Kaskade has always been one to voice his opinion, and for the most part we tend to agree with him, especially on his most recent topic of discussion: deaths related to drug use.
We’ve reported on these tragic occurrences time and time again, but we do not pin blame on drugs themselves, and we most certainly don’t blame them on electronic dance music as a whole. This statement is not to be understood as us condoning illegal drugs; it’s up to the individual to be responsible for any risk-laden behavior such as recreational drug use. It’s a matter of mitigating this risk, and any associated harm that might come from using illicit substance.
The subject of Kaskade’s latest blog post is an article by LA Times which you can read here. It reports on HARD Day Of The Dead forgoing a 2016 event, pinning the blame on “a summer of deaths,” which has resulted in venues refusing to book dance music events. The outside world has a perception of dance music that stops at drugs, and Kaskade has something to say about it.
I’m happy to use my influence to encourage people to be responsible, to stay alive. But this is a world-wide problem, something that is not even close to being unique to dance music. Part of the problem is people trying to simple-size it. Raves = drugs. So close them down.
Not going to work, and we all know it. Time to devote your column inches to some real stories. The war on drugs is a farce. There are better answers than regurgitating the same alarmist solutions that have never worked, which will NEVER work. Try this on: education, harm reduction and legalization.
Start there. And back to the music for me.”
H/T Kaskade Music