Deep Dive – Dance Chronicles Part 2
In the first part of our deep dive, we explored the roots of dance music in the United States. But the story doesn’t end there: in Part Two, the journey takes us to Europe, where we take a closer look at how Berlin became the new home of techno and how the UK revolutionized club culture with ecstatic raves. We examine how trance and EDM brought dance music into the mainstream, giving rise to digital platforms like Boiler Room, while future beats, African rhythms, and genre hybrids opened new paths. How did all of this shape today’s musical landscape – and what role does the “underground” still play? Let’s dive in!
Berlin: The New Home of Techno
With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, East Berlin opened up and the city entered a period of transformation. The former no-man’s-land of the wall became a space between East and West searching for new forms of expression. Amid abandoned factories, decommissioned power plants, vacant housing blocks, and decaying warehouses, pioneers of electronic music found the perfect breeding ground – remnants of a collapsed planned economy waiting to be filled with new life. Detroit techno, represented by artists like Juan Atkins, Jeff Mills, and Kevin Saunderson, found a new home in Berlin. Clubs like Tresor, a former bank vault founded by German cultural manager Dimitri Hegemann, became key centers of the emerging scene. Here, the raw, futuristic sound from Detroit met Berlin’s wild, experimental subculture – a scene shaped by underground club culture, anarchist attitudes, and creative freedom, coming alive in the city’s abandoned industrial buildings.
Berlin offered everything Detroit lacked: space, freedom, and an audience ready to dance all night long. Dimitri Hegemann recognized the potential of this innovative musical direction and created Tresor as a platform that gave Detroit’s sound a home in Berlin. The anarchic atmosphere of the early 1990s was mirrored in the music. Techno became the soundtrack of a city redefining its identity – free, loud, and unfiltered. From the raw sounds in Tresor and the epic nights at Berghain to the high-energy Love Parade that turned Berlin’s streets into a pulsating techno festival, the city developed a scene that set artistic and commercial standards alike.
Yet despite its evolution, Berlin techno remains true to its roots. Labels such as Ostgut Ton, known for its connection to Berghain, and Tresor, whose history is closely tied to Detroit origins, honor this tradition. To this day, Detroit techno legends like Juan Atkins and Robert Hood return to Berlin regularly to perform at Tresor – a testament to the deep connection between the two cities. Releases like the clear-vinyl box Tresor 30 celebrate this global link. While Berlin has continuously transformed techno, the spirit of individuality, rebellion, and cultural innovation remains its unmistakable foundation.
Sound of Berlin: Ellen Allien at Tresor 2000
UK Rave: Ecstasy in the Fields
While Berlin was reinventing itself in clubs and basements, a completely different but equally influential movement was taking shape in the United Kingdom. Since the late 1980s, acid house propelled electronic music out of the clubs and onto open fields and into nature. DJs like Paul Oakenfold, Danny Rampling, and Nicky Holloway, inspired by the hedonistic open-air parties of Ibiza, brought the unrestrained club experience to the British underground. In London, iconic raves such as Shoom and Spectrum emerged, fusing acid house with Ibiza’s freedom-loving vibe. The influence of clubs like the Haçienda in Manchester and Amnesia in Ibiza was crucial in popularizing both the club culture and the new musical style.
The Haçienda, with its industrial charm and pulsating acid house sound, quickly became a hotspot for a scene searching for new freedoms. Strict club laws and police surveillance in the UK increasingly pushed the growing acid house movement outdoors – onto remote fields, abandoned warehouses, and industrial spaces. Inspired by the legendary parties at Amnesia in Ibiza, the freedom of the open air became the heart of rave culture – a rebellious alternative to the regulated club scene.
This openness continued in British rave culture, which quickly evolved from a subculture into a mass movement. With acid house and its signature TB-303 bassline, the new sound resonated with a British youth seeking escapism and community. The political and social climate under the conservative and authoritarian Thatcher government, marked by unemployment and social tension, intensified the desire for escape and freedom. Raves emerged as rebellious responses to rigid societal norms: here, social status or background didn’t matter, there were no age limits or hierarchies. In the ecstasy of dancing, class distinctions and everyday norms such as dress codes and social conventions disappeared. Raves became spaces where individual freedom, connection, and equality were central – a clear act of resistance against the social and political constraints of the time.
Tracks like “Voodoo Ray” by A Guy Called Gerald (1989) and “Pacific State” by 808 State (1989) became anthems of this new era. The movement was defined by an open, inclusive, and hedonistic atmosphere that reflected the carefree drive for ecstasy and collective experience. With their hypnotic beats and sunshine vibes, these tracks expressed a culture where drugs were often used as a means to escape daily life. This atmosphere left a lasting imprint on the British dance music scene.
