Politics of electronic music purism: Social space and label authenticity in the Netherlands

Since electronic music’s emergence in the mid-1980s, the genre has gained considerable recognition as an unusual and an interesting case study for cultural production dynamics and socio-cultural values in regards to what is considered authentic. The scene in the Netherlands has seen large-scale consumption of more mainstream/accessible off-shoots of electronic music genres such as trance, techno, and house for over two decades. The most significant case studies on electronic music are presented by Thornton (1995) and Hesmondhalgh (1998), generally taking a more broad approach in understanding these definitions within the electronic music dance industry; both share key ideas of technology innovation and convergence of these practices within identity. This thesis attempts to look at the label perspective of the Dutch scene because of its independent and historical connotations associated with the music genre, similarly done by Grote (2014) and Strachan (2007) in other locations and genres in the label perspective. The fact that these labels are independent, but aesthetically appear small-scale, despite at times being the large-scale producer of certain genres, creates a dissonance in the way that cultural capital can be clearly created in this world. Bourdieu’s (1993/1996) cultural capital, specifically the social space aspect, along with Bruno Latour’s (1996) actor network theory is used to understand how music labels in the Dutch electronic music industry in Amsterdam and Rotterdam construct their identities in this network of influences and social space, what they distinctly value as authentic, and ultimately how they perceive authenticity in the current electronic music scene. The results from ten interviews confirm certain narratives provided by recent contributions in dance music, but is divergent from traditional understandings of authenticity in other genres and illustrates how a network of influences, along with transparent intention, correlates with authenticity. Also, recommendations for future electronic music research based on the ramifications of the findings and adaptations to Bourdieu’s cultural production to fit this music field are presented for further exploration.