DC23 – CFP

  • Conference registration and Information will open SOON (apologies for the delay).

Call for Proposals. DC23: After the Pandemic

We are delighted to announce the call for proposals for DC23, a Dancecult conference to be held at the University of Huddersfield, UK, 19-20 October 2023. As the first in-person Dancecult conference, DC23 will host participants in the broad interdisciplinary community of research around electronic dance musics and cultures who will converge, share and celebrate their ongoing research efforts. The conference is an opportunity for graduate students and senior researchers alike to share insights on electronic music, dance industries and events in the post-pandemic world. 

The pandemic has had a major impact on dance cultures worldwide. Researchers will address the short and longer term implications of the pandemic on artists, organisations and venues that have been compelled to modify, restructure and transform. Critical attention to the role of digital and social media technologies in this new era will be welcomed.

As a gathering of an international network of dance music, club and festivals nerds, DC23 will be a nexus for intellectual exchange and debate on the aesthetics, scenes and technologies of electronic dance music, including its histories, cultures and movements, from agithouse to psynoise.

DC23 is a two-day in-person conference. Some presentations – e.g. keynotes – will be live streamed.

Afterparty. Who was it that said: “If I can’t dance, it’s not my conference”? The conference will be followed by an afterparty in the region (featuring guest DJs and live performers).

Keynotes

  • Prof Alice O’Grady
  • Prof Trace Reddell

Registration Fees:

Early Bird (by 1 June 2023)

  • Full: £100
  • Concession: £25

General Registration Fees (by 1 July 2023)

  • Full: £120
  • Concession: £40

Key Dates and Submission Details

  • Deadline for abstract submissions: 12 April 2023
  • Notification of acceptance: 15 May 2023
  • Registration opens: 1 June 2023
  • Deadline for Early Bird registration: 1 July 2023
  • Deadline for General registration: 1 August 2023
  • Conference: 19-20 October 2023

Submissions on any aspect of dance music and culture (from any discipline) will be considered, including but not restricted to proposals for individual papers and panels on research related to the following areas.

  • Pandemic Era Dance, Music and Culture: What’s new? What works? What needs to change?
  • New school vibes: clubs, festivals and event-cultures.
  • Generation differences in EDMCs.
  • Debates on intersectionality.
  • New forms of nostalgia rising online and offline.
  • The histories and herstories of dance.
  • Industry perspectives on technological developments.
  • Performance, virtual performance and DiY events.
  • Scenes, movements, artists and genres in the post-pandemic world.

Alongside scholarly discourse, we are keen to provide a platform for sharing the experiences and opinions of venue owners, festival organisers, producers and DJs and other industry representatives.

All proposals will be peer-reviewed after submission. Please submit proposals no later than 13 March 2023. Applicants will be notified of acceptance by 1 May 2023. Submissions for papers should include a 300-word abstract that states the paper’s goals, summarizes the context and argument and includes a brief conclusion. A 100 word maximum biography should be included. Presenters will have 20 minutes (including 5 mins for questions). Panel discussions lasting 1 hour, plus 20 minutes for questions, should consist of a moderated conversation with 3-5 participants, and require a single 300 word abstract and list of panel members, with one speaker designated as the panel moderator. Include 5 keywords to identify the theme of your proposal.

DC23 will coincide with the launch of the 20th issue of Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture, and will be an opportunity to mark its 15th year.

DC23 is enabled by the Dancecult Research Network and the University’s Huddersfield’s Department of Music and Design Arts. It is partnered with Dancecult: The Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture.

About Dancecult.

Dancecult is a peer-reviewed, open-access e-journal for the study of electronic dance music culture (EDMC). A platform for interdisciplinary scholarship on the shifting terrain of EDMCs worldwide, the journal houses research exploring the sites, technologies, sounds and cultures of electronic music in historical and contemporary perspectives. Playing host to studies of emergent forms of electronic music production, performance, distribution, and reception, and as a medium through which the cultural politics of dance is critically investigated, Dancecult is the forum for research on EDMCs. For more information visit Dancecult.

About the Dancecult Research Network (DRN)

The DRN is an interdisciplinary network of academics, scholars and students researching all aspects of electronic dance music culture. As an educational and research network, the DRN facilitates information exchange, resource sharing and collaboration among international researchers of the genres, identifications, aesthetics, technologies and other manifestations of EDMC. Visit DRN.

The DC23 organising committee consists of: Graham St John (chair), Dave Payling (events chair), Rupert Till, Botond Vitos, Anita Jóri.

DC23 is organised with the support of the University of Huddersfield’s Department of Music and Design Arts