Is electronic music your life? Sign our petition

Is electronic music your life? Sign our petition

28 November, 2007 | 1.01PM

• Section: Music News Topics: Beatport Blog
• Written by: Terry Church

A front page article in Ibiza’s newspaper Diario de Ibiza recently reported on the new socialist government’s plan to ban after-hours clubs in Ibiza.

In the article, the leader of the government, Xico Tarres, is quoted as saying after-hours clubs “attract a lower quality of tourist and cause more problems than benefits.”

Had clubbers been from one particular nation or from one religion, Tarres’ comments could be considered racist.

Many clubbers and DJs see dance music as a way of life.

It is for some, like a religion.

It’s a personal lifestyle choice, just like Christianity or Islam.

It’s about time somebody made a stand for clubbers, so we’ve set up this online petition to try and get ‘Clubber’ recognized as an official faith.

Tolerance

Dancing, celebrating life and personal freedom are part of our dance music doctrine.

Tolerance and respect for others is another.

There are millions of people from all over the world who are passionate about dance music.

They come from all backgrounds, religions and races.

They are heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, black, white and Asian.

And we all hold dear the same clubber values; it’s just that no one has ever bothered to write them down.

Unifying

For a start, critics often overlook the unifying value of dance music but it is its one defining feature. It is its greatest strength.

I was lucky enough to witness first hand the unifying power of dance music when the British Army flew me out to help them organize club nights in war ravaged Bosnia a few years ago.

The war between Muslims, Serbs and Croats had led to a divided nation full of hatred, xenophobia and intolerance, and something was needed to bring the people together.

So we used to fly over DJs and organize raves to bring together young people in the country in the hope that they could rebuild the bridges of tolerance that had been burned down by their parents’ generation.

And it worked. The kids danced together and built up respect for one another.

Some became friends. Others had relationships.

The dance music programme, which was essentially a form of psychological warfare, eventually came to an end when NATO handed over peacetime operations to the EU in December 2004.

But the message has always stayed with me: dance music can bring people together and build tolerance.

And now in the face of increasing clubberphobia, I feel someone needs to stand up for clubbers.

We’re being branded as rampaging druggies.

I hope with this petition, we’re able to show the world that dance music is a force for good and our scene gets recognized for the social benefits that it brings.

If we get enough signatures, we might even be able to register as an official faith, just like Star Wars fans got Jedi recognition.

Plus it’ll be a good laugh, and who knows where it could lead?

We even made a logo [above] for the revolution.

Petition: recognize ‘Clubber’ as a faith

Please sign our petition at: www.petitionspot.com/petitions/clubber

We believe in the unifying values of dance music and want ‘Clubber’ to be recognized as an official faith around the world. We believe that dance music is a lifestyle choice and is a force for good.

As Clubbers, we believe in:

*The unifying power of dance music in a world of increasing intolerance

*Tolerance for all religions, races, ages and sexual orientations

*Open-mindedness and respect for others

*The right to celebrate life by dancing

*The right to experience euphoria and happiness with strangers

*Personal freedom as long as it does not encroach on another’s life

*Being a good person

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