Alone, Together

The rise of silent dance parties — where guests groove to music heard through wireless headphones rather than through a speaker system — has not signalled a sea change in American nightlife. Raves on mute have not swept the nation or replaced good old-fashioned decibel-mashing block parties. Although a silent dance pops up from time to time, it remains a cultural oddity. No one seems quite sure what to make of it.

I suspect that’s because its strange, dreamlike impact hits each person differently. That intimate clamp of over-ear headphones is cozy but also disassociative — a hot-blooded, cold-shouldered deep-dive into personal space. But hey, man, everyone’s doing it. And as freeing as it is to dance however you want, to whatever you hear, there’s something communal about doing it all up-close together, sharing in a jungle of invisible sound.

The Deck Bar hosts Silent Disco with three DJs. If you don’t like the track, change the channel on your headset, and you’re bound to find a spirit that moves you.

Silent Disco: May 26, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. The Deck Bar, 125 Pleasant St., Northampton. (413) 341- 3161, platformsportsbar.com.

— Hunter Styles, hstyles@valleyadvocate.com