1980s UK Rave, 1989, Acid House, Dancing
Trance and EDM: From Ecstatic Underground to Commercial Mainstream
Following the rise of the UK rave culture and Berlin’s techno scene, both defined by their raw energy and rebellious spirit, the 1990s brought a new demand within electronic music: the pursuit of musical ecstasy, embodied by trance. Trance differs from traditional dance music – it is a journey that engages listeners both physically and mentally. With its melodic energy, driving beats, and hypnotic loops, trance created a sound that simultaneously released emotions and evoked almost spiritual vibes. Artists like Sven Väth in Germany, with his charismatic stage presence, and Tiësto in the Netherlands, with his melodic sets, fulfilled this desire for music that went beyond the moment of dancing – connecting audiences to a universal, collective energy. Hits like Väth’s “An Accident in Paradise” (1992) and Tiësto’s remix of “Silence” (1999) exemplified this sound, which conquered not only clubs but also major festivals worldwide.
With the increasing digitalization and the global boom of electronic dance music in the 2000s, trance finally secured its place in the mainstream. The sound, which originally emerged as a niche form of expression, could now be heard everywhere – from the biggest festivals to radio stations. This development gradually transformed the dance music landscape: music once considered innovative and experimental became increasingly commercialized. By the 2010s, Electronic Dance Music (EDM), as the popular branch of electronic music, took the reins. Major festivals like Tomorrowland in Belgium and Ultra Music Festival in Miami celebrated the mass-appealing, polished tracks of EDM stars such as Avicii, Martin Garrix, and David Guetta. EDM focused on large drops, catchy melodies, and a sonic aesthetic designed to appeal to wide audiences. The emphasis on commercial success and profit increasingly overshadowed the experimental, innovative aspects that had defined the early days of electronic dance music. A genre once driven by creative vision gradually became an industry. According to Forbes, Tiësto earned nearly $38 million in 2016, making him one of the highest-paid musicians worldwide. Festivals like Tomorrowland and Ultra highlight the financial boom of the scene: Tomorrowland expanded from a single event in 2012 to ten in 2017, while Ultra grew from three to 21 events, underscoring the growing commercial dimension of the EDM industry (IMS Report 2017).
Underground Revival
After trance and EDM brought electronic music into the mainstream, the digital revolution opened new ways to experience music. Livestream formats such as Boiler Room revolutionized club culture by making small, intimate events accessible to a global audience. What was once exclusive to the club scene suddenly became visible to everyone.
Founded in 2010, Boiler Room relied on a simple yet effective concept: a DJ set in an intimate location, limited to a small number of attendees, but streamed globally. This mix of exclusivity and accessibility allowed underground music to reach a worldwide audience. Artists like Kaytranada, Skepta, and Nina Kraviz, previously known only locally, found international followings. At the same time, established day-one artists from the Chicago/Detroit house and techno scenes, such as Honey Dijon, DJ Minx, and Frankie Knuckles, were introduced to broader audiences. Boiler Room thus helped bring the origins of these genres into the spotlight and conveyed the deeply rooted history of electronic music to the world.
DJ Minx Boiler Room Detroit DJ Set (2015)
Honey Dijon Boiler Room Berlin DJ Set (2017)
By streaming these events, the concept of “underground” was redefined. What was normally considered an exclusive, analog space became visible and democratized through the platform. Boiler Room conveyed the underground character of the music by preserving the raw, unpolished feel of the club scene while simultaneously reaching new generations of music fans and DJs. Boiler Room and similar formats like Dekmantel Podcast, Mixmag Live, or RA (Resident Advisor) Sessions have blurred the lines between underground and mainstream, taking access to electronic music to an entirely new level.
2010s to Today: Future & Afro Beats and Genre Hybrids – The Future of Dance Music?
With the rise of digital music platforms such as SoundCloud and Mixcloud in the late 2000s, the boundaries between genres and origins increasingly blurred. Artists and DJs from all over the world could now share their music directly with a global audience and began launching their own radio shows and mixes. This development paved the way in the early 2010s for new, cross-genre music cultures that could thrive in a globally connected world.
A prime example of this is Soulection, a collective founded in 2011 in Los Angeles by DJs Joe Kay and Andre Power. Soulection quickly evolved into a distinct genre through its fresh and experimental radio shows, representing a mix of future beats, R&B, hip-hop, and electronic music. Artists like Haitian-Canadian producer Kaytranada, known for his groovy beats that blend R&B, electronica, house, and funk (his Boiler Room set is one of the most streamed of all time), and the production genius Sango, who enriched countless parties with a fresh fusion of dance music and Brazilian baile funk, set new standards. They merged genres like UK bass, garage, grime, and jungle, shaping a new, cross-genre music culture. Through digital connectivity, the exchange of ideas and creative visions became theoretically accessible to everyone – a trend that would profoundly reshape the dance music scene.
Sound on: Soulection Radioshow 178 (2014)
This development was further fueled by live-streaming formats like Boiler Room, Dekmantel Podcast, and Mixmag Live. Here, DJs and producers not only had the opportunity to perform for a global audience but also to showcase their creativity independently, without major label support. These platforms became game-changers for the evolution of dance music and important hubs for the scene.
Afrobeats and Amapiano: A New/Old Global Wave
At the same time, the dance music scene experienced a groundbreaking return to its roots with the global rise of Afrobeats and Amapiano. These genres, originating in South and West Africa, have profoundly influenced not only dance music but the entire global music landscape. They introduced a new musical aesthetic embraced by superstars such as U.S. R&B singer Beyoncé on her album The Lion King: The Gift (2019) and British artist Jorja Smith in All of This (2021).
Afrobeats is a broad genre that combines various West African music styles, such as Juju and Highlife, with modern electronic elements. It gained international popularity in the 2010s. Artists from Ghana and Nigeria, such as rapper Sarkodie with “U Go Kill Me” (2012) and global superstars Wizkid with “Ojuelegba” (2015) and Burna Boy with “African Giant” (2019), brought the sound to worldwide recognition. With catchy melodies, driving rhythms, and a mix of dancehall, hip-hop, and highlife, Afrobeats represents not only an energetic musical style but also a positive outlook on life deeply rooted in West African traditions.
At the same time, Amapiano, a more subtle and minimalist style emerging in South Africa at the end of the 2010s, experienced a remarkable rise. The term Amapiano, meaning “the pianos” in Zulu, combines house, jazz, and kwaito – a genre that emerged in the 1990s from a mix of boogie, rap, house, and African grooves, heavily influenced by post-apartheid culture. The sound is characterized by distinctive piano melodies and bass-heavy beats, creating an organic, danceable flow. In recent years, Amapiano has gained massive traction on TikTok. South African artists and DJs such as Kabza De Small (“Never“, 2018), DJ “Tastemaker” DBN Gogo, and the trendy DJ duo TxC have become defining faces of the genre. Amapiano is more than just a hype – it is a cultural phenomenon, driven especially by women on social media and platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram, becoming a globally celebrated lifestyle.
This is Amapiano: TxC für Boiler Room – Dance Guaranteed!
Both genres consciously connect to the roots of dance music. They bring back the traditional rhythms, melodies, and vibes that formed the foundation of disco and house in the ’70s and ’80s – genres that were themselves influenced by African-American and African music cultures. Afrobeats and Amapiano merge these traditional elements with today’s digital era, creating a fresh, modern sound that evokes nostalgia while simultaneously exploring new, innovative directions.
It is clear that the 2010s were marked by a kind of “recycling effect.” Rather than entirely new musical directions, the era was dominated by exciting reinterpretations, remixes, edits, and samples of classic sounds from around the world. This trend brings the past into the present, allowing nostalgic sounds to flourish anew with a modern finish. A vivid example of this development is Book Club Radio. Founded in 2023, the platform focuses on amplifying unknown sounds and offers an alternative perspective on musical heritage – without losing sight of creative progress.
Sound Check: DJ Nico’s Genre-Blending Mix – From Ghetto Tech to Future Beats and 2010s Hip Hop Classics
Conclusion
The role of the DJ has changed significantly over time: back then, DJs played their latest tracks on small dancefloors, often from an inconspicuous booth at the edge of the room, or shared their mixtapes with a small, select audience. Today, it’s completely different: DJs are no longer just background figures at a party—they are at the center of it all. They shape not only the mood through their track selection but also through their performance, directing the energy of the crowd.
Despite easier access, the “underground” character of dance music must constantly be reinvented and fought for. The digital world has blurred the line between mainstream and underground. Yet the scene, the feeling, and the atmosphere remain in constant motion, always searching for new ways to assert themselves outside commercial currents. Through digitalization and platforms like SoundCloud, Boiler Room, and others, the significance of the underground has been reinterpreted and made more accessible. How this looks today is explored in more depth in Dancefloor Politics, showing how the underground continues to play a changed yet central role even today.
But what does all this mean for the future? Moments of major musical innovation will likely become rarer. Instead, new movements like Afrofuturism, Future Beats, creative edits, and sophisticated remixes are emerging as the artistic foundation for the coming years. We argue that the future of dance music will not arise from radically new ideas. Instead, the current scene leans on trends like Afrofuturism, Future Beats, and creative edits – they take the familiar, add their own twist, and develop something fresh that looks forward. One thing is likely: the future of dance music will be written in the underground –perhaps even on your next dancefloor.
Teaser: 1995-04-08 Vibe Tribe 09 (10937582).jpg
by Matthew Spong from Sydney, Australia, CC BY 2.0