Fake It Until... Actually, Just Keep Faking It

a.k.a. The pressure to constantly project success in dance music.

What does success look like in dance music? Concrete metrics are admittedly hard to come by, but both the industry and fans seem to have coalesced around a few key signifiers, including:

1. A busy touring schedule.

2. Adoring reviews in the press.

3. A lively Instagram account, preferably stuffed with envy-inducing travel updates, videos of packed dancefloors and stone-faced photos in front of Berghain.

That’s just a partial list, but even in an expanded rundown, most line items will share one key trait: they all contribute to the impression that a particular artist is “killing it,” regardless of whether or not that notion lines up with reality. Appearances can be deceiving, and when it comes to dance music, they quite often are.