Amplify Presents | U OUT TN?

Whether it‘s the global soundwaves sent out from UK sound system culture or Rave, the indelible impact of Detroit Techno or Chicago House on mainstream pop culture or Baile Funk transplanting itself onto American HipHop via TikTok, club culture has proven itself time and time again to be the point of origin for cultural movements that have swept across the world.

The Hacienda, Plastic People, Studio 54, Air, Berghain. The list of iconic, cultural epicentres from which these movements are born is endless.

THE CRADLE OF CULTURE

From localised, subcultural communities, united within the sweat soaked walls of spaces designed to incubate ideas and identities, to global cultural phenomena, it’s not just sounds that break out and resonate the world over – nightclubs are factories of fashion, dance and social evolutions as much as they are springboards for musical innovation.

Why are the spaces and places that we congregate at night such a powerful cradle of cultural innovation? Artistic innovation may often come from individuals, but its power to truly inspire and influence en mass comes from group adoption and the evolution and honing of ideas made possible through collaboration, real time connection and collective momentum.

Often, that happens in the spaces and places we congregate at night, disconnected from the mainstream and the pressures that come with it. Built upon shared values, self expression and acceptance, these spaces operate under different rules to those we are controlled by in the day, bursting into life after hours when society’s controlling forces retreat into the shadows.

That collective experience, in spaces where communities can set their own rules of engagement and seek out small freedoms and likeminded connections, is where the magic of the nightlife experience lies, at odds with and ever more necessary in the face of our increasingly digital cultural experience.

Coming together at night offers us a real time experience unlike any other and it’s no wonder then that these acts of congregating under the cover of darkness are said to have genuine benefits on our health as much as our cultural welfare.

88% said clubbing improved their mental wellbeing

The power and myriad benefits of these kinds of nightlife experiences need little validation, but in the face of global pressures and the resulting metamorphosis of youth behaviours and attitudes, global nightlife is experiencing its own evolution, proclaimed to be in a terminal state by many yet showing signs of resistance and resurgence…

“It goes without saying that the club experience is a collective experience - it gains much of its power from people experiencing the same thing in the same space. Cyberspace is much more individuated. Because it isn’t a ‘space’ in the way that physical space is, you don’t get that sense of coming together… It’s more like being involved in a conversation than being in a crowd.”

Mark Fisher

club death

“In an isolated world, humans need to dance together more than ever – but we’re running out of places to do it”

John Harris, The Guardian

Pre-pandemic, a host of prominent clubs around the world that have long served as vital meeting places for communities and scenes were forced to shut their doors. Emerging from the global experience of Covid into a recession and the problem looks set to worsen.

Heralded as Clubsterben or ‘Club Death’ in Germany, the reasons behind these closures are myriad but gentrification and the increased cost of living are cited as principal factors.

In 2006, there were an estimated 3,000 nightclubs in the UK. By the end of 2019 there were less than half that, and towards the end of 2023 the number stood at just over 1,000.

Rising costs, from rent hikes to increasing economic pressures for touring performers (from April this year application costs for musicians and DJs to legally perform Stateside will go up by more $500), as well as increased enforcement of noise restrictions and more heavy handed policing of inebriated club goers spilling out into the surrounding environs, have been the death knell for many.

The flipside to this is the recent influx of corporate $$$ into clubland. Synonymous with youth culture, brands are starting to realise that electronic music could be big business after seeing it flex its mainstream influence in the music of pop’s big hitters (Dua Lipa, Beyonce, Troye Sivan etc) and watershed moments like Fred Again.. FourTet and Skrillex’s sell out show at MSG.

corporate clubland

Live Nation have made a number of significant acquisitions in the space, including acquiring majority stakes in Hong Kong’s Clockenflap festival and absorbing influential local promoters like Colombia’s PÁRAMO PRESENTA, signalling a trend towards multinational monopolisation, and a subsequent prioritisation of scale and profits, that many fear will marginalise the underground artists and communities that founded these scenes in the first place.

Funding is coming from outside of the industry too, as seen in Rock Star Games’ investment into UK venue operator and promoter Broadwick Live which runs clubs like London’s Drumsheds. While Rock Star does have legitimate ties and a history of promoting club culture, the fact that their investment is targeted at super clubs further signals a shift to maximalism that threatens to diminish the scene’s remaining community focused, intimate venues and experiences.

Despite this investment, and signals that suggest younger generations are tuned in to and engaging in club culture, there are also trends to suggest Gen Z are opting out of going out. The rising cost of living is one of the key factors impacting club goers, as a growing number of people are either deciding to opt for sober nightlife experiences or dip out of clubbing entirely. The subsequent impact on the revenue streams of the clubs themselves is proving to be a hard pill to swallow.

In their study of the reasons behind youth increasingly opting to stay home, Keep Hush found financial difficulties, less interest in drugs and not being able to persuade friends as reasons behind the decline.

