Remember when dancing meant moving your feet instead of your thumbs?
In today’s war between FOMO and flow state, excessive smartphone usage is entrenched as one of the most contentious flashpoints in the global electronic dance music scene. As debates around digital intrusion on dancefloors intensify, Heineken has launched a new app, “The Boring Mode,” escalating the industry’s broader push to balance technological integration with preserved authenticity.
According to research from Heineken, 60% of Gen Z and Millennial smartphone users across the UK, US and the Netherlands reported they believe they’d enjoy concerts more if they could disconnect from their devices. A more grim figure is the 55% of respondents who admitted that they prioritize capturing footage of a performance over being present in the moment, even though 13% said they rarely watch back the videos they record anyway.
“The Boring Mode” aims to restore the authentic dancefloor experience by temporarily disabling a phone’s most distracting features, including apps, notifications and camera functions. While some argue that recording and sharing are now integral to modern music culture, Heineken’s approach offers a middle ground—voluntary disconnection without completely banning devices.
A proof-of-concept took place during last week’s Amsterdam Dance Event, where fans attempting to film Barry Can’t Swim’s DJ set were instead met with a message—sent using infrared lighting—encouraging them to turn their smartphones “boring.” The renowned Scottish DJ and producer, whose real name is Joshua Mainnie, has enthusiastically backed the tool.
Heineken
“When I heard about the new ‘anti-smart’ phone concept, it was something that struck a chord with me,” Mainnie said. “With live music, of course you are more present and immersed if you are giving it your full attention, rather than taking a video on your phone. And without phones, the energy is definitely different—people are more connected on the dancefloor.”
Barry Can’t Swim joins a slew of prominent electronic music artists and venues in the crusade against smartphone usage in nightlife. MEDUZA and James Hype launched a campaign to “preserve the authenticity” of club culture by denouncing excessive recording and Wavedash discouraged smartphone use by asking fans to cover their cameras with stickers blazoning the phrase, “Social media? No thanks.”
Renowned DJ and festival organizer Damian Lazarus instated a groundbreaking no-phone policy for his summer residency at the famed Hï Ibiza venue, establishing a new precedent on the fabled Spanish party island. Ibiza legend Bob Sinclar also recently lamented the scourge of content culture in nightclubs after a show he called “the worst gig of [his] entire career.”
The Boring Mode is available to download for free on iOS and Android.
