After my time in Amsterdam, my involvement in the UK dance music scene (where I have a difficult relationship with the typical environment- I love the music and connectivity but the spaces aren’t built to stimulate that fully) and Kiera Coward Deyell’s lecture, I have decided that it is important for me as an artist to build an environment which celebrates the marriage of art with knowledge, community and comfortability.
Happiness Starts with Dancing is a community centred around the love of the dance, in and out of the rave setting. Whilst many and most people enjoy dance music, they may not necessarily feel comfortable engaging with the typical dance music setting, which is usually situated in the nighttime, in a club setting. Whilst these environments provide pure forms of connection and intimacy with the music, self, and surrounding community, they can also limit comfortability wherein they are spaces (arguably) designed to enhance or support an intoxicated experience. Clubs and venues where dance music is typically enjoyed usually require organisers using their spaces to reach a bar spend, which encourages dance attendees to buy drinks. Whilst drugs (including alcohol) can enhance the dance music experience, they are proven to induce anxieties and ill health in some individuals, so Happiness believes in curating environments where this pressure to drink or use substances is alleviated, and at the same time, is comfortable enough to partake in intoxication if one wishes. Clubs and licensed events spaces are also unfortunately prolific for forms of unwanted attention to all peoples, making the typical dance music environment an uncomfortable space, a “no-go” zone for many peoples. Whilst Happiness does not aim to criticise or disparage the club and nightlife space, as we believe in their value of spaces of connection and art as stands, we aim to provide an alternative environment where people who are not comfortable in aforementioned spaces can still enjoy dance music, and connect with those who are accustomed to said spaces. These existing spaces also arguably have a narrow definition of what dance music is: Happiness aims to platform sound that is not restricted to just UK Bass or Western dance music. We believe that if sound brings you joy, and moves you to express yourself through movement, it should be considered as a form of dance music.
Providing this alternative space may look.. odd, from certain perspectives. These alternative spaces, whilst connecting those with a love of music, dance and art, will not be completely wrapped up in themes of dance music. To have a love of dance music is to have a love of the culture that surrounds it. Happiness’ first initiative in creating an alternative space whilst living up to the previous statement is the organisation of a book club, Happiness Starts with Knowledge. This book club will give individuals the opportunity to read articles, books and other written material in a communal setting, alleviating some of the struggles some may have with reading (neurodivergence, time constraints ,etc; any reasoning is valid), and be able to discuss these texts together in order to gain insights and perspectives about the texts one may be unsure of, or hadn’t considered. These texts will include, but will not be limited to, writings around music and the cultures that surround it.
The book club relates to sound art as it will be a practicing of aural cultures: historically, humans have gained knowledge and skill through aural teaching, which is why so much “common scensical” knowledge is unwritten, undocumented. We as humans process information differently when intaken verbally than visually.
The book club is a premise for what is to come from the Happiness community- eventually I want to build a cultural freehaven similar the the commune in Amsterdam, but obviously on a much smaller scale. Essentially, I want to build an environment where people with a love of the arts can come together and connect at any time, and with any activity.