In new documentary Daft Punk Unchained, talking head Michaelangelos Matos observates that the success of the duo's famed Coachella pyramid show—and the subsequent sea change it caused in the Americans electronic music market—was amplified exponentially by the rise of camera phones. It's a rising wave that EDM has ridden for a decade. A YouTube search for "Daft Punk Coachella" returns 13,200 results, while "EDC 2015" kicks back an astonishing 609,000. And that's just videos. Type #EDC into Instagram, and over 3.5 million shots surface. But you know that if you've ever stood at the back of show and watched the sea of screens light up as an act hits the stage. Or gotten stuck behind some bozo at the center of the dance floor who thinks it's his god-given right to block your view (and your moves) while he live streams every beat.Now it seems the selfie surf could be cresting, at least as far as nightlife is concerned. Venues like Output in Brooklyn and Trouw (RIP) in Amsterdam have both followed Berlin's Berghain in their no photos policy, while "No Phones On Our Floor" has become the motto of several Los Angeles underground events. Still, keeping thumbs off of screens in 2015 is as difficult as convincing Seth Troxler to spin on Serato. Who would have the balls to physically deprive the paying public of their devices?No surprise that move has come from comedian Dave Chappelle. The notoriously anti-recording performer has partnered with technology company YONDR to create phone-free zones in venues, enforced by a self-locking case that all audience members must carry when in the club. If attendees really need access to the outside world, they simply move to an approved cell phone area, where the case automatically unlocks.The device was recently utilized at Chappelle's 13-night run in Chicago. It remains to be seen if the technology could be employed in a club environment. But even if the cost and logistics seem daunting, the presence of these restrictions alone may indicate a return to more reasonable social mores when it comes to capturing every unnecessary moment digitally. After all, YouTube doesn't even bother to "serve more than 1,000 results for any query," and your photos of DJs look like shit anyways.
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