Techno Contra Comments at Colleges

2/28/2012

As I went looking around online earlier this week, I came across Appalachian State University (Boone, NC)'s coverage of the techno contra they held last week at one of the student-run venues.

I found some interesting similarities in the article with some of the participant comments made about the Bates College (Lewiston, ME) hip-hop contras held a few years back when I talked to caller Chrissy Fowler. In particular, in the article I noticed the following quote: "'My first time going contra dancing was two weeks ago and I liked this dance a lot better,' [Appalachian State freshman Shannon Wright] said. 'Both dances are enjoyable, but I love techno music. This is a lot more fun and more intense, but not difficult to dance to.'"

(To wit, Chrissy Fowler mentioned in her interview: "...My only surprise was that a few of the experienced dancers avidly suggested that this type of contra dancing should replace the regular (traditional) contra series at Bates, which was not what [organizers] Blaise, Sarah or I had in mind at all.")

I wonder if this is a signal of college students in general (the ones who aren't already entrenched in the folk/contra scene) , or if there's some other common characteristic I'm missing between the two populations? These two college events are the only ones I've heard of where the participants were saying they liked the alternative music more than the usual contra fare to the point of actually suggesting a complete switch.

I welcome your thoughts in the comments.

Kevin Mabon

2/28/2012 03:02:20 pm

If the college series can be self-supporting as a techno series, maybe that's the way it should go - or perhaps as primarily a techno contra with an occasional regular contra (opposite the usual mix).

There is room for both types of contras. I am sure technos will always have a primarily young adult audience. Going techno in the series would diminish short-term demand for live musicians - but long-term, might well increase the demand for live musicians after people graduate from college and (some of them anyway) eventually move into traditional contras.

Jessica

2/28/2012 08:56:39 pm

Just a thought. When I lived near Boone, they had a great dance community. However, being off the beaten path they didn't get amazing bands for every dance (which is true of most dance communities). Some bands are a bit more low energy. So perhaps those college students that were comparing the two types of music, were comparing an average old-time band with a great DJ and techno stuff. Maybe they didn't know the likes of Great Bear Trio, or Elixir, Wild Asparagus or Hotpoint or other high energy groups that ain't techno. just a thought

Ryan (blogger) link

3/1/2012 01:32:19 pm

Jessica: I think you raise a really valid point.

I had a college friend of mine crashing on my couch last week who likes to perform Renaissance-era works on period instruments. He said, "My job as a performer is to engage the [21st-century] audience when I'm playing 17th-century tunes." Some live performers succeed in the goal of making their works accessible (traditional or otherwise), and some, unfortunately, don't. If the live acoustic performers to whom these people have been exposed failed to engage their audience, perhaps the playing field isn't as level as a lot of us (especially those of us who regularly dance in venues that get consistently awesome bands) would like to believe.

I love live music, but I also can understand the train of thought behind preferring a polished-sounding DJ to an inconsistent live band. Given that I'm not in Boone or Lewiston, I don't know who's been through lately (nor was I at their crossover contra events), so truthfully I don't know precisely what they're comparing, only the generalities.

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Techno Contra Comments at Colleges

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