21st Mar - The best year to be alive

I recently conducted a poll on Instagram where day-by-day, I asked my followers to vote for the greatest year of 'the teenies', until we were left with two standout contenders: 2010 and 2018. The former succeeded, and though 2018 felt like a truly iconic Summer (mainly on account of England's charge to the World Cup Semi-Final), there is, in my opinion, a simple reason why 2010 emerged victorious. Needless to say, 2010 may not just have been the greatest year in the lives of those enjoying the 'teenies', but most likely, the greatest year of most Millennial's lives.  

There are three letters which mark much more than a coincidence as to why this may have been... EDM. I won't insult your intelligence by providing a categoric history on the genre as a whole (although I'd love to), but to break it down in the simplest of terms, 'EDM' was a term coined by the American community, who discovered a type of euphoric, progressive house music which started to emerge at the turn of the decade. The States were actually a few years behind their European counterparts on this one, with the movement beginning primarily across the Netherlands and Sweden, with a few dabbles of influence also arriving from the United Kingdom, and even France.

Soon, 'EDM' became the new 'pop music', thanks to addictive melodies, energetic breakdowns, and high-intensity hooks. Via vocal collaborations with many of the R&B/pop world's biggest icons (Nicki Minaj, Flo Rida, Pharrell, Kelly Rowland, Tinie Tempah, Will.i.am, Taio Cruz, Akon etc), the genre soon dominated airplay and burst into the mainstream, crossing over into daytime radio territories and dominating 'Top 40' charts across the continent. When we think back to a certain 'snapshot' of a year in our minds, we tend to fall into the psychological default of remembering the nostalgia of a 'time capsule' summarised by pop culture. The movies of the time, the biggest news stories, sporting events, celebrities, fashion trends, and above all... Music.

2010 EDM, now referred to as 'the golden era' enjoyed at least 3/4 consecutive years at the summit of all musical genres, up until the change of music direction from Avicii, and retirement of the Swedish House Mafia, the two leading lights in the DJ world at the time. But throughout those years, all angles were focused on nothing but positivity, feel-good vibes, and sharing memories with friends alongside you at visually stunning, pyrotechnic-heavy live shows and festivals. Strangers on the dancefloor became family, and firm emphasis was placed upon a new and unique accepting community where every 'raver' was free to express themselves in any way they wanted, without fear of prejudice over race, weight, sexuality, etc etc. 

Now, more than a decade on, the world has changed as we lean closer to ambient sounds and a range of whiney Billie Eilish ballads, delinquent Aitch mumblings, or edgy Cardi B raps about genitalia. It's no longer 'cool' to enjoy EDM, but I for one, will always maintain - much to the disgust of Gen Z - that looking miserable is nowhere near as 'cool' as expressing yourself, and above all, having pure and unadulterated fun, regardless of what others think of you. This morning, I spent my entire commute zoning out to the likes of 'Save The World', 'Titanium', 'Levels', and so on, and my mood was instantly boosted for the whole day. Why not give EDM a try?... 

... Chances are, you'll love it, too.