Bout Dat Xperience

Musicism in Birmingham 'Musicism' - Discrimination against a person or a genre based on one's unfavorable taste towards that genre of music. (UrbanDictionary.com) The demonization of certain groups and types of music within Britain is not new; in fact, it has provided a source of control for those in power since the middle-ages. A more recent example, however, of an attempt by the British Government to enforce order based on discrimination against a particular genre of music was the introduction of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill in 1994 – a section of which was entitled ‘Powers in relation to raves’ (S. 63). The Bill was created by the, then Conservative, government in order to protect certain communities within rural areas of Britain from the supposed ‘destruction and distress’ caused by ravers and their music. The Bill defined a rave as an ‘open air gathering of 100 or more people at which amplified music is played during the night’ – a definition which, to be...