Discourse of gay dance music in the context of contemporary Bangkok

Abstract

To explore the representation of gay culture in dance music, this research consists of two objectives: 1) to study the phenomenon between gay men and music in gay dance clubs and 2) to study the relationship between gay men's experiences and dance music. Research was conducted at a dance club in Silom Soi 2 - a celebrated Bangkokian gay scene. Participatory observation and in-depth interview are the research tools. The key informants are 13 gay men. In the part of literature review, gender studies and ethnomusicology are taken into account. Music in gay dance clubs has many functions: expressing gay men's feelings and experiences and supporting the activities in the dance club. It also represents gay culture through urban middle class gay men's lifestyle. Moreover, it is a negotiation with heterosexual society for a space to express gay men's sexuality and the insistence of their different sexual identity, and at the same time it also excludes other gay men who have different economic and social backgrounds from cultural representation.