Ethics & values... that makes sense!

Balance, humanism, humility, maturity, sharing, respect, responsibility, tolerance…

How can we respect ourselves? How to respect others?

By giving meaning to one's life? By thinking about what to do with it?

By acting with a minimum of "common" sense?

But what really makes sense?

A high-flying philosophical debate that does not boil down to primary Manichaeism, it is naturally transposable to the question of the meaning of art in general, of culture or, in the present context, of different forms of musical expression...

To sum up: how can you practice thinking beyond the tip of your own nose!? However, would thinking as an answer be enough?!? Wouldn't it be necessary to combine it with deeds? From then on, which ones? To what end? With what "ethics", what moral precepts as a backdrop? Very modestly, the themes of meaning and values, as well as that of questioning, are at the source of the present approach giving life to the NéMéSiS-303 project.

What is an ethical approach then?

Why evoke it, why apply it? Moreover, what place does ethics occupy in music?

In practice, is it really defensible and feasible? With what consequences? Who does it concern? You, me, others, everyone? Do actions follow "beautiful" words? Are good intentions enough?

So many very (too) complex questions that open up as vast as many "dialectical building sites" that I do not intend to tackle here, rest assured, nor do I pretend to do so. However, not discouraged by the excessiveness of the debates, the scene and the electro movement are no exception, the reflections raised by the evolution of the entertainment and music industries or the rise of new technologies are related to those of a systemic functioning relatively "perverse" in more than one way... In such conditions, it is not always easy to keep the "free will" and lucidity necessary to make the difference and apply precepts as far as possible "artistically" while respecting others as much as oneself... So how can one manage to preserve oneself and preserve one's integrity, freedom, identity, convictions? Faced with economic issues, those of financing and profitability, remuneration and commissions or conflicts of interest, how to position oneself? What about ego in all this? The personality, what drives him, what inhabits him? The role, however modest, of the artist? Its impact? The meaning of his approach? What motivates him? What he is aware of? His balance, his lacks, his flaws, his values, his culture, his education, his psyche, his degree of maturity? What he wishes to take part in, what he does not wish to take part in? What he takes part in reluctantly or simply with no regard for the consequences for himself or others?

In short, nothing is less complex than ethical questions, constant, permanent and everywhere at once... In all fields, in all sectors of society, for everyone, every day, every hour, every moment. Not only important from a strictly moral point of view, ethics also plays a role in matters of survival... The choices we make, or not make... The consequences we anticipate, or not anticipate, that concern us or not... The things that matter or that acquire importance. The right environment must, as often happens, impose itself before making a decision! Maybe that's a bit of it: ethics and what we do with them!

Everyone is free to think what he or she wants, without forgetting that the idea of self-respect and respect for others is fundamental in terms of attitude, morals and societal evolution because it resonates in the bowels of the very foundations of humanity, a "social" group based on the assent of the members of its community... A principle that is linked to codes of conduct and behaviour determined by the ethical values of the group in question...

In the end, if the original techno movement had a spirit of protest that forged the basis of a certain community in the making, it was forced to note that the "electro" current, under its modern (inclusive) name, only recovered the racoleur slogan for almost exclusively mercantile purposes!

In conclusion, if the techno movement (existing only through its adherents...) still has a bit of "depth and soul", if it still lives "underground", sheltered from blinding glitter and anaesthetic strasses, if it still has heart, in addition to a lively and open mind, then it is undeniably by defending values that are much fairer, more sensible and applied that it can still claim its "rebellious" and non-conformist inclination! Not in order to dissociate himself from the rest of the "electro planet", nor to distance himself from it, but by caring, far beyond the image, about what the movement and its members stand for. The objective is not to over-angelize, demagoguery or to oppose head-on, as a fiery and scatterbrained reaction, but to assert itself without detours by not deviating from a thoughtful line of conduct, certainly flexible, but ethical and moral that corresponds first and foremost to humanist values! Those dissolved in the tortuous meanders of a society in full mutation which cannot afford the luxury of having fun without considering the scope of its acts and ways of thinking! Thus demonstrating at the same time that the brains of those who wiggle to the sound of thundering bass are no less "connected" than others!

A few themes that it might then be wise to look into?

It's up to you to judge...

Although the answer is actually at the very heart of how the human brain works, let's still ask ourselves the question "why more and more? "Why do we need more and more infrastructure? Why are more and more partygoers flocking together? Why invite more and more artists, why raise the decibel level even higher?

Very naively, one could ask oneself what is the use or rather who benefits from this overbidding?

Should we necessarily want and always make more: stronger, more "beautiful", bigger, more expensive, more sensational, more "hair-raising", more excessive?

Certainly, human nature being what it is, why would there not be another way to satisfy oneself with less, especially in terms of festive organization and logistics?

Shouldn't the economic model of the music scene in general, which is rather shaky like many others, be renegotiated, adapted, "adjusted" in the light of planetary, geopolitical, climatic and other factors?

Moreover, by dint of considering only the profitability of the product, which is certainly attractive, wouldn't its "gentrification", despite the reality of the social mix, bear witness in its own way to the gulf created by class struggles?

Even if the main "shareholders" of the current would keep control of a sector that has only grown over the past twenty years, wouldn't it be in their interest to seriously review their strategies to ensure their sustainability?

What is the real "added value" of moving, regrouping and managing thousands of partygoers around the world?

Does it really "make sense" to take several planes every week to play "vulgar" music on the other side of the world for a few hours?

How to understand the exorbitant "salaries" of the "neo-stars" of the electro scene?

Through the practice of the cult of the "person", by dint of turning them into quasi "divinities", isn't there an unfortunate tendency to reproduce the ancestral models of collective management that have succeeded in erasing the individual in favour of the cult, its idols and its clergy?

Shouldn't such "icons", superstars or "starlets", which are in demand everywhere, feed their "social networks" with more than just pictures of them "playing" with the buttons on a mixing desk, sipping a cocktail at a bar, sunglasses on their noses? What's the point of taking a picture of yourself having a good time on a beach, or waking up in the morning, in an airport, a taxi or in front of a hotel? Why post a picture of your pet dog or cat? Wouldn't there be anything else to say on Facebook pages, news feeds... In short, apart from telling each other and telling each other about it, wouldn't there be other things that raise a tiny bit the level of generations of spoiled children who have nothing else to do but look at themselves and at others to compare?

That's progress, they say! But wouldn't there be other models to pass on to the younger generations? Should we systematically reproduce behaviour that has hardly been questioned?

Wouldn't there be today another way to exist than to maintain a digital double supposedly "social" and emancipatory?

Would there not then be other ways of using the power of networks to advance other things?

Cult of the person, "bling bling" culture, complacency, recklessness, lack of maturity, "fuse blowing", although many artists retain a certain reserve and humility, the climate of the environment, as in all environments, reflects the best as well as the worst aspects of individuals and communities. Humanity being what it is...

What do you think of the small "hands" of the sector that are far less recognized? Are they appreciated at their true value? They are indispensable links in the chain of operation of an entertainment world that never hesitates to call on the goodwill of its festival-goers before, during and after the event. For the festival to be a success, it is not only the presence of famous "animators" and other "hall drivers" that is required, it is also imperative to be able to count on the dedication of numerous and diverse intermediaries. Volunteers come to reinforce the ranks of the employees at the cleat. Although they are not in the spotlight, it would be impossible to do without them. It would be impossible to do without them, even though they are not in the spotlight. We should focus on the "staffs" and the diversity of the forces involved, rather than on the "heroes" of a few illustrious individuals whose only merit is objectively to have been in the right place at the right time to take advantage of the "best places"!

...

To meditate...

nms303