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Can Clubs Facilitate Togetherness?

For year’s clubbers have spoken of connection and oneness. Now researches are beginning to take notice.

As club culture continues to evolve and mature, its place in society is also shifting and changing. For decades the notion of going out to a nightclub, or partying during the day in a field, has existed within its own bubble, outside the world of science. Anecdotal references to feelings of togetherness, connection and even oneness have been commonplace among the clubbing community throughout the culture’s lifetime. Various factors play into this, but, until recently, there has been a lack of firm scientific study to validate these first-hand experiences.

With their documentary We Become One: The Power Of The Shared Musical Experience, AlphaTheta (the company responsible for the engineering, manurfacturing, sales and marketing of Pioneer DJ) explore how the club environment can facilitate feelings of togetherness, and its place in supporting health and wellbeing. Hosted by Berlin-based Londoner Kikelomo, the film includes contributions from several key voices from the world of science – delving into the factors that create the often powerful dance floor experience.

“Club culture is changing and to be able to adapt to changing times and changing habits, it’s important to understand why we do it,” Kikelomo explains. “Not just from a capitalistic “we need to make money” perspective, but getting to the root of how we’ve been gathering as human beings for millennia, using rhythm and music as drivers to feel more connected.”

A point reinforced by the film’s co-director Dan Tait, “[The intention of the film was] to take it away from the Forbes angle of DJs, incomes, private jets, and the commodification of it. Who’s bought what company, in terms of music being taken seriously, and hitting number ones or anything like that. But actually, look, this music can be a force for good.”

In many territories around the world, nightlife is struggling. Smaller venues are closing down, there are less opportunities for artists to break through and, it seems, less people are going out. A combination of economic and wellbeing factors have led to a gradual decline. The heyday of the nineties, and even more recent pre-Covid times, is over to a certain extent. This gradual decline has been met with lobbying from many pro-nightlife groups, however the main thrust of their campaigns is often related to business and the financial impact on the nighttime industry.

By broadening the scope of how club culture can affect people, and society, in a positive way, We Become One brings a fresh perspective, supported by science. Hopefully, this will serve to open up more productive and progressive conversations for the preservation of clubs and the culture around them. “At a time now where people are talking about male loneliness epidemics and generations of people who aren’t socialising, we have this notion of rhythm and music bringing us together as a reference point to say, “Okay, this is what it’s about. This is about connection. This is about bringing people together, and that is essentially an incredibly human necessity”, Kikelomo says.

As Michael Spitzer, Professor of Music and author of The Musical Human: A History of Life On Earth says, “Music is our umbilical cord back to Mother Nature.” It can be that fundamental to the human experience. More so, he says, than the other artforms.

Through Kikelomo’s discoveries and experiences in the film we come to learn about the core elements of the rave experience that provide the circumstances within which people can let loose, connect and feel at peace. As a DJ herself, she brings her own learnings to the film, and utilises her experiences in interviews with a variety of music commentators and scientists.

Among the scientists featured, Dr. Julia C.Basso comes to the fore as someone whose work has a crucial role in shifting outsider perspectives on club culture, and reinforcing its positive benefits. A PhD in Behavioral and Neuroscience, Dr. Basso’s work incorporates her BA in Dance, and certification as a yoga teacher, bridging the fields of art and science to focus on the body-brain connection and using movement to enhance brain function and physiology.

Kikelomo – As a DJ herself, she brings her own learnings to the film

Perhaps one of the most powerful aspects of communal interaction with music – in the club environment, for example – is how that shared experience can trigger empathy, helping people to relate to one another and feel a stronger sense of togetherness. Dr. Basso explains how the dance floor experience can be a catalyst behind neural synchronisation. “There’s this idea about neural synchronisation between individuals. So within our own brain, we have all these neural isolations that start to coordinate with different areas of the brain, such that information can flow more steadily,” she says. “Which means you’re going to have enhanced brain states, enhanced thinking and you’ll feel better, with mood improvements.”

“When we start to think about interactions between people, we can think of those same neural oscillations coordinating with one another. There’s been a lot of research in the Mother-Child dyad, or romantic partnerships, that has found that, when people are connecting socially and emotionally, their brain waves actually synchronise,” she continues. “So when you bring people together on the dance floor – getting them moving together, getting them synchronising, looking at one another and coordinating motion – you’re starting to get these big groups of people coordinating together. It’s this non-verbal form of communication that can really connect people with one another.”

Rhythmic entrainment, the synchronisation of a dancer’s body movements with the auditory rhythm of the music, also plays a role in this neurological phenomenon. The film also highlights the effect of DJing on neurology, with the assistance of Dr. Maria Witek, Associate Professor at the University of Birmingham. Dr. Witek’s recent work has involved studying the cognitive neuroscience of DJing. “The DJ’s brain will be synchronised with the music and the audience’s brains will be synchronised with the music,” she explains. “So there is a collective synchrony that occurs between the brains of the people that are in a club.”

Witek’s recent work has involved studying the cognitive neuroscience of DJing

“Synchronising with other people creates a kind of blurred boundary between them. So, if you’re synchronising with someone, it becomes harder to distinguish what is you and what is them and you become a system of synchrony,” Dr. Witek explains. “You can think of it as an overlap, and that overlap opens up channels for connection, bonding and communication.”

Dr. Basso highlights Haptic Feedback, the process whereby synchronised body movements entrain people’s brains into synchrony. This adds a further layer to Dr. Witek’s explanation of entrainment – where the DJ drives the atmosphere by selecting music which people on the dance floor sync up with.

