One of the more interesting themes that I have seen running through the various discussions on the "modern urban contra" scene -- alternative/techno contras included -- is an ongoing pursuit of novelty. Part of the reason that events with electronic dance music seem to appeal is ironically the thing that also created demand for live bands on the contra dance scene many years ago. For contra dancers now, live music is the (sub)cultural norm, which differentiates it from most other social dance scenes. This also means that nowadays, having recorded music for a dance is going to get attention, for good or ill, simply because it's unusual.
Perhaps the more interesting conversation to be had, however, is to talk about the subcultural norms that dancers are, by and large, NOT willing to mess with. The dancing may become slightly more improvisational, the music may shift from acoustic to electronic, but several other subcultural norms remain intact. Aimless, consequenceless flirting is generally acceptable to some degree (i.e., what happens on the dance floor, stays on the dance floor, and taking it too far usually reduces the number of willing dance partners one has); harmless eye contact; intergenerationality, whether we're dancing to the Free Raisins or "Free Bird;" a regular, largely chemical-free party where nobody gives a thought to men in skirts and women who mostly don't wear high heels; being able to leave your water bottle and your bag (possibly containing your wallet) at the edge of the room and knowing it is unlikely to be messed with.* For the general population, all of these things are novelties. (I will refrain from comment on this fact and just leave it as is -- that is a totally separate rant/conversation.)
Before one pigeonholes alternative contra into the compartment of pure novelty-seeking, take a look at what parts nobody is trying to change at all. I would even go so far as to say that the things that alternative contra dance organizers are NOT changing would actually embody many of the reasons a lot of us go to the traditional(ish) contra events in the first place -- the rest of the debate is largely a matter of aesthetics.
* Common sense is still warranted, but by and large this has been true at the events I've been to.