The decline in drinking and drug taking amongst Gen Z is a global phenomena that is worsening a dire situation for clubs around the world - During lockdown, Gen Z Australians were the demographic most likely to have put the bottle down, with 44% reporting they were drinking less. 71% of Gen Zs in the country had cut back on going out in 2023. South Korea’s government proposed a monthly allowance of $490 in an attempt to reintegrate its increasingly isolated youth, and in the UK, just one in six of 16-24 year olds took drugs between March 2022 and March 2023, opposed to the third of Gen X students in the 1990s.

“I’d love to go out every weekend but I don’t have the money. You kind of keep quiet about what a struggle it is”

Kyle, 19 (The Guardian)

STAY HOME

STAY SOBER

Culture is blooming in the dark forest

However, by no means is this increasing tendency toward sobriety the sole driver behind younger generations going out less. While both have historically been central pillars of the club experience, alcohol and drugs are enablers of a heightened experience rather than the experience itself. To better understand why younger generations are finding their cultural connection elsewhere, we need to look at how youth culture is shifting and evolving more generally.

Terminally online, Gen Z have migrated much of their time and cultural engagement to the internet, driving a kaleidoscopic fragmentation of culture. In the TikTok era of ‘cores’, Gen Z culture is defined by ever evolving niches and cultural intersections. Social is the new radio, the primary source of music discovery for many young people around the world, and its impact on the shape of music has been seismic, driving an evolution towards ever more niche genres and a state of play that is sound first, artist second.

It’s given us a rebirth of mashups, an increase in BPM, glocalization. The rediscovery of old classics and little known gems and a swathe of genre re-inventions - from Pink Pantheress and Nia Archives’ jungle reboots to DJ Ramon Sucesso’s social-sampling baile funk.

In pursuit of this ever more niche, pluralistic culture, Gen Z are seeking out dark forests of the internet where they can safely connect with their peers and engage in shared passions – much like the role performed by clubs IRL, gated digital channels like Discord and even Roblox are becoming homes for communities looking to come together free from the pressures of the outside world.

As well as this tendency to seek out safe spaces online, Gen Z’s behaviours are also being driven by an ‘access anything, anywhere, anytime’ mentality that has seen the club experience transplant itself online via the likes of Boiler Room, Hör Radio and a host of other online experiences (like Manila’s Minecraft club experience MATRYOSHKA) expedited by the pandemic. These experiences aren’t just more accessible, they offer contact to the culture of clubbing in a more risk free environment.

“Virtual events are so much more open to anyone who, for any reason – finances, age, social anxiety etc – may not be comfortable at, or able to, attend a show in person”

umru, Producer

THE SUBCULTURE

RENAISSANCE

Despite a tendency to engage with culture online, these tight knit communities are increasingly carving out community-centric spaces IRL to congregate and unite, reimagining the club experience on their own terms.

The (actual) underground is thriving, with hyper-local scenes springing up the world over.

Venues like Nowadays (NYC) and The Cause (London) are championing the culture by breaking the format of the overly commercialised, poserfriendly mainstream, heralding a return to no phones on the dancefloor and an enforcement of inclusive community guidelines. In Germany, in the face of ‘Club Death’, illegal raves in Spätis (convenience stores) and in parks and forests are more common than ever, offering an unpretentious return to basics. In pre-pandemic LA, the scene was dominated by celebrity and influencer events, mainstream house and serious techno parties. Now, in keeping with this global DIY resurgence, there are numerous artists and promoters, many of them led by femme and queer POC DJs and collectives, building a flourishing underground in off-grid spaces, from jungle parties in Elysian Park to art installations turned raves.

This DIY resurgence is being driven by independent artists and industry leaders who are reimagining nightlife as a more equitable landscape - as seen via signals like artist “equality riders” that stipulate diverse representation on lineups and independent booking agents forming collectives to increase their odds against the monopolists.

“...it’s been almost four years since Covid rearranged American nightlife, and there’s a new wave of partygoers who lack the baggage of techno snobs or rave’s old guard. They’re seeing this music through fresh eyes and ears and spitting it back out into the world with a kind of post-pandemic mania.”

John Chiaverina, Nina Protocol

SAFE SPACES

Key to this grassroots, DIY revival is the creation of safe spaces, as club goers young and old demand safe spaces

IRL that match those they are carving out online.

As clubbing has been subsumed by the mainstream, safe spaces built upon shared values and a culture that champions diversity have become ever rarer. Historically, clubbing was a lifeline for the Black, brown, and queer communities where it originated. Now, through the rise of queer spaces, support networks and more welcoming environments, we’re seeing a push to recognize its roots and empower the next generation.

“The safe space has been compromised... we have to save the culture by implementing safe space rules. you gotta make sure everybody knows it’s OK, to do this music and dance with people and have human interaction”

Milo, HiTech

CURATING THE VIBE

As well as feeling safe, Gen Z are seeking out more curated experiences that buck the trend of the nightlife of old in favour of more specific vibes.

