Decentralized Dance Party - Uptown Magazine (Online Only)
Back in the early days of the Winnipeg electronic scene, it wasn’t uncommon for events to use a phone hotline directing you to a map check point that would eventually lead you to the party. There were several reasons for this. One, it helped keep the right mix of curious music lovers, dedicated ravers and people looking for a good time or new experience. It also helped add a level of mystery to events, because you never really knew what to expect.
Fast-forward 20 years and Vancouver party agitators Tom and Gary are still using some of those ideas for their Decentralized Dance Parties. While phone hotlines have been replaced by Twitter, Facebook and their mailing list, the duo’s roving, battered powered street dance parties have been building momentum across the country based on word-of-mouth, the strength of social media — and the very simple fact that it’s hard not to have fun when you have a bunch of like-minded people (usually in costume) gathered together for a semi-impromptu party with music that’s being blasted out of a bunch of synchronized, old-school ghetto blasters. (That the DJ is controlling the carefully curated playlists by a modified Nintendo Power Glove from the ’90s doesn’t hurt, either.)
“(Social media) seems to be one of the keys, but just the fact that it’s a free event that exists in the public realm and not an exclusive club is also a huge factor,” explains co-founder Gary over email. “The costume element also allows people to forgo their traditional identities and social roles and just get crazy together. That is something that is extremely rare in our culture and has proven infectious.”
Part social experiment and part celebration, the duo is back out on the road for a new stretch of parties. As of Sept. 8, they’ve raised over $10,000 using Kickstarter.com to help fund the western Canada portion of their Party Safari.
When Tom and Gary first dreamed up the idea of an open-source dance party, they weren’t entirely sure what to expect.
“It was always something we figured had the potential to spread worldwide, but the fact that it unfolded as a social experiment and was something that transcended all social/cultural/age boundaries was a definite surprise,” Gary says.
Set to make their second visit to Winnipeg on Sept. 13, the location of the start of their portable dance party won’t be announced until the day before the event through their various social media accounts and mailing list. The theme this time is Strictly Business, so if you see a bunch of people in suits, with office supplies and ghetto blasters having the time of their time at Portage and Main, it’s probably Tom, Gary and a few thousand of their new friends.
So how have they managed to throw over 20 events without attracting the type of meatheads who only want to party, cause trouble, drink in public and thumb their nose at the authorities?
“Playing only fun party music and getting everyone in costume seems to do the trick,” Gary says. “We also released the Party Manifesto to further press the point. The Parties also self-regulate themselves, by attracting a huge number of positive, respectful people, any idiots are usually compelled to join in or fade away — a good vibe is infectious.”
For more information on Tom and Gary’s DDPs, their manifesto and how you can prepare your own ghetto blaster for the party, visit www.decentralizeddanceparty.com.
DECENTRALIZED DANCE PARTY
Sept. 13, location TBA
