and several experts – electronic dance music subculture members, media editors and culture researchers – interviewed. The... [to full text]

This thesis is the result of more than ten years involvement with outdoor dance events in Aotearoa, with a specific focus on Te Wai Pounamu (South Island) and Otautahi (Christchurch). Two symbiotic themes are explored here – that of the significance of the landscape in inspiring a conversion to tribal-based spirituality at the events, and the role of the music in ‘painting’ a picture of Aotearoa in sound, with an emphasis on those musicians heard in the outdoor dance zones. With no major publications or studies specific to Aotearoa to reference, a framework based on global post-rave culture has been included in each chapter so that similarities and differences to Aotearoa dance culture may be established. Using theoretical frameworks that include Hakim Bey’s TAZ (Temporary Autonomous Zone), the carnivalesque, and tribalism, the overriding theme to emerge is that of utopia, a concept that in Aotearoa is also central to the Pākehā mythology that often stands in for a hidden violent colonial history, of which te Tiriti o Waitangi (the Treaty of Waitangi) has been a source of division since it was signed in 1840. Thus, in the Introduction several well-known local songs have been discussed in relation to both the Pākehā mythology and the history of te Tiriti in order to contextualise the discussion of the importance of Māori and Pākehā integration in the dance zones in the following chapters. The thesis comprises of two main themes: the events and the music. At the events I took a participatory-observer approach that included working as rubbish crew, which provided a wealth of information about the waste created by the organisers and vendors, and the packaging brought in by the dancers. Thus the utopian visions that were felt on the dancefloor are balanced with descriptions of the dystopian reality that when the dancers and volunteers go home, becomes the responsibility of a strong core of ‘afterparty’ crew. Musically, the development of a local electronic sound that is influenced by the environmental soundscape, along with the emergence of a live roots reggae scene that promotes both positivity and political engagement, has aided spiritual conversion in the dance zones. Whereas electronic acts and DJ’s were the norm at the Gathering a decade ago, in 2008 the stages at dance events are a mixture of electronic and live acts, along with DJ’s, and most of the performers are local. Influenced by a strong reggae movement in Aotearoa, along with Jamaican/UK dance styles such as dub and drum and bass, local ‘roots’ musicians are weaving a new philosophy that is based on ancient tribal practices, environmentalism and the aroha (love) principles of outdoor dance culture. The sound of the landscape is in the music, whilst the vocals outline new utopian visions for Aotearoa that acknowledge the many cultures that make up this land. Thus, in Aotearoa dance music lies the kernel of hope that Aotearoa dance culture may yet evolve to fulfil its potential.

This thesis documents the artistic connections made between composers and choreographers in Australia during the period 1960-2000. These 40 years saw a growth in the establishment of dance companies, resulting in many opportunities for composers to write original music for original dance works. The findings of original dance-music are tabulated in an extensive database giving details of 208 composers and over 550 music compositions written specifically for dance. Examples of choreographer and composer collaborative relationships and attitudes to each other???s artforms are discussed. Further examination of how these relationships have affected the sound of the music is detailed in four case studies. These concern the works The Display (music by Malcolm Williamson, choreography by Robert Helpmann, 1964), Poppy (music by Carl Vine, choreography by Graeme Murphy, 1978), Ochres (music by David Page, choreography by Stephen Page, 1994), and Fair Exchanges (music by Warren Burt and Ros Bandt, choreography by Shona Innes, 1989). These case studies look at dancemusic collaborated in different styles: ballet, modern dance, dance-theatre and experimental dance. This discussion is carried out through the analysis of the context of the collaborative relationships, and the temporal and interpretive aspects of the original dance-music. It is found through the investigation of collaborative relationships and discussion of these case studies, that similar methods of writing are used when composing music for theatrical dance, regardless of the type of dance. These methods show that composers have intentionally crafted scores that fulfil needs in the dance works and that are suited to choreographers??? intentions. Importantly, it is also found that involvement with dance has influenced some composers??? styles, aided musical innovation and added significantly to the corpus of Australian music.