This behaviour has seen the rise of mindful raving, where people are more selective about the substances they imbibe to elicit specific types of experience, as seen in Michelle Lhooq’s “Shroom raves”, no-alcohol daytime parties with psychedelics.

When it comes to alcohol, while Gen Z are increasingly adopting sobriety, they are also proving themselves to be more selective when it comes to what they drink on nights out, again looking for specific effects or an elevated, sensory experience – certain shots or cocktails at Panorama Bar like the Ernest Hemingway are given as a gift, especially to the sweatier, spaced out revellers – or to participate in a ritual like “vodka mate” where clubbers chug from their bottle of mate to make space for the shot while the bartender waits.

Similarly, there has been a rise in third spaces offering nightlife experiences at a different tempo. Around the world, a recent surge in the popularity of listening bars that provide more intimate, laid back spaces equipped with high end audio equipment signals the want for more considered and curated options.

FOR THE CAUSE

Increasingly, DIY club experiences are pairing music and revelry with community action. Leeds’ Cosmic Slop is a great example, where each party is run in support of local charities like MAP, providing alternative education for West Yorkshire kids at risk of exclusion from the mainstream school system. This increased focus on strengthening a club‘s ties to the local community, its people and its causes can go some way towards safe guardin and promoting the crucial role these spaces can play for local cultural ecosytems.

“That’s the strange thing about Slop, it’s one of the best clubs in the world but it’s actually just a party to support a charity that’s doing really important work”

Floating Points, Producer

YOU‘RE ON THE LIST

As well as more curated and diverse experiences popping up to cater to the needs of Gen Z, we’re also seeing the rise of the over-25s club night as a signal that club goers want a more regulated experience where they can congregate with like minded people.

Whether its Annie Mac’s early rave Before Midnight, DJ Jyoty’s Homegrown which caters to people who are “fading out of the club scene” or the recent Pxssy Palace 30+ Valentine’s Day party, a plethora of highly targeted experiences are providing safer, more rewarding experiences for audiences that don’t want any aggro.

“The holy grail of nightlife is a truly mixed party…you need older, younger. You need queer, straight, you know, every kind of identity there to make for a truly fun party that will recur week after week.”

Victor P Corona, Author of Night Class

Arguably though, the essence of a truly transcendent nightlife experience lies in welcoming a truly mixed crowd, united under community rules and a culture of respect, creating an environment that is welcoming to all and built upon inclusion.

BRANDS AFTER DARK

A number of brands have begun to step in to facilitate this new wave of DIY, audience centric nightlife experiences, targeting key points of tension within the scene.

Addressing the fact that 62% of Gen Z-ers feel unsafe on a night out, Desparados announced their Doorperson Diploma, a security staff education programme in partnership with a global training organisation, the Good Night Out Campaign that aims to address key concerns amongst a new generation of club goers around the safety and welcoming nature of the spaces they are entering.

Similarly, initiatives like Jaegermeister’s Save the Night and Smirnoff’s Equalize Music were set up to address key issues in nightlife culture, namely gender diversity and funding opportunities for new initiatives. While undeniably rooted in real world problems and tackling important causes, the proof of causal brand initiatives is in long term commitment and backing to make a genuine difference and cement a brand’s role in culture.

NTS x Diesel TRACKS, a collection of experiences exploring the future of experimental nightlife and club culture across the globe is another good example of brands stepping up to shine a light on new emergent movements that extends the focus to the creative ecosystems that sit at the beating heart of club sceneskey DJ and their collective create a 30-minute radio mix and a Spotify playlist dedicated to 27 upcoming local artists, allowing global listeners to discover new sounds.

1. Open up access

For audiences that are opting out of nightlife experiences due to financial constraints, brands can play the role of facilitator by hosting accessible events and experiences that cater to the needs of audiences looking to engage in the culture on a budget - whether IRL or online.

2. Dive into subcultures

As youth audiences create ever more niche subcultural scenes, brands shouldn’t stress about identifying particular cultural verticals or a singular cultural role - rather they should be nimble enough to speak to multiple subcultures and carve out roles in those spaces that suit the needs of those cultural pockets. They should also look for ways they can raise the profile of hidden parts of culture through education and inspiration.

3. Support the ecosystem

While clubbing goes through a period of transformation and faces up to surmounting challenges, brands can play a supportive role (as long as the commitment is genuine) whether that’s funding the emergent DIY movement, supporting local causes or stepping in to keep much loved clubs or scenes afloat.

4. Open up access

For audiences that are opting out of nightlife experiences due to financial constraints, brands can play the role of facilitator by hosting accessible events and experiences that cater to the needs of audiences looking to engage in the culture on a budget - whether IRL or online.

5. Curate the vibe

Countering behaviours and trends towards sobriety, alcohol brands can look at ways in which they can facilitate specific vibes in keeping with young clubbers‘ desire to curate feelings or moods on nights out.

FIVE KEY TAKEOUTS