Written by: Zoe Maryarski

Have you ever been to an EDM show and the crowd ruined your experience? Unfortunately, this is happening too often at venues all across the nation, which is leading to even more negative attention that sheds on the EDM industry. Young DJ producer Porter Robinson recently stopped mid-track at his Urbana, IL show to tell his crowd to behave. According to YoureEDM.com, Porter cut the track and picked up the microphone and said, “Yo, this isn’t moshing music. Respect everyone around you. For God’s sake, this is supposed to be pretty. Rage somewhere else.” Porter isn’t the only one who has been known to speak up; artists such as Bassnectar and Michal Menert have stopped shows to tell the crowd to chill out.

DJs can read the crowd, because after all they are facing them during their entire set. If they can see a disruption in the crowd, they can speak up. If you have been at a show where the crowd is too crazy it ultimately affects the overall experience of the show, and people might not want to come back next time their favorite producer is in town because of the crowd they attract. People go to shows for all different reasons, more commonly to escape reality for a brief time. If their escape becomes an environment where it is hard to express oneself because of the people around you, why would people continue to support these shows? Once Porter dropped the mic, the crowd cheered with approval, sending the message that they were appreciative for him to speak up.

We all want to have fun, and EDM shows already get enough negative attention, let’s actively try to create a better image for the scene overall by not moshing crowds and respecting the others on the dance floor.