To celebrate the launch of the People and Dancefloors Malta project, we have invited prominent voices from the Maltese electronic dance music scene to participate in a panel about the state of clubbing and electronic music in Malta.  Tina, Edwin, Neil and Mark, along with the People and Dancefloors Malta team, discussed music-making and art, clubbing, nightlife and substance use within the scene.  The music, the people, the dance floor are the three ingredients that create a unique atmosphere. Highlighting the benefits of this unique social activity, the panel underlined the sad reality for a lot of Maltese people of having to live in the shadows due to stigma and widespread negative perceptions linked to recreational substance use and dancefloors, resulting in misunderstandings and a general sense of mistrust between the authorities and electronic music event organisers.  Whilst recognising that the situation has improved, there are still numerous structural hurdles that continue to foster a culture of discrimination. Education and community are key to promoting a safe space for all, but the lack of appropriate regulation of club venues continues to be an obstacle to creating safer spaces.    The media was seen as the main culprit for sustaining an ‘us’ – the mainstream ‘good society’ enjoying licit substances and activities, versus ‘them’  – electronic music enthusiasts and recreational illicit substance users - mentality.  Panellists underlined the urgent need to demystify reasons why people choose to listen to electronic music and use substances by creating more open dialogue. Speaking of both the benefits and potential harms associated with any substance use, panelists highlighted the importance of education and the introduction of simple harm reduction measures as key to promoting safety.   They also hoped authorities would be less stringent towards licensing of electronic music events beyond the constricts of a club environment, thus exploring new outdoor venues and opportunities. Funding too seems to be a serious stumbling block for local artists, still relegated to an underclass category and not fully recognised as artists and professionals.   Calling on local electronic music artists to break the shackles of stigma and continue to embark on their musical journey, panellists hope the local electronic music scene is recognised as a valuable cultural asset, enriching the cultural and artistic heritage of the Maltese islands.  

To celebrate the launch of the People and Dancefloors Malta project, we have invited prominent voices from the Maltese electronic dance music scene to participate in a panel about the state of clubbing and electronic music in Malta. Tina, Edwin, Neil and Mark, along with the People and Dancefloors Malta team, discussed music-making and art, clubbing, nightlife and substance use within the scene. The music, the people, the dance floor are the three ingredients that create a unique atmosphere. Highlighting the benefits of this unique social activity, the panel underlined the sad reality for a lot of Maltese people of having to live in the shadows due to stigma and widespread negative perceptions linked to recreational substance use and dancefloors, resulting in misunderstandings and a general sense of mistrust between the authorities and electronic music event organisers. Whilst recognising that the situation has improved, there are still numerous structural hurdles that continue to foster a culture of discrimination. Education and community are key to promoting a safe space for all, but the lack of appropriate regulation of club venues continues to be an obstacle to creating safer spaces. The media was seen as the main culprit for sustaining an ‘us’ – the mainstream ‘good society’ enjoying licit substances and activities, versus ‘them’  – electronic music enthusiasts and recreational illicit substance users - mentality. Panellists underlined the urgent need to demystify reasons why people choose to listen to electronic music and use substances by creating more open dialogue. Speaking of both the benefits and potential harms associated with any substance use, panelists highlighted the importance of education and the introduction of simple harm reduction measures as key to promoting safety. They also hoped authorities would be less stringent towards licensing of electronic music events beyond the constricts of a club environment, thus exploring new outdoor venues and opportunities. Funding too seems to be a serious stumbling block for local artists, still relegated to an underclass category and not fully recognised as artists and professionals. Calling on local electronic music artists to break the shackles of stigma and continue to embark on their musical journey, panellists hope the local electronic music scene is recognised as a valuable cultural asset, enriching the cultural and artistic heritage of the Maltese islands.

In this episode (16!), Giulia is in conversation with Hadi Ahmadzadeh, the founder of Ecodisco, which is a consultancy initiative that aims to change the fabric of urban nightlife by embedding sustainability practices, specifically removing single use plastic cups.    As Hadi tells me in the podcast, one of the great things about Ecodisco is that it started as a concept party (who says that dancers and party-makers cannot be political?) and in the short space of two years, became an ambitious project with the aim to remove single-use plastics from nightclubs in the UK.    Hadi talks about the project from inception to what it is now, touching upon important subjects such as the relationship between sustainability and design and what sustainability means to him. He points to a contradiction that I think many of us have experienced: between the positivity, pleasure and fun of nightlife, and the consequences of consumption and waste left in its wake.    Of course, we also talk about drugs, the changing role of drugs in the nightlife context, harm reduction and visions of the future (my favourite podcast subjects!) I got the sense that, like me, Hadi thinks that harm reduction goes much beyond drugs and can encompass sustainability, consent, physical and mental health as the issues we need to put at the forefront of our minds and conversations when we can leave our houses again.    For more information about Ecodisco, visit their website https://www.ecodisco.uk/ And follow Ecodisco on social media: Instagram: ecodisco_  Twitter: @ECODISCO1

