You have probably seen the infamous concert that was hosted in front of the Giza pyramids during the Spring semester on whatever social media you follow religiously. This house music concert was hosted April 19 by Keinemusik in Egypt and the algorithms on our social media pages went crazy during that time.

It is true that house music has always existed and has seemed rather exclusive by nature but everybody can indulge in a good beat. According to Britannica Encyclopedia, house music is defined as a “style of high-tempo, electronic dance music that originated in Chicago in the early 1980s and spread internationally”. This style of music is usually played at clubs and more private spaces because only a select few actually enjoyed this music, which was drastically different for its time. But now, house music (not to be confused with “its sibling” high beat more “tense” techno) has seemingly taken social media over by a storm and most people have at least one or two songs from the genre in their Spotify playlists. And who made it this common the past year? I think the answer is definitely Keinemusik.

Keinemusik, which translates to, “no music”, is a German electronic music record label which was founded in 2009 in Berlin. Their music includes electronic, house, and afro house music with light and more high beats. Generally house music is usually just a steady 4/4 beat ranging from 120 to 130 beats per minute (BPM) with drums, bass, and different melodies depending on what the DJ or mixer uses at their set or in their songs. Another point is that songs can be distinctly different from live sets when the songs are played live because the mixer might decide to “up the beat” or add live lyrics based on the vibe of the crowd or the mood of the DJ.

Keinemusik crew includes Adam Port, Rampa, &ME, Reznik, and Artwork Artist Monja Gentschow. Monja Gentschow is the creative artist of the crew for branding deals and cover art. The one thing that distinguishes &ME from the crew is his distinctive headwear scarf piece which he puts on at every show with a cap or not, while the whole crew keeps a low-key chill clothing vibe. That scarf keeps him warm during winter shows or protected during sunny shows. Now one has to ask, why should he care about a scarf? I will tell you that it is really not a matter of him dressing up but actually, the trend of the scarf began a series of chaotic events online for fans.

People all over the world became “mini &MEs” and wore the scarf for stylistic purposes and to show off their support for the brand. I also find it interesting how an artist can have such a big impact on the international media and have people promote their songs without even noticing that they are doing so. Now, I am not saying that that was &ME’s goal but it did accidentally gain the “house movement” mass support and simultaneously for Keinemusik to become a trend. For him, wearing the scarf might be a practical decision, but the amount of fans that played his or the crew’s songs online gained and the massive fame that came with them because of how effortless it is for people to put that scarf on and dance to the songs. I do not think that there is a person who went to a show and did not think of either bringing a scarf with them or wearing one and that shows the effect of music on media and public outreach.

Each person in the crew has their own separate songs and techniques and they only play their bigger shows together and they perform separately for their smaller shows. If you think about it, that is a smart financial decision, as they are splitting up and performing two shows in one day in two drastically different locations actually gains them more popularity, even if the goal is mostly to make house music do international rounds. Their most famous songs are the ones you have heard over the summer or over the radio like "Move," a song released this summer with Stryv and featuring Malachiii and Orso. This song was everywhere this summer and gained house music even more fans. The biggest first hit was Adam Port’s "You Are Safe" in 2017 with the rest of the crew and it was the song that first got them into the limelight. They do collaborate with big artists, specifically House names like Black Coffee who is considered the “father of house music”. Black Coffee’s and Keinemusik’s "The Rapture Pt.III" was released in 2017 and it took the the internet and the music scene by storm because of the popularity of the two artists and the stages it was performed at, like Ibiza, Spain or Mykonos, Greece, the two most popular sites for house music.

Everything they do is a strategic marketing strategy, from the destinations they perform into the secretive locations and private events they organize. The exclusivity of their shows and how they promote their events is what makes their music even more attractive. Attendees feel like they are part of a secret world and the people listening to their music feel part of a newer, more niche world where people can indulge in their egoistic nature. Humans are keen on feeling like they discovered something that others do not know about and because house music seems new, they feel they are part of something bigger before it actually hits the stage. It is astonishing how easily people indulge in trends and how that helps with publishing and advertisements.

The most recent event of Keinemusik in Madrid had approximately 35,000 individuals with tickets and the ones without who were trying to get inside the event to see them perform. The number of people that must have posted about this event and the traction that these posts gave the band only helped them find even more fans and have more people interested in trying to get tickets for their next event. It is a chain reaction they caused unconsciously.

I believe that music is a beautiful thing and an important part of our lives regardless of the genre of music we indulge in. Everybody has different tastes in music, but it is certain that we all will engage with songs and lyrics unintentionally and that is what happened with the "Move" song or with other house songs and artists. And this is only the beginning as many songs that we love as originally Pop or Rock songs are being mixed with house sounds. Whether you love it or hate it, house music is very big at the moment and it will be, so maybe we should all give it a try.