Why Underground Clubs Feel Safer Than Commercial Ones
This weekend I went to Madrid to visit a friend doing an Erasmus at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (yes, the same school I was talking about in The Domino Decision). I went to have a change of scenery and get some warmer temperatures. The latter I did not really get since in November, even in Madrid, it can get close to freezing temperatures.
The change of scenery, however, was very much present. I had never visited Madrid before, so it was a first. Firstly, I was surprised by the cleanness of the capital and secondly, how nice the locals were.
On Friday, we attended a local collective's techno event in a reasonably sized club, which was a lot of fun. There was a small but steady crowd, and the music was good! The event made me feel at home in another country thanks to the lack of pretension.
This brings me to the topic that I wanted to explore in today's post – the differences between the commercial and the underground scene. The contrast I felt was especially present because Saturday, the very next evening, we went to a commercial club.
The mainstream club was more expensive but for a good reason, the club has 7 floors and 3 different stages. It is a theatre space revisited as a club called Teatro Kapital. The space itself is magnificent and the sound and light systems were high-quality.
After quick research, the term underground has evolved to describe social groups or ideas opposing dominant forces. This to say that these two scenes should indeed be different since one is supposedly built on the concept of opposing the other.
Something I personally really enjoy about the underground is the idea of diving into the unknown and discovering something new – DJ's, sounds and people. In a mainstream setting, people go there to revisit things they know – they want to know the lyrics to most of the songs and could not care less who is DJ'ing.
I struggle a lot with the commercial setting, since it is very much based on money-status. When paying a 35€ entrance fee to the Kapital we got two drinks with the ticket and had to stand the whole night. If you want to catch a break you need to get a VIP ticket or get a bottle which costs usually 350% of its price at the store.
Furthermore, this difference in intention shapes everything—from crowd behavior to safety. The public that attends these two types of events is very different. Underground events feel a lot safer to me, the people did not come to the event to prove something, they came for the music and a good time.
Most of the violence and inhumane behaviour I have come to notice has been in commercial clubs, where a slight misstep towards the wrong person can escalate into physical conflict.
As much as I dislike it myself, I can truly understand the craze of clubbing. There is joy in revisiting familiar anthems with a crowd.
This Week's Suggestion:
🎶 "BELIEVE ME" by BSEARL and CA$PAR:
Been listening to some more lyrical/rap music recently and this has been in the rotation. The UK Garage production really adds a nice touch to it.
That's all for me!
