Together, Somehow: Music, Affect, and Intimacy on the Dancefloor

Luis Manuel Garcia-Mispireta explores how people connect through dance, sharing a vibe and sound, and the utopian vision of throbbing dancefloors. He highlights the importance of affect lubricating connections between music and dancers, creating a sense of belonging within a larger social world. However, he also acknowledges that this sense of belonging can be vague, fluid, and may hide exclusions and injustices.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 08 August 2023
Publisher: Duke University Press

Luis Manuel Garcia-Mispireta explores how people establish connections and share a dancefloor, vibe, and sound in the context of minimal techno and house music subcultures in Chicago, Paris, and Berlin during the early 2000s. He introduces the concept of stranger-intimacy, which describes the warmth, sharing, and vulnerability that often occurs between people at popular electronic dance music parties. Garcia-Mispireta highlights how affect lubricates the connections between music and dancers, creating a sense of belonging to a larger social world. However, he also acknowledges that this sense of belonging can be ambiguous, fluid, and potentially conceal exclusions and injustices. By examining the various elements involved in sharing a dancefloor, including feeling, touch, sound, sexuality, and subculture, Garcia-Mispireta challenges traditional notions of intimacy and belonging and offers a fresh perspective on throbbing dancefloors as utopian visions.

Weight: 442g
Dimension: 153 x 232 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781478025047