The Global Dance Music Scene in 2018 and What Lies Ahead for Japan's Dance Music Scene in 2019

It is now 2019.

I am grateful that a fair number of people seem to read this blog, even though I update it sporadically.
This year I would like to update it more often.

So, let me write about where Japan's dance music scene is headed in 2019, with plenty of personal opinion.

EDM Comes to an End, and Tech House Becomes a Major Genre

It is obvious when you look at the scene overseas, but with ULTRA and EDC still the major festivals in Japan, it may be difficult to feel it here.

EDM started gaining traction around 2009. With EDM darling Avicii passing away in 2018 and DJMag's number-one-ranked Hardwell suspending gigs indefinitely, it is clear that it reached a kind of ending as the 2010s drew to a close.

Techno and Tech House will return to the main stage.
The popularity and momentum of the Spanish Tech House event elrow are especially striking, and it arrived in Japan in 2018.

Among artists, Solardo and Fisher had conspicuous breakthroughs, while Laurent Garnier and Dennis Ferrer and other veterans received renewed appreciation.

Another symbolic development is David Guetta, who could be called one of EDM's originators, releasing tracks as Jack Back through Mark Knight's ToolRoom label.

In Tokyo too, VENT and Contact Tokyo and other clubs specializing in Techno and Tech House have seen very successful events, and I expect this movement to accelerate this year.

Female Techno DJs Explode in Popularity

2018 was a year in which rising female Techno DJs were particularly active.
Besides their leading figure Nina Kraviz, Charlotte de Witte, Amelie Lens, Peggy Gou and others were hugely active.

*When Charlotte de Witte came to Contact Tokyo in 2018, the floor felt very much like a sauna.
Nina Kraviz will also play Contact Tokyo on January 5, but early-bird tickets have already sold out, so an even hotter sauna seems inevitable. Amelie Lens also appears scheduled to visit Japan in March, though details remain undecided.

DJs Become Even More Commoditized

DJs once earned respect for technical skill, musical taste, and track-making ability, but as Steve Lawler points out, value is now placed on something completely different.

View this post on Instagram

I have so many messages from people asking me what they need to do to be a successful DJ. So rather than write lots of separate messages I have created a list for you. Also showing you the difference between now and say 18 years ago if this help. 😜

A post shared by Steve Lawler (@djstevelawler) – September 20, 2018 at 5:55 a.m. PDT

Nowadays it is easy to become a DJ even without passion for music, and to bring customers to a reasonably famous club (incidentally, anyone can get booked these days). I think this situation will ultimately lead to a position like “karaoke.”

Something “anyone can do, where having fun among friends is enough and quality is ignored,” haha.

An acquaintance once said to me, “Excuse me, I was given a DJ controller, so could you show me how to use it sometime?” DJing is that easy to start, and no particular “passion for music” is required.

Honestly, it is impossible to stop this movement now, and it will probably accelerate further this year.

People passionate about music will probably take different paths: making music on computers much as one learns piano, finding or creating their own places to present it, or leaving dance music culture behind and diving into something hipper.