“Drum and bass or GTFO!”
Get the fuck out then. This go-round we’re tackling genre-snobs. The kind of people who think that only their favorite type of dance music should be listened to or played and everyone else is stupid if they don’t agree. (Addendum: If you’re a drum and bass fan, don’t close out of the article. I like drum and bass, too. It was just the first genre that popped into my head when I started writing.)
I can be the first to admit that there are certain types of dance music that I can’t stand. Personally, I think happy hardcore sounds like overdosing on nitrous oxide in the backseat of a clown car being driven by the Vengaboys. But that’s just me. It doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of bright-eyed stomper-kids ready to line up at the next 190 BPM melee with S3RL and company.
What I’m trying to say is that there’s nothing wrong with disliking certain kinds of music. The thing I take exception to are people who seem to think that everything revolves, or should revolve, around the one type of music they deem more worthy than all others. Honestly, I think I’m bothered more by the fact that they pigeonhole themselves with only one kind of sound than by their petulant attitude toward others who disagree. You can generally find this same mindset with a lot of country and rap music fans, too.
To me, the most alluring thing about music is the massive varieties available to excite all the senses. Genre-snobs are like a real life version of eating lettuce-only salads, or marrying your high school sweetheart. You may as well slam the door shut on new experiences, tastes, and sensations lest your feeble mind tricks you into actually trying something new you just might end up liking.
How can you tell if you’re a genre-snob? Well, a good sign would be if you’re a little annoyed by me at this point in the article. If the humor of this whole thing escapes you, chances are a lot more than that passes you by on a daily basis. Like the time you missed out on an awesome Above & Beyond show because “trance is for pussies” and “Audiofreq could totally kick all of their asses anyway!”
Calm down, junior. I love trance! And guess what? Audiofreq was one of my favorite sets at EDC 2016. Is your mind blown yet? Probably not. The worst thing about these types is their absolute stubbornness and undying loyalty toward being boring.
Waitress: “Welcome to (insert name of seafood place here), what can I get for you?”
“Chicken fingers or GTFO!”
Waitress: “Get the fuck out.”
Aside from a writer, Joe Ullo is also a DJ, comedian, food-porn specialist, and all-around audiophile.
