‘Quiet Clubbing’ –Takes some getting used to

LAST Saturday, local partygoers were treated to an event which brought a new twist to the traditional clubbing scene, in the form of the ‘Silent Headphones Party’ hosted at the Gravity Lounge. So as to sate the curiosity of the average person who would no doubt immediately ponder, “What on earth is a silent headphones party?” here’s what it’s all about.
Referred to as ‘Quiet Clubbing’ or ‘Silent Disco’, the event entails listening and dancing to music on wireless headphones rather than a speaker system.
Music is broadcast via a radio transmitter, with the signal being picked up by the wireless headphone receivers. There are also different genres of music being played on various “channels”, which are represented by different colours on the headphones.
Partygoers can then switch between channels, depending on which type of music they want to hear.
We know what you’re thinking: That must look odd; a mob of people with coloured headpieces adorning their crowns, seemingly dancing to no music.

A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE
And the truth is, it’s just as odd-looking as you believe it to be, but it certainly is a different experience.
Last week’s event at the Gravity Lounge was well attended, with hundreds of clubbers eager to experience the difference that Quiet Clubbing brings.
If you missed it, perhaps you can catch it the next time around, but for those of you who are still curious, here’s what you could expect at such an event: THERE IS NOTHING SILENT ABOUT THE ‘SILENT HEADPHONES PARTY’!
Interestingly enough, Quiet Clubbing was invented to ease the complaints in the metropolitan cities of noise nuisance.
Now, in a perfect world, it is expected that everyone listens to their music, and dances silently along to it. This did not happen. In place of the music, there were hundreds of people screaming out the lyrics to the popular tunes that were blazing in their ears.
So, in fact, it was a party in which a chorus of voices lit up the club, rather than music itself.
PEOPLE WERE CLEARLY EXCITED.
Perhaps it was a bad decision on the part of the organizers, but for some reason, the headphones were not shared out until after 23:00hrs, when hundreds of eager patrons had already filled the space.

A MAD RUSH
When the music was finally cut off, and the announcement was made for persons to collect their headphones so that the real party could begin, there was a mad rush to the tiny table where the headphones were being shared. Not a good decision.
What do you get when excitement mixes with newness? Disorder. And for the first few minutes of sharing out the devices, that was exactly what took place.
FINALLY, YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE SUBJECTED TO MUSIC YOU DON’T LIKE IN THE CLUB. It has happened to everyone: Just as the music starts to get really good, the DJ switches to something that makes you take your seat.
Here, with the various channels playing different genres of music (Gravity’s headsets played hip hop and reggae on one channel, Soca on another, and dance and house on the third, which fairly represented the party-going population of Guyana), when a song you don’t like comes on, guess what? Switch!
IT ALLOWS FOR NO CONVERSATION. Part of the fun of partying is interacting with your friends. So it may get annoying while you’re all decked out in your headphones and have to take it off to yell “What?” to someone who just said something to you.
That’s on the one hand; but on the other hand:
IT ALLOWS FOR A LOT OF CONVERSATION. That is, of course, if you have your headphones off. With no booming music to have to shout over, you can actually have a regular conversation with someone else.
Ever had to step outside the club to make a phone call? No need to here.

YOU FORGET YOU ARE NOT ALONE. So, this is the age of smartphones, which often have our entire collection of music on it. This allows us to commute with our ears plugged up while our headphones serenade us with the music from our phones.
While Quiet Clubbing, if you’re not vigilant, you may very well get lost in the music, the same way you usually do while listening to music on your smartphones.

A REFRESHING CHANGE
At one point, some persons didn’t even worry to dance, and were instead seen sitting and casually bobbing to the music in their headphones, just as they would if they were on their way to work.
It’s a refreshing change to the party scene. The DJs certainly had a blast, competing to make the most patrons switch and stick to one channel, then passing out instructions via the headphones in a friendly ‘war of the channels’ showdown.
And patrons definitely enjoyed themselves with this new experience, while switching between genres at will, and exploring the not-so-quiet perks of Quiet Clubbing.
In the larger world, it’s been around since 2014, and some say it may very well be the next big thing.
But, the question is: Can it last as a concept? Who knows. They say “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, so the traditional means of clubbing may suit us just fine. But for an occasional twist on things, it certainly is a nice change.

 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.