Where have all the music subcultures gone?

[Flex Your Head]

I was a punk (I still consider myself one in moments of idealistic, nostalgic romanticism, despite the suit I wear to work) but I had friends who were Teds, Mods, Skins, Rockabillies, Psychobillies, Hippies, 2-Toners, Headbangers, New Romantics, Trendies / Smoothies / Casuals and so on.

All you seem to see nowadays are Emo types, the occasional Goth, Hipsters in East London, and a bunch of prannies with tight jeans and One Direction hairstyles. This makes me feel a bit sad.

Has bland, corporate music and endless karaoke shows on TV killed ‘real’ music and the associated subcultures?

 

[Pogue Mahone]

I don't think that real music has been killed - in fact I think it is blooming. And it's brilliant to see so many teens at gigs these days - I'm sure there are more now than there were a few years ago. My kids and all their mates are regular gig goers, and they're all heading off to Reading later this year, which is obviously the festival of choice for their age.

I was a punk too. My parents were a bit shocked by the whole thing. The same would go for parents of all the other subcultures you mention.

Our kids look at the old photos and laugh - their generation would find it tough to shock ours, as it's all been done before. They've had to settle for wearing their jeans around their knees and recycling what's gone before.

So many of the youth subcultures unified around the time of rave, and people didn't see the need to pigeon-hole themselves quite so much. Since then the kids have come together, man.

 

[Mr Bridger]

Sub cultures evolved from being on the street and identifiying with each other, hanging out, listening to music and doing STUFF.
You'd be hard pushed to get a teenager out of his/ her bedroom now becuase of the likes of facebook / twitter etc.

main stream music is just recycled , sampled shite these days, but then am i just turning in to my father?

 

[brightn'ove]

Perhaps we just aren't as angsty and divisive as you lot were

 

[Kumquat]

Perhaps we just aren't as angsty and divisive as you lot were

I think there's an element of truth to that. I remember John Lydon saying that thhe summer of love was all about "peace, love and touch my motor and i'll smash your face in". He also lamented that punk was meant to be a rebellion where people expressed their own individuality and how sad it was to see them just copy the initial look all wearing the same clothes and the same identity. Sub-genres are all about trying to express your own identity. Maybe more people today feel more comfortable in the ways they can express themselves without having to make a new genre out of it.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

Certainly an element of truth, but you also probably got old and 'they all look the same' or you 'don't understand the difference between them' now....... all the things old people said to you 'back in the day'. The online aspect and fact most 18ish year olds don't leave the house till about 1a.m. these days probably means you don't experience them in their relaxed and expressionist states but more in day to day college going / working mode

Also did all those subcultures you list PEAK at EXACTLY the same time or were they spread out over a number of years.

Lastly 12 year old seem mature these days in some ways mainly due to media and technological exposure (literally in the case of all the 11/12 year old sending genital pics to each other in the cafe my friend works in, yet you have a large number of 30-35 year olds still living with mummy. It's a different world

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I was a punk (I still consider myself one in moments of idealistic, nostalgic romanticism, despite the suit I wear to work) but I had friends who were Teds, Mods, Skins, Rockabillies, Psychobillies, Hippies, 2-Toners, Headbangers, New Romantics, Trendies / Smoothies / Casuals and so on.

All you seem to see nowadays are Emo types, the occasional Goth, Hipsters in East London, and a bunch of prannies with tight jeans and One Direction hairstyles. This makes me feel a bit sad.

Has bland, corporate music and endless karaoke shows on TV killed ‘real’ music and the associated subcultures?

Or maybe as we get older we do not see youth culture as much? I still go to plenty of gigs and I do pick up on the occassional fashion. I recall when Florence and the Machine were getting big there were plenty of teenage girls following her look at gigs and Festivals. I recall when DataRock and Klaxons were fashionable plenty of teens followed their nu-rave style. Maybe they all dress like Disclosure and London Grammer these days? There is plenty of 'real' music out there-in fact this is a great period. And there are plenty of kids into it. Maybe we do not have the bigger trends like we did in the past but it is still out there for sure.

 

[Gullflyinghigh]

I don't think 21st century people like to isolate themselves by becoming stereotypes anymore.

I've found that whatever genre music you go to see live, the crowds are generally the same - just "normal" looking people, some more tattooed/pierced/crazy haired than others, but no defined groups like previous decades.

I'd say that's pretty close to it, from the view of someone in their mid-20's.

I've always been into heavier or genre-crossing stuff (Skindred as an example) and have had mates who have looked the part whilst at gigs or what have you. I personally never really put any effort into it as I didn't (don't?) need to, my mates where still the same people as was I. There was also no need to advertise my tastes to find like minded individuals (which I guess was harder way back when) as it's considered normal to like pretty much anything now (except Mindless Self Indulgence, you like them, you're wrong).

Plus, as an aside, with genre crossing stuff, what the hell are you meant to dress as? If it includes elements of metal, reggae and rap, all those stereotypical images mashed together would be awful/hilarious.

 

[daveinprague]

Reggae still seems to be churning out sub cultures..Dubwise being the latest...which seems to be jungle to me...but its getting popular in reggae venues...and sound systems are playing it..


https://soundcloud.com/doumpa/dubwise-station-best-of-2013

 

[spring hall convert]

Mainstream homogenisation has been with us since the mid 80's (thanks Stock Aitken & Waterman) but when I was a teen (mid-late 90's) there was still a real tribal thing going on (I was a metaller in case you were interested.)

I reckon it's to do with digital music, illegal downloading, iPODS & social media. Let's face it, music has been at the forefront of virtually all youth movements. This massively availibility of music for free gives 2 issues to the creation of youth cultures.

1) Anyone can listen to anything, people aren't so constrained by genre any more. Therefore there is a greater apprecaition for other areas of music.

2) If something "cool/ different" does start to happen, it's all over social media immediately and before you know it Universal Records & Top Shop have monetised it. This is why you are getting a lot of these blog buzz crazes musically, that die down almost as soon as they started and are assimilated into mainstream culture. Chillwave & Witchhouse are recent examples - Vapourwave is the current one. Nothing new gets time to achieve momentum in the underground any more.

I think it's all pretty sad really. I'd love the access to art that teens have now but fear I would miss that sense of identity I got from youth culture....

 

[Randsta]

There are plenty of subcultures just less easy to spot these days...and you don't have to be in "uniform" to be in a subculture"

 

[£1.99]

Was anyone ever a "Hairy" ?

 

[hybrid_x]

emotive pysbiance is flourishing.

many sub 'audio-resonance' cultures are hidden.

 

[16 bit 44.1]

Or maybe as we get older we do not see youth culture as much? I still go to plenty of gigs and I do pick up on the occassional fashion. I recall when Florence and the Machine were getting big there were plenty of teenage girls following her look at gigs and Festivals. I recall when DataRock and Klaxons were fashionable plenty of teens followed their nu-rave style. Maybe they all dress like Disclosure and London Grammer these days? There is plenty of 'real' music out there-in fact this is a great period. And there are plenty of kids into it. Maybe we do not have the bigger trends like we did in the past but it is still out there for sure.

Yeah I'd agree with this. A few years ago I went to see the Rapture in Portsmouth and noticed very clearly for the first time that whilst I knew the music, most of the (much younger than me) audience were also into some kind of bigger picture that had clearly passed me by.

 

[Kumquat]

I don't think 21st century people like to isolate themselves by becoming stereotypes anymore.

I've found that whatever genre music you go to see live, the crowds are generally the same - just "normal" looking people, some more tattooed/pierced/crazy haired than others, but no defined groups like previous decades.

Think that sums it up well.

 

[Albumen]

You get the darker tattooed crowd that are into the math punk scene, darker still that are still metalers, but there's so much to choose from nowadays there's never an actual big movement.

 

[brighton bluenose]

I don't think 21st century people like to isolate themselves by becoming stereotypes anymore.

I've found that whatever genre music you go to see live, the crowds are generally the same - just "normal" looking people, some more tattooed/pierced/crazy haired than others, but no defined groups like previous decades.

Which surely means they are ALL stereotypes?!

 

[Pogue Mahone]

Which surely means they are ALL stereotypes?!

I'm not.

 

[Milton Keynes Seagull]

Reggae still seems to be churning out sub cultures..Dubwise being the latest...which seems to be jungle to me...but its getting popular in reggae venues...and sound systems are playing it..


https://soundcloud.com/doumpa/dubwise-station-best-of-2013

I think spontaneity is still the key. I remember an agreeable impromptu evening in Prague singing along with veterans of the Velvet Revolution rejoicing in the fall of communism amid liberal quantities of Pilsner Urquell and surprisingly good Czech wine.

 

[The Large One]

I assume it's just me who responds to the thread title question with "... long time passing."