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Dancing machines: ‘Dance Dance Revolution’, cybernetic dance, and musical taste

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 September 2006

JOANNA DEMERS
Affiliation:
Department of Music History and Literature, Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California, 304 Waite Phillips Hall, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0851, USA E-mail: jtdemers@usc.edu

Abstract

In ‘Dance Dance Revolution’ (DDR), an arcade and home video game distributed by the Japanese entertainment corporation Konami, players move their feet in specific patterns set to electronic dance music. Only by achieving a high accuracy rate can a player advance from one level to the next. DDR enjoys worldwide popularity among teenagers and young adults, partially due to the marketing of the game's ‘soundtracks’ as separate, purchasable collections of underground techno, house, and drum ‘n’ bass. This article considers the Internet communities of DDR fans and their debates concerning ‘mainstream’ culture and musical taste.

Type
Articles
Copyright
2006 Cambridge University Press

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