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From The Times
April 18, 2008

Dance music is here to stay, says ex-Mixmag editor Dom Phillips

Dom Phillips, Editor of Mixmag, 1993-98

Dance music is cool again for a new generation bored with indie. When I joined Mixmag in 1991, it wasn’t. Mixmag, now celebrating its 25th year and billed as “the world’s biggest clubbing and dance music magazine”, was then based on an industrial estate in Slough. As far as the national media was concerned, dance music had died, along with the illegal M25 raves of 1988 and 1989.

Yet under the radar, clubs were opening across the UK, while innovative producers proliferated. We decided to celebrate with an A-Z of dance music issue, a Herculean task that involved the full-time staff of three – myself, the editor, David Davies, and our one designer, Chris How – working a gruelling 36-hour deadline shift.

Somewhere around 7am, we faced a daunting pile of records. Redeyed, wired on instant coffee, we found one powerful enough to inject some life back into us. A one-off, self-titled German single by Age of Love, remixed by Jam & Spoon in Frankfurt into something spacey and hypnotically funky. It was the beginning of trance, one of the most dominant dance music sounds. We finished the issue and headed home. The next day Davies revealed that he’d got the day wrong and we’d worked all night for nothing.

As the British club scene exploded so did Mixmag’s circulation: 11,000 copies a month in 1991, 90,000 by 1997. By 1994, thousands of readers were charging around clubs all over the country – then, rather worryingly, driving home high. We conducted a completely unscientific experiment called “Can you drive on drugs?”

Three volunteers drove a slalom course of traffic cones sober, with a driving instructor. They then took marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy and did it again. Their driving ability decreased. As, once this piece was published, did the number of clubbers driving home in similar states. What we didn’t reveal, under legal advice, was that for the cocaine user, one line had improved his driving.

Dance music is drifting back into fashion, yet the magazine is at its most vibrant when its culture stays outside the mainstream. Which is why now, with an independent publisher, it is in as rude health as ever.

Dance music being 'in fashion' broadly refers to whether newspapers are jumping on DJs as the Next Big Thing again, or sticking with bands. As anyone who has been to Ibiza or squeezed into a club since the reported 'death' of dance music will know, clubbing/dance music is just as intense as it ever was. Sure the landscape has changed, but in the digital era, everything has changed, and continues to do so. In clubland, change is essential anyway, even if it means those who were coining it in once are suddenly left by the wayside.

TK, London, UK

Yup, ALL social spaces have pretty much been decimated by the smoking ban. No fun going out when you're under authority's heavy-manners 24/7.

Peter, London,

Being a teenager in London in the 1990's, I've grown up with Dance music in all its forms. My brother and I used to run down to Woolies on a Sat morning to buy the latest Prodigy single, much to the annoyance of Mum and Dad who used to call it "thump thump thump" music, as well as listening to all the many pirate radio stations that dominated the airwaves. Many people used to say to me that you wont be listen to it in 10 but I sure am and loving it more than ever.

Its best feature is that its NOT mainstream and it IS constantly changing - this is precisely what keeps it fresh and innovative. As I've got older and met different people from different backgrounds, my tastes have widened and I appreciate the quality in all genres, but for that extra special pick me up feeling, or getting lost in the amazing, futuristic sounds - I'll always turn to do dance music.

Quite simply - it defines my generation and I'm proud of it.

Adrian, London, England

About time too !! Being a promoter of the Guilty Heaven brand we have found the past couple of years damned difficult in clubland. Yes our nights are successful, the last one was at The Island with Fierce Angel on 12th April, but it has become increasingly more difficult to get people out at weekends. London clubs have been hit very badly since the smoking ban was introduced.

Dance music may be "back in fashion" but I haven't seen any vast increase in numbers in the past 6 months. One major point is that Club Owners need clubbers to spend a healthy amount over the bar and this just isnt happening. With Drugs prices the lowest they have ever been the only drinks clubbers are buying is bottles of water..

Roll on the good times. Lets hope that once again the dancefloors will be packed before more clubs go to the wall.

Mark Websper, Margate, Kent

load of rubbish dance music is out i was there in 88 moved to the states in late 89 cos it was new there then the scene. A good article for selling more mixmags more like

paul, barcelona, spain

Love the fact that Age of Love kept them going to finish the issue. If they'd played Acperience by Hardfloor and Red 2 by Dave Clark and they could have done another couple of issues the same night.

Adam, London,

Of course dance music never went away, for anyone who isn't concerned with trends and actually enjoys the music.

Owen, London, UK

thank you for paying attention to the subject - it is not history already

Schoenmaeckers, BRUSSELS,

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