Mind Usurps Program: Virtuality and the "New Machine Aesthetic" of Electronic Dance Music

Abstract

This chapter outlines the changes in perceptions of electronic dance music across the phase of the introduction of virtuality. The chapter argues that such music must be read in relation to its conception of its audience, and that the audience, often cognitively impaired, responds to the music in a way that suggests ideological positions that redeem the music from accusations of cliché and racism. The chapter notes early theorizing of virtuality as giving rise to the idea or potential of a proletarian collective, as was realized in aspects of rave cultures, as associated with the idea of the “temporary autonomous zone.” The chapter turns to specific case studies from the work of Layo and Bushwacka! and Leftfield.