This thesis argues that the work of the artist David McDiarmid is to be read as an enactment of late twentieth century gay male and queer politics. It will analyse how both the idea and the cultural specificity of ???America??? impacted on the work of this Australian artist resident in New York from 1979 to 1987. The thesis examines how African American music, The Beats, notions of ???hip??? and ???cool???, street art and graffiti, the underground dance club Paradise Garage, street cruising and gay male urban culture influenced the sensibility and the materiality of the artist???s work. McDiarmid???s cultural practice of dress and adornment, it is proposed, forms an essential part of his creative oeuvre and of the ???queer worldmaking??? which is the driver of his creative achievements. The thesis proposes that McDiarmid was a Proto-queer artist before the politics of queer emerged in the 1980s and that his work, including his own life-as-art practices of dress and adornment, enact a mobile rather than fixed gay male identity.

This thesis argues that the work of the artist David McDiarmid is to be read as an enactment of late twentieth century gay male and queer politics. It will analyse how both the idea and the cultural specificity of ???America??? impacted on the work of this Australian artist resident in New York from 1979 to 1987. The thesis examines how African American music, The Beats, notions of ???hip??? and ???cool???, street art and graffiti, the underground dance club Paradise Garage, street cruising and gay male urban culture influenced the sensibility and the materiality of the artist???s work. McDiarmid???s cultural practice of dress and adornment, it is proposed, forms an essential part of his creative oeuvre and of the ???queer worldmaking??? which is the driver of his creative achievements. The thesis proposes that McDiarmid was a Proto-queer artist before the politics of queer emerged in the 1980s and that his work, including his own life-as-art practices of dress and adornment, enact a mobile rather than fixed gay male identity.

This thesis argues that the work of the artist David McDiarmid is to be read as an enactment of late twentieth century gay male and queer politics. It will analyse how both the idea and the cultural specificity of ???America??? impacted on the work of this Australian artist resident in New York from 1979 to 1987. The thesis examines how African American music, The Beats, notions of ???hip??? and ???cool???, street art and graffiti, the underground dance club Paradise Garage, street cruising and gay male urban culture influenced the sensibility and the materiality of the artist???s work. McDiarmid???s cultural practice of dress and adornment, it is proposed, forms an essential part of his creative oeuvre and of the ???queer worldmaking??? which is the driver of his creative achievements. The thesis proposes that McDiarmid was a Proto-queer artist before the politics of queer emerged in the 1980s and that his work, including his own life-as-art practices of dress and adornment, enact a mobile rather than fixed gay male identity.

This thesis is an investigation of the significance of Mhande song-dance in two performance contexts: the Mutoro ritual of the Karanga and the Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Competition. In addition, I undertake comparative analysis of the structure of Mhande music in relation to the structure of selected genres of Shona indigenous music. The position of Mhande in the larger context of Shona music is determined through analysis of transcriptions of the rhythmic, melodic and harmonic elements of chizambi mouth bow, karimba mbira, ngororombe panpipes, ngano story songs, game, hunting, war, and love songs. Mhande is an indigenous song-dance performed for the mutoro ceremony, the annual rain ritual of the Karanga. The Mhande repertoire consists of distinctive songs and rhythms used for communicating with the majukwa rain spirits. The rain spirits in turn communicate with God (Mwari) the provider of rain, on behalf of the Karanga. Mhande song-dance is performed exactly the same way in the annual Chibuku Neshamwari Traditional Dance Competitions as in the ritual context of the mutoro ceremony. However, in the context of the Competition, it is used for the expression of joy and as a form of cultural identity. The Competition is a forum in which Karanga songdance traditions such as Mhande, compete with other Shona song-dance traditions such as mbakumba, shangara and chinyambera. I contextualize and analyse Mhande song-dance by using the ‘Matonjeni Model’, which in terms of Karanga epistemology, is culture specific. This Model is grounded in description, interpretation and analysis; the primary methods in my research process.