I began my Friday night dancing in a club on the Amsterdam Rembrandtplein but left when the dj switched from nice house music to urban. I tend not to like some urban music because of the negative attitudes it too often expresses. I wandered curiously over to  Studio 80 where the Epicenter party was in full swing.  (Studio 80 is a relatively small club with a minimal basic black interior). There are often alternative parties in that venue and I have heard some good DJs there.

 

The party poster said  “Gothic, fetish, cyber, alternative.” Synchronistically, I was wearing all black, so I thought, “why not?!”  Inside was a feast for  eyes and ears! It was a peek into other lifestyles and like a Halloween party I had longed for this year but had not found. There were videos images of world religious symbols and an animated moving figure wearing a protective suit and gas mask on a cross over a background of a church.

 

I loved the people I was seeing! All sorts of people -mostly young, one or two older (like me), creatively, sexily dressed- lots of patent leather (lak), rubber, leather, heavy boots, gorgeous black dresses on perfect- looking bodies. Mostly black but sometimes with little accents of sexy red-  accessorized with lace, layers, chains, spikes or bones. There were punky and funky haircuts, party colored dreadlocks, girls with masses of ribbons in their thick hair. It was fabulous!

 

There was a woman who was dressed in a very erotic patent leather body suit which showed off her generous endowments. One guy wore a sexy, playful cat outfit. There were guys and girls dressed in all sorts of impressive fetish, Gothic and cyber outfits. One guy looked to me like a young and beautiful prince of some future alien nation.

 

The music was often hard but also beautifully melodious and sometimes very dark. It was not the house, tech-house, electro, trance and progressive I usually dance to, but it was great dancing to it! People were dancing in their own special ways. As I danced, the kundalini energy was flowing through my spine and limbs and I was lovin it! I asked people what kind of music it was. Answers were “ Gothic, a mixture of dark rave, dark electro, EBM (or is it IBM?), industrial techno...”

 

I felt very high on the music, the dancing, the people in their costumes, the lights and party atmosphere. (By the way, I never use drugs and dont drink much, so if you see me smiling ecstatically on the dance floor its because Im really into the music and the dancing.)  ;-)

 

I loved the sound but not necessary all the lyrics. I heard some songs which try to lure the listener to seek death with false promises of relief, comfort and protection by the Darkness and a woman singing about  her cannibalistic desires and intentions- artists singing sirene songs from the Darkness. I have always been intrigued by the darker side of life-but from an academic distance. As they say, however, Its a nice place to visit but I wouldnt want to live there.” Some people do though.

 

It raises questions, such as:  Do artists have a social responsibility in what they offer to the world, which also includes vulnerable people? In how many ways can people experience bondage? How does the world of fantasy impact upon the real world of the individual and the collective? As Marsall McCluen wrote many years ago- “The Media is the Massage.”

 

This party was like Halloween- a celebration of the dark side in a creative way, but also like Halloween, there is a real Darkness below it. Quite a few people looked really unhappy even though they were dancing and out with friends or alone at a party.

 

So, dear people, I hope that you enjoy the parties, dressing up, dancing, loosening up, and playing with fantasies. But please dont lose your head or your soul. Dont take all music that you hear to heart. If death, suicide or real depravity seriously appeal to you- please, see a doctor or therapist. I leave you now with the words of the wise teacher (I forget which one), who said to Luke Skywalker, “Dont give yourself over to the Dark Side!” and “May the Force be with you!”

 

Love ;-)

Dancin Queen