These science-backed findings and theories give credence to the idea of clubbing as a wellbeing pursuit. For decades club culture has been stigmatised, from the acid house parties being demonised by the British media to prevailing modern misconceptions of hedonism and drug culture. While there is no denying that the use of substances – including alcohol – has been inherent in club culture since the beginning, it is a narrow view that reduces the whole culture to something that is easily disregarded for its positive benefits.

2025 has seen a glut of studies providing positive backing to the role that club culture has to play in the general health of our society

Throughout the documentary there is not a single mention of intoxicants, which creates more space for the wellbeing aspect to be explored. The silence is actually very loud and serves to highlight the positives free from stigma or taboo. When you consider that the core elements of being on the dance floor can actually improve someone’s wellbeing, without the use of any intoxicants, the message carries a lot more weight.

“How can we incorporate music and the movement together in fun and engaging ways?” Dr. Basso asks. “I know that there are some studios in London that are teaching yoga, but with a DJ/club set up. So I see that club culture is becoming more infused and being used for wellbeing and social connection, and to help people feel less depressed and less anxious. To bring on feelings of joy.”

As anyone who’s been on a dance floor will attest, when it’s at its best, there really is nothing else like it. The power of dance floor unity lies in the music, environment and social cohesion to dissolve differences, foster emotional release and create a shared, vibrant energy that connects individuals in a collective experience. On the dance floor, the universal rhythm creates a temporary communal space where inhibitions are shed, and people can find joy, belonging, and an alternative sense of self through shared movement and connection. Dr. Daniel Levitin, author of This Is Your Brain On Music, describes the notion of surrender on the dance floor and how humans are the only creatures on Earth who can dance to a beat. “Humans in a unique way among species, in that our neurons fire synchronously with a beat and that neural synchrony is connected to our motor system,” he says in the film. “So, without even thinking about it, we can tap our feet or clap our hands – we move to the music, we dance.”

“As a consequence of all this electrical activity, neurons are sending out these electrical impulses. You get this wave-like phenomenon in the brain. And why are they sending out electricity? They’re trying to spur the production and release of different chemicals,” he adds. “These different brain states characterise different states of consciousness. In order for music to move us emotionally – to make us feel exhilarated, joyful… relaxed – any of those things require that we surrender to the music. And there’s no greater example of that than the dance floor.”

This is now being harnessed in various wellbeing practices to support people on their healing journeys. More importantly, there is a wider effort, by various bodies, to position clubbing itself as a wellbeing practice. Through the work of Dr. Basso and her team, the neurological implications are being documented, for those with ADHD, and other neurological issues, people with physical disabilities and those who are in good health.

Rather than go to the gym, attending an evening rave for a few hours of dancing and connection could be an alternative. Integration too, between different demographics – opening up clubbing to families, older people, those who are less able bodied – can aid the preservation of the culture. Historically, it’s always been seen as a place for younger people to go and let loose, but maybe it can also be a place for older people who want some physical and emotional connection, or for kids to bond with their parents.

Throughout the documentary there is not a single mention of intoxicants, which creates more space for the wellbeing aspect to be explored

“In America, and globally, pharmacology is the first thing that we go to when there’s a problem – antidepressants, anxiolytics, all of these drugs are our first response system. We don’t, we don’t focus on preventative medicine,” Dr. Basso explains. “The arts are so profound. In some of our dance interventions, we’ve shown that they are just as powerful as, or more so, than some antidepressants.”

How the brain responds to music, and the novelty of change and reward in a dance floor context, can facilitate the release of dopamine, as well as other hormones that stimulate positive feelings. “Rhythm coordinates action, so people would hunt together and party together,” Michael Spitzer explains. “Through rhythm we can share emotion and activity, and we call that dancing. It’s why dancing is such a triumphant, validating human endeavour.”

“When we listen to music it releases a whole soup of neurotransmitters, or hormones: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin, they’re all doing different things. One is fun, one is happiness and one is attachment. There’s a fourth hormone called cortisol, which is about stress, and what oxytocin does is to reduce our stress levels. So it’s win-win, win-win at every level.”

The messaging of the film carries so much weight, without ever forcing it. Every participant speaks gracefully, with knowledge and information that offers validation to anyone who has experienced transcendence and oneness on the dance floor, and a counter to the stigma that often weighs so heavy on club culture. To outside observers who may not understand the appeal of clubbing, there is plenty of food for thought and persuasive science-backed assertions that may at least help to soften their view on the culture.

Dr. Basso’s work incorporates her BA in Dance, and certification as a yoga teacher, bridging the fields of art and science to focus on the body-brain connection

Where it goes from here is a fascinating avenue to consider. 2025 has seen a glut of studies providing positive backing to the role that club culture has to play in the general health of our society. Studies that say “People that listen to 120bpm house music live longer” (in a study by University College London) have gone viral on social media, while many people attune to the idea that raving can actually be a healthy pastime. The next steps are already in motion and Dr. Basso has a bold, and wonderfully ambitious, dream with her work.

“If we can somehow, through the science lens, get our healthcare practitioners, the National Institute of Health and some of these other funding agencies to understand that scientific investigation of the arts, and utilisation of the arts for health and healing is just as valid, if not more, than using pharmacology,” Dr. Basso continues. “That’s my dream of how this work might influence some of that.”

Let’s hope her efforts, and the work of many others who are studying music and the arts for the benefit of humanity, are fully realised and become a viable resource for medical institutions worldwide.