T&F Proofs: Not For Distribution 2 The Decline of Electronic Dance Scenes The Case of Psytrance in Goa Anthony D’Andrea “THE SCENE AIN’T THE SAME” Variations on this claim are regularly heard across electronic dance scenes around the world. The explanation, given by veteran and not-so-veteran insiders, is typical: the scene has declined, for the authenticity and quality of parties, crowds, music and drugs have deteriorated. As it is often added, the scene has become too commercial, tritely popular and stifled by state surveillance. Others, however, argue that the scene has not declined but rather transformed while its “spirit” has remained the same. Most strikingly, for any given scene, this debate tends to persist across time. Whether the late-2000s or the mid-1990s, the nature of complaints, explanations and sentiments are similar. This atemporality would suggest that this debate is fed by rumours that do not reflect the more persistent reality of the scene. However, tangible indicators of scene structure fluctu- ate over time, including the number and nature of venues and events in their physical, social and cultural aspects; the relationship between crowd types and outsiders; and, more widely, the relationship between the scene and political economies and major institutions (surveillance, the press and the “culture industry”). All of these variables thus suggest that scenes, in fact, change. Moreover, claims of decline are not mere informative statements, but also operate as powerful devices in shaping practices, identities and hier- archies that constitute any scene. Thus, rather than searching for the truth about claims of decline, it is sociologically more pertinent to examine the factors propelling the dynamic of scene formation and representation. Why such claims and counterclaims arise, and how scenes change, are questions to be investigated. This chapter analyzes the dynamic of transformation of electronic dance scenes, with a focus on the advanced period, often referred to as one of maturation or decline. As a privileged analytical site, the psytrance scene located in northern Goa (India) provides a strong case for the examination of how historical, subcultural, ritual and global processes converge into processes of scene formation and representation. Having developed from St John 1st pages.indd 40 St John 1st pages.indd 40 2/5/2010 12:20:12 PM 2/5/2010 12:20:12 PM