Murder on the dancefloor: are phones, drugs and chatter killing off dancing?

Viral pleas for punters to stop yapping have divided clubland. With ketamine and social media also altering behaviour, DJs and dancers weigh in on how sacred a space the club...

By Oliver Keens · The Guardian Culture

Viral pleas for punters to stop yapping have divided clubland. With ketamine and social media also altering behaviour, DJs and dancers weigh in on how sacred a space the club should be Towards the end of summer, a debate began raging in clubland, kick-started by an Instagram post from the esteemed DJ Jane Fitz. Ahead of the Houghton festival, where she is a regular fixture, she posted a request asking people to stop chatting so much during DJ sets. “What I wrote was super respectful,” she tells me. “A bit of talking is obviously OK. But why would you stand completely still, where the sound is super loud, just to ask your mate about a new boyfriend or what they had for lunch? It’s called a dancefloor for a reason.” Continue reading...