Phone screens are “ruining the club experience”; could wearable tech save screen-plagued dancefloors?

“Phones have been a blessing and a curse in my DJing life,” ponders Fat Tony when asked about smartphone use on the dancefloor. “Clubbing is all about energy and connection to the music, and while capturing that matters, the reality is that screens take us out of the moment.” READ MORE: Remember that CDJ-3000 firmware bug? AlphaTheta and pro DJs explain what really happened — and how to avoid it in the future Now, the iconic British selector thinks he’s found a remedy that will protect the very foundations of dance culture: wearable tech. “They give people freedom to experience the night while keeping the memories alive,” he says, having recently partnered with Ray-Ban to promote the Meta Gen 2 Glasses (as did popstar-rapper Doja Cat, who wore a pair in a backstage tour video posted to her Instagram). “When I first tried them, I figured two things,” Fat Tony recalls of the smart glasses, which offer high-definition photo and video capture, AI-powered assistance, hands-free communication, and live translation. “Using them to capture a moment feels a lot more special,” he suggests, likening the experience to bringing out a digital or disposable camera… “And you no longer have to worry about everyone being on their phones in the club.” Having banned phones at his gigs eight years ago, Fat Tony isn’t alone in feeling this way. A recent study showed more than half of clubbers believe that mobile screens are ruining the raving experience; the Keinemusik show that went viral for having such a dead crowd is disheartening proof — all phones, no dancing, it was bitingly satirised by Resident Advisor as ‘The Great Regression’. Image: Press Since then, the idea of switching off and dialling in has proved increasingly popular, with more and more venues and artists following in the footsteps of Fat Tony, London clubs Fabric and Fold, Pikes hotel in Ibiza, and, famously, Berghain in Berlin. Recent phone-ban converts include The Warehouse Project’s Concourse venue in Manchester, Lakota Moon Club in Bristol, Sankeys and Amber’s in Manchester. On the live circuit, Jack White, Bob Dylan and metal band Ghost have adopted no-phone policies for their tours. Last summer, pop superstar Sabrina Carpenter considered doing the same. Back to the dancefloor, though, and Fat Tony makes it clear why he was among the first. “The dancefloor is about connecting people,” he states bluntly — “and what could be less connecting than everyone collectively having their phones out in a club?” While he likes that it’s easier than ever for people to capture a memory, he is unsure whether this is always a good thing. “I don’t mind someone taking a quick video here and there, but when you see clips of certain DJs, and there’s not a single person in the crowd that isn’t filming… it makes you wonder what the point of being there is if you’re not present.” He’s also not convinced that people even look through the majority of their pictures. All this points to one simple question, then: why do we need cameras on dancefloors at all? “Some of my favourite memories were created on a dancefloor,” Fat Tony says bluntly, before pausing to respond: “Don’t you want to be able to relive yours?” It’s reasonable to think that most people