The Underground Is Drowning in Numbers: How Social Media is Eroding Electronic Music Culture

In the dimly-lit clubs and gritty warehouses where electronic music was born, something is changing and not for the better.

Once a bastion of raw talent, innovation, and pure sonic exploration, the underground electronic music scene now finds itself at a troubling crossroads. Increasingly, the spotlight no longer shines on the skilled DJ or the Producer. Instead, it’s aimed at influencers with inflated follower counts and flashy aesthetics, often lacking any deep connection to the culture or the craft.
“It’s not about talent anymore,” says a veteran underground artist who’s been in the scene for over two decades. “Now it’s about metrics. Promoters check Instagram stats before listening to a single track.”
The digital age has undoubtedly democratized access to music, but it has also blurred the lines between genuine artistry and manufactured personas. The emphasis on social media engagement over substance has led to a flood of irrelevant events and bookings that sideline true talent in favor of superficial hype.

This shift has left many dedicated underground artists struggling, fighting to have their voices and sounds heard in an environment that increasingly prioritizes image over integrity. “We are losing the culture,” the artist continues. “And if we don’t act now, we risk erasing everything that made the underground scene what it was, raw, real, and revolutionary.”

A growing number of DJs and promoters are now calling for a cultural reset: to stop promoting acts that lack skill, to stop filling lineups with influencers masquerading as artists, and to restore respect for those who have honed their craft in the shadows for years.
The message is clear: Respect the culture, protect the underground. This isn’t just about music, it’s about the soul of a movement.

The real underground It wasn’t about fame. It wasn’t about filters. It wasn’t about going viral.
But now? It’s all about the numbers.
The scene that once thrived on authenticity is slowly being buried under algorithms, follower counts, and influencer clout. The underground is no longer underground, it’s been hijacked by the mainstream mindset, where booking a DJ is more about their Instagram engagement than their ability to move a crowd or deliver a soul-shaking set.
“We used to dig for music, now we dig through reels,” says Berlin-based techno purist DJ Arkaane. “Promoters scroll your feed, not your SoundCloud. That’s not culture. That’s marketing.”
And the consequences are clear. Veteran DJs with decades of skill, crate-digging passion, and analog experience are being overlooked in favor of weekend influencers who can press play and pose. Events are packed, but not with heads who know the tracks, the BPMs, or the roots. They’re filled with phones, selfies, and the thirst for validation.
“The worse thing is to see the people getting top billing wouldn’t last 30 minutes in a proper underground set. No transitions. No storytelling. Just clout.”
The underground isn’t just a genre or a sound. It’s a culture. A movement. A space for outsiders, dreamers, and sound-obsessed souls to gather and transcend. It was never meant to be clean, curated, or commercial. It was meant to be raw. Alive. Untouchable.

But now, real artists are struggling to be heard.

“I’ve spent over a decade mastering my craft, vinyl, digital, live setups, hybrid mixes, all in real time. But that gets ignored because I don’t feed the algorithm? That’s not a scene, that’s a circus,” says MIHNEA. “We’re letting the wrong people define the scene and if we don’t protect this scene, we’ll lose it forever.”

We Need a Reset

The message echoing from basements to back rooms is urgent: Respect the culture. Protect the underground.
This isn’t gatekeeping, this is guardianship.

The underground is not a brand. It’s a legacy. And it’s on life support.

We must:

• Stop promoting people who aren’t DJs.

• Stop supporting events driven by hype instead of skill.

• Start booking talent who live and breathe this music.

• Celebrate skill, not selfies.

• Value experience over engagement.

“We need to go back to listening. Not watching. Feeling. Not following,”

It’s Time to Take It Back

The underground doesn’t belong to the algorithms. It belongs to the artists who grind for love, not likes. It belongs to those still mixing vinyl in dark corners, those building their own synth racks, those who play sunrise sets to 30 people and still give it everything.

If you care about this culture, now’s the time to stand up.

DJs. Promoters. Listeners. Dancers. Choose the real ones.

Say no to fake. Say yes to the real.
Respect the roots. Defend the underground.

Written by outputroom