Indeed, over several years, this little disco genre grew out of it’s status as an underrepresented and disrespected fad and began to earn itself a name, each day garnering a wealth of newfound believers. And the best part about it was the fact that everyone who chose to participate was able to build off of something someone before him had already done, and to keep us all moving forward. Boys Noize‘s debut album, for example, taught the world that a loss of bit depth is not necessarily a loss of quality; Oi Oi Oi was full of beautifully destroyed, and often times disgusting sounds that, when combined with an appropriate beat, came together seamlessly. And it certainly was not just Alex doing the work. For a while, it seemed like every new album release was a revolution in itself, and that dance music itself had become untamable.

Unfortunately, this “booming prosperity” (if I may) seems to have changed as of late. And while I’ve heard from many different people on many occasions that, “everything has been done, and it’s all just boring now,” this isn’t what I mean in the slightest. Rather, it seems that all the artists that we’ve grown fond of over the years have continued to provide a steady stream of great quality, creative compositions, but that they’ve somehow lost the ability to build off of and be influenced by other artists, and have become stuck making music in the exact same vein as all of their past work. To put it concisely, it’s almost as if the creativity and originality is still working strong, but that we’ve lost our compass, and with it, our sense of musical direction. Thus, for the last several months, we’ve been stuck wandering in circles like a line of ants with a stick strewn across its path. Sure, the music still sounds great, but where is it–and where are we–going as a collective?

If anyone feels compelled to share thoughts, ideas, or even music, I’m confident that the rest of us would welcome your ideas with open arms.

Fake Blood – Think I Like It

Felix Da Housecat – Kickdrum

Boys Noize – Kontact Me (Removed as per request)

Boys Noize – Gax (Removed as per request)

Boys Noize – Nerve (Removed as per request)

But therein lies the big complaint lobbied against radio: it’s a tool of mass media that, on some level, consolidates our listening habits. It makes us all listen to the same songs. Even if it was generally agreed that radio played good music (an unwinnable argument, since it’s really just a matter of opinion) the result wouldn’t change. If we’re all hearing the same stuff, then the music landscape is a little, well, boring. Even worse, great music is lost because it doesn’t have broad appeal. Radio caters to the masses, so small niches remain underrepresented or totally ignored.

But it doesn’t stay that way forever. Broadcasting is just the first step of the process. And as broadcasting becomes cheaper and easier, narrowcasting becomes possible. It’s an important and natural progression. Narrowcasting is the idea of a station that caters so a smaller market segment rather than the general public. A top 40 station broadcasts; it tries to appeal to as many people as possible. A jazz station narrowcasts; it appeals to jazz lovers and has a specificly targeted (albeit smaller) group of listeners.

Of course, radio isn’t all that niche-oriented today; and I’m not sure about the relevance of traditional radio in the modern world. So replace “radio” with “Internet” and the same logic holds true. After all, transmitting “data” (I use that term loosely on purpose) is even cheaper and easier over the Internet than over the radio. Decentralization takes some time and happens only in the long run.

It’s no surprise that the electro-loving community of ours formed when it did. Just look at this website as another example. It doesn’t try to appeal to the general public; rather, it caters to a specific demographic. The Internet is growing on the aggregate; on the other hand, it’s also becoming more fragmented. A quick Google search can find a website related to just about anything.

Now, back to radio for a moment. I don’t listen to it much. Honestly, I don’t know many people who do (at least not for the music, anyway.) But the one radio-related recommendation I can make is BCC Radio 1′s Essential Mix series. It’s a weekly radio show that plays two-hour long mixes from all over the dance music scene. It’s one more reason why part of me wants to move to the UK. The show has featured some of the biggest names in electro playing fantastic sets: MSTRKRFT, Hervé, Digitalism, Justice, etc. The list goes on and on. If you’re not listening to this show, you’re missing out on some great stuff. And the Essential Mix website posts the tracklisting for every single set. That means no trying to figure out which awesome song you just heard.

This Saturday’s featured guest is Chicago’s Felix Da Housecat. In honor of his upcoming performance– and his new CD that’s scheduled for release this on Wednesday– I’m going to post two of his best songs. Yeah, they’re both a little old (from 2001 and 2007, respectively.) So what? They still sound fantastic.

Felix Da Housecat – Silver Screen Shower Scene

Felix Da Housecat – Future Calls The Dawn