The Scene in Patches

By Christopher Jordan Latiff

I remember when the summer of 2020 had just begun and we were already crushed over the news of the first lockdown. Over 300,000 people have lost their lives in the U.S. alone and that number isn’t slowing down at all. A simple Google search shows just under 2 million people have lost their lives to covid-19 this year. Now, in the dead of winter, there really feels like there’s no end in sight. Are you feeling cabin fever yet? Because right now I’ve got it bad.

Two vaccines have been approved for emergency use, which is great news for medical professionals but new challenges to progress are rearing their heads this winter. While first responders and the elderly are first on the list to receive the vaccine, the general public won't be receiving it until as late as summer, perhaps at the earliest. This uncertainty is exacerbated by the news of a new strain of covid-19 that has emerged in England, furthering public fears and media speculation. This all boils down to a crippling pit of perpetual uncertainty for all of us who love the dancefloor, mingling with people, dark rooms, small talk and loud music. 

In all this mess and confusion we still can’t go out and dance and considering the amount of time we’ve been denied that kind of basic happiness, it has not gotten any easier to stay in. In today’s uncertain world, asking questions about “acceptable risks” becomes more commonplace and even more difficult to answer. To use the example of dancing, let’s talk about domestic culture first. 

The major trendsetter cities for EDM’s (electronic dance music) rave culture in the U.S. are Detroit, Chicago, NYC, Miami, Atlanta and Los Angeles. In most of these havens for the genre, there are strict restrictions in place not allowing for businesses to operate as maximum occupancy. With so much of EDM’s appeal coming from its atmosphere, this strikes a severe blow to the heart of the scene. It is one thing to have a packed room partying to infectious beats and another entirely to serve roughly 5 socially distanced, non-dancing tables where everyone is scared of the word infectious.  

Despite the many covid restrictions in place, video recordings on Club Space’s own Instagram show that, in many places throughout the U.S., having a mask and wearing a mask are seen as identical. (Instagram)

Miami has been an exception to these weird times, in many cases flagrantly defying stay at home orders and covid restrictions. Footage from these clubs circulates on the internet, with owners and patrons alike boasting of their packed parties, while covid rates continue to skyrocket. A notable Miami club, Club Space, is no exception to this. Despite the many covid restrictions in place, video recordings on Club Space’s own Instagram show that, in many places throughout the U.S., having a mask and wearing a mask are seen as identical. 

Club Space continues to operate in violation of the orders, announcing parties for the new year and major labels like SpaceInvaders hosting events just days ago. Covid fatigue is certainly unavoidable, made all the worse by the conception that young people have less to fear from the virus than those in older age ranges. An established rave culture that thrives on a bustling nightlife combined with the perceived invincibility of young patrons has helped develop Miami’s club scene into a truly difficult situation. 

So what do we do? The whole year we have danced along to live streams, a new norm in the pandemic. To be fair to the EDM scene though it is adapting. With the excess of time, most enjoy in this new world there has never been a better stage to create and bolster the creativity around the music. Everyone has jumped into this forced refocusing, even Club Space, who has recorded an extensive series of closed streamed sessions from their legendary booth. It seems like if you want to feel some warmer air and hit the club right now your best bet would be Miami but as mentioned before, it just isn’t the same and really isn’t worth the risk. Better to do your part in limiting community spread, especially given the lenient nature of current covid restrictions in the U.S., which could ultimately damage restaurants and nightlife in the long run.  

For a lot of us, just packing up and heading out the door to the club really isn’t an attainable reality. It really seems that right now might not be the time to be planning your next bender or night club outing. Sooner or later this will pass and there will be believers that will stick together in the dance music community to see it return when it can. In the meantime, it looks like the music will stay at home with us.

Christopher is a culture writer for La Tonique.