"You better work!" : underground dance music in New York City / Kai Fikentscher.

Author/creator Fikentscher, Kai
Format Book
Publication InfoHanover, NH : Published by University Press of New England [for] Wesleyan University Press, ©2000.
Descriptionxv, 159 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
Subjects
Electronic dance music--New York (State). --New York. --History and criticism.

SeriesMusic/culture
Music/culture. ^A390481
Contents Introduction. Discovering the underground: entry to the field ; The object of investigation: underground dance music ; Why study underground dance music? The role of New York City ; Music and marginality ; The purpose of a study of underground dance music ; A definition of underground ; A definition of dance music ; The relationship of underground dance music to New York City ; Mediated music and musical immediacy ; The music-dance relationship in social dance ; Research phases ; Ethnography and ethnohistory: a brief detour -- Disco: the premise for underground dance music. Literature on disco and dance music ; A definition of disco ; Social dance in America: the African American continuum ; Social dancing in New York: the gay factor -- The cult and culture of the DJ. Vinyl records as mediated music ; The disco concept: mediated music and musical immediacy ; The art of spinning: the DJ as musician ; DJ technology ; DJ technique ; DJ repertoire: programming versus mixing ; Peaking the floor ; Beyond mixing: the DJ as cultural hero ; The rise of the club DJ: remix and production work ; Conclusion: why 12-inch vinyl is critical -- The dancers: working (it) out. Dancing: interactive versus collective performance ; The body as musical instrument ; A definition of dance ; The body as social instrument: dance, identity, marginality ; Clubbing in the field: underground dance venues in New York City ; Interactive performance: the musical process and cultural context of underground dance music ; Conclusion: keep on dancing -- Underground dancing: autonomy and interdependence in music and dance. Interactive performance: synchronicity beyond simultaneity ; Vibe: the booth-floor interaction ; Rhythm as primary link between sound and motion ; Changing modes of dance music production: a comparison of four-12 inch dance singles ; Conclusion: feel the vibe -- The underground as cultural context: the marginality of ethnic and sexual minorities. Gay culture and black culture: double marginality, social affinity ; Historical links between African American and gay cultures ; The discotheque and gay liberation ; The African American imprint: the discotheque as church ; Conclusion: underground dance music as a celebration of marginality -- Outlook: underground dance music beyond the 1990s -- Appendix: A selection of 100 UDM records -- Glossary.
Abstract This is the first detailed study of underground dance music or UDM, a phenomenon that has its roots in the overlap and cross-fertilization of African American and gay cultural sensibilities that have occurred since the 1970s. UDM not only predates and includes disco, but also constitutes a unique performance practice in the history of American social dance. Taking New York City as its geographic focus, this book shows how UDM functions in the lives of its DJs and dancers, and how it is used as the primary identifier of an urban subculture shaped essentially by the relationships between music, dance, and marginality. The author goes beyond stereotypical images of club and disco to explore the cult and culture of the DJ, the turntable and vinyl recordings as musical instruments, and the vital relationship between music and dance at underground clubs. Including interviews, photographs, and an extensive discography, this ethnographic account tells the story of a celebration of collective marginality through music and dance.
Bibliography noteIncludes bibliographical references (pages 141-149), discography (pages 151-154), and index.
LCCN 00009088
ISBN0819564036 (hardcover : alk. paper)
ISBN0819564044 (pbk. : alk. paper)

Availability

Library Location Call Number Status Item Actions
Music Music Stacks ML3540.5 .F55 2000 ✔ Available Place Hold