If you have ever gone out dancing, you know music is what draws you in and makes you stay. Finding the perfect venue can be a mission, we’ve all been there, loving the music one second and abandoning ship the next to find if your fav tunes went somewhere else. The solution? Silent Disco! You may be thinking wait, how is that not a juxtaposition? Disco = dancing, dancing = music, silence = no music and no dancing therefore, silent disco = confused people.
This is the main reason so many people are taken aback when they hear about silent discos and why they are so hesitant to go to an event. Where is the atmosphere if you aren’t wrapped in music and feeling the base vibrate through your skin? And it’s true, entering a room full of silent discoers is like walking into a room full of people having epileptic fits. Being totally unplugged at a silent disco really exposes you to the true weirdness of the situation. There is no unison in movement or sound, people are singing cappella excerpts unabashed with passion that outmatches Celine Dion. And your senses are free to experience the unheard sounds of a night out, the sounds of feet shuffling, hand clapping and actual conversation. You may get to this point and think ‘what tha?’
But I found after the initial laughing and pointing phase, you can’t help but be intrigued. What I love about silent discos is that you’re in control, headphones usually come with 2 to 4 channels to choose from. So as the night progresses and your mood changes so can your music. My experience also showed that the quality of headphones used at venues is great, as soon as you put them on you’re transferred into another world, one where it’s almost impossible not to dance. After a few minutes, dancing with the headphones becomes second nature and you forget you have them on.
Another plus about silent discos is that when you need a break (or a drink) you can take the headphones off and enjoy a normal conversation with friends, not a shouting match.
Venues and festivals overseas have embraced silent discos due to its many benefits and you can now hire headphones to have private functions. Silent disco birthday party anyone? Unfortunately, the time of silent discos may have come and gone in Canberra. Mooseheads featured a silent disco in 2010, the National Museum of Australian in 2013, and you could silent disco away at Floriades’ 2014 NightFest. But who knows maybe the summer of 2016, will see a revival in the silent disco scene.
Leave a Comment