After a small hiatus we are back with another episode of the People and Dancefloors podcast! Delighted to be joined by Harold Heath, a DJ with a career spanning the full history of electronic dance music, whose book I devoured over a staycation. The book is called ‘Long Relationships: my incredible journey from unknown DJ to small time DJ’, a collection of heart-warming anecdotes full of discreet wisdom – highly recommended! On the podcast, we chat about the title of the book, long relationships, as the perfect framing to encapsulate many relationships: to DJing, to music itself, to friends and connections made along the way, to drugs both internally produced and externally consumed, and to the electronic dance music industry. We discuss what pulls people in and keeps people coming back to the dance floor. We agree that it is about community and belonging, but Harold adds another layer when discussing how the silly, hedonistic music and clubbing pursuits in his youth brought him an education in hindsight, in black and gay histories, in group struggles and cohesion reshaping British culture. We touch upon the lack of cultural recognition awarded to clubs compared to the operas and ballets, discussing whether this is impacted upon by the expectation that clubs must belong to youth culture alone, and not be part of “grown up culture”. Finally, we talk about drugs (of course), and how it is such a difficult terrain to navigate at the level of both individual experience and policy – though Harold agrees that harm reduction is the way forward 😊 Follow Harold on social media at @HaroldHeathDJ Get a copy of his book here https://velocitypress.uk/product/long-relationships-book/ Visit his website https://haroldheath.contently.com/

In Episode 14, Giulia is in conversation with Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association. The NTIA is a Trade Association and Membership Organisation that promotes the contribution of the Night Time Industry in the UK and internationally, highlighting the cultural, economic, and community contribution of night time businesses. We talk about how the love of music and community drives people’s involvement in the night time economy as a career, which too often is not recognised as legitimate. We note the political unwillingness of accepting electronic dance music’s rich cultural contribution to the UK as a bottom-up growth that gives space to marginalised voices and communities, and the disconnect that exists with older generations of political stakeholders who have the most decision-making power. We also discuss the role of drugs in the night time economy and the difficult situation that clubs and other venues are placed in when enforcing drug laws. The night time economy is a risk environment that presents significant challenges, including managing consumption of alcohol and other drugs. Michael’s remark here is poignant: there are unreasonable expectations placed on night time venues to keep drugs out when we cannot even keep drugs out of secure environments like prisons. We both see harm reduction as a key principle that should inform strategies to manage the night time economy. We conclude by talking about visions for the future, agreeing that despite its tragic nature, the pandemic has presented us with an unprecedented opportunity to take stock and think about the changes we can make going forward. Watch/listen to our chat here: Follow the NTIA on Twitter @wearethentia and Michael on Linkedin

In Episode 13, Giulia is in conversation with someone close to her heart – Manchester producer and DJ Earl Grey Giulia and Jim bonded over a shared love of music at Boomtown festival in 2016. When I first met him, I was expecting for him to bring up jungle and amen breaks, but he went on and on about Matthew Herbert <3 In the podcast, Jim talks about his journey into electronic music and his relationship to dancefloors (Shout out to Warp, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, and Radiohead for making dancefloors accessible to weirdos like us who enjoy superfast mad breaks, but also emotional depth). We discuss the future of clubs and festivals, addressing the debate that’s recently become more forceful about who gets to play and make a living, and who gets excluded. We both agreed that rather than targeting and blaming individuals, we should be looking at structural hurdles, chiefly the government’s utter contempt for night time venues and the culture surrounding them, as well as local councils’ unwillingness to support clubs and music venues, pushed further by Nimbyists and developers. Listen to our chat here Check out Earl Grey on Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/earl-grey Instagram @jimearlgrey Twitter @JimEarlGrey

In episode 12, Giulia is in conversation with Dr Melissa Bone and Dr Rebecca Askew, who make up the dream research team behind the Drug Policy Voices project. Melissa is Associate Professor in the University of Leicester Law School. She is interested in the intersection between drug policy, law and human rights and wrote an excellent book on the subject, titled Human Rights and Drug Control: A New Perspective. Rebecca is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology at Manchester Metropolitan University. She is interested in drug policy, the perspectives of people who use drugs, and has written extensively about the many different functions of drug use. In the podcast, we talk about the intersections between the personal and the political in research journeys into drug policy. We tackle utopian visions of the drug policy process, and the aims and ethos of the Drug Policy Voices project. We all agreed that drug policy debates should make room for value-based positions and questions (Preach!!!) Participation, education, integration (2 better than Tony Blair :p) The Drug Policy Voices project is already outlining the diversity and complexity of people’s experiences, views, and positions around drug policy. The project’s approach and methods are innovative and inclusive. To find out more about the project, including how to get involved, visit the website at: https://www.drugpolicyvoices.co.uk/.  Follow Melissa, Rebecca and Drug Policy Voices on Twitter for updates: @melissa_bone @drskew @DrugPolicyVoic1 Or Instagram: @drugpolicyvoices Or both!

Stuart Taylor is a senior lecturer in Criminal Justice at Liverpool John Moores University. He has written extensively on the representation of drugs and drug users within the media. In this podcast Anthony Killick talks to Stuart about the relationship between media representation and the formation of drugs policy in the UK. They discuss the ways in which drug use and intoxication are framed by class, neoliberal ideologies, and particular consumption practices.

In episode 10 of the podcast, you get to hear from the People and Dancefloors team! Giulia, Eve, Anthony and Lee talk about the impetus beyond the project: to provide a platform for people’s subjective experiences in relation to drugs and dancefloors and the drug policy debate more broadly. We also discuss the importance of turning the lens upon ourselves as researchers, activists, and drug users, which we address in our most recent article. Hear our musings about identity, class, privilege, and how these plays out in relation to drugs and status.

In this episode, we invited Verity Smith, a PhD researcher at Durham University, to share insights from her ethnographic study of drug policing at music festivals. In the podcast, she reflects on the challenges of multiagency work in festival environments, focusing particularly on some of the tensions between enforcement policing and harm reduction and risk minimisation objectives. Verity takes us on a journey from policing, private security, and sniffer dogs at the festival gate, all the way to festival utopias.  Can we change the culture of festivals towards harm reduction embedded in festival environment design? Total ear candy! Follow Verity on Twitter at @veritymasmith