Remember when people used to face each other in the club, instead of pulsing their head back and forth while facing the DJ booth? Before DJs became the new rockstars and before phones caught everything on camera, we used to go to the club to dance with strangers until the balls of our feet ached. When was the last time you went on a night out and left with mascara halfway down your cheeks? When going for a fag was more about the cool air and hoping your face would decrease in redness, rather than the actual cigarette? 

Over the past several years, going out has become about buying tickets to catch the buzziest DJ in town, bar hopping to try and find a venue open later than 2am, or spending all night in the smoking area because the music inside is so shit that you’d rather be as far away as possible from the dance floor. When that random, good song does come on (or just the first in 30 that you actually recognise), God forbid we go ahead and let our hair down – you already know that that one friend will record it and keep it in the locker for your next big birthday. In 2025, we’re too scared, too boring, and have too few options to really go out and dance.

Luckily, Tyler, the Creator is here to save us from the great dance floor drought. After dropping his new album, Don’t Tap The Glass, earlier today (July 21), the Californian rapper released a statement on social media, explaining why his new project is “made for body movement”.

“I asked some friends why they don’t dance in public and some said because of the fear of being filmed. I thought damn, a natural form of expression and a certain connection they have with music is now a ghost,” he wrote. “It made me wonder how much of our human spirit got killed because of the fear of being a meme, all for having a good time.” 

He continues by explaining that he banned all phones and cameras from his recent album listening party, creating a sweatbox where people could move with one another, without the fear of being perceived by anyone outside the room. “This album was not made for sitting still. Dancing, driving, running, any type of movement is recommended to maybe understand the spirit of it.”

The rapper hosted yesterday’s listening party at LA’s Masonic Lodge and teased the event on Instagram, distinctly warning people, “Don’t come if you aren’t going to dance.” Tyler isn’t the only one trying to get people moving either. Here in the UK, jazz quintet Ezra Collective has a reputation for turning festival fields into giant dancefloors, asking crowds to dance with the strangers next to them, to face one another and forget about filming. Meanwhile, phone-free nightclubs are sweeping the globe. 

There’s a reason why legendary electronic music acts (Daft Punk, Aphex Twin, Burial, Deadmau5, Marshmello) are often anonymous or like to keep a low profile – because it’s not about them, it’s about the music and how it possesses the body. Sadly, it might be too late for Tyler, the Creator to throw his hat in the ring and become London’s new Night Czar, but at least we’ve got a brand new dance-inducing album that DJs can add to their playlists. See you in the club, Tyler (we’ll be dancing, promise).