I see promoters throw this word into every party they do in my city. Often it's for a house music party or trance music party etc. I can't help to think, can these genres still be recognized as underground? To me Carl Cox and Tiesto are both part of mainstream culture nowadays. These guys play for stadium sized audiences!
I think back in the days underground meant more than just the fact that it wasn't played on mainstream radio or that it was music with a very small audience. Underground was also a physical thing as in the availability of the music. If a record was pressed in 300 copies, then that was it. Not only that, you'd have to know about that little special shop where you could find such a record. Nowadays, all
music is equally available with no limits. You'll find your latest pop hit and that remixed grime track side by side on iTunes.
Can the word underground even be used still when talking of music? With Facebook everyone and their grandma know where and when to go to your "secret" underground party. Everyone has all the same tracks you do within minutes of attending your party with a little help from Shazam.
As a dj, there's no barriers either it seems, I can just show up anywhere with a USB stick and a sync button ready to rock. In the underground scene there doesn't seem to be any rights of passage anymore.
So what does the word underground mean to you, is it still a word that means anything in the music scene? And if so what does it mean?
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