“It’s not just a Party, ya know?”

Work and Affective Circuits in LGBTQIA+ Music Collectives in the South of Brazil

Abstract

This article addresses the application of affective theories in relation to electronic dance music parties, specifically from a Global South perspective. The aim is to comprehend the circumstances of collective and individual formations facilitated through music as an element that intensifies affect, as well as the labor demanded by the creation of these affects. Drawing inspiration from ethnographic methodology and employing observational techniques and informal interviews, this study explores work, affective circuits and music scenes through a pilot study of a party that’s been running for 5 years, organized by Coletivo T in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. In this way, the analysis of parties, embodiment and urban spaces unfolds through an archaeology of the city’s electronic music scene. This reveals a distinct circuit from its inception, marked by both ruptures and continuities in the aesthetics and identities of these events and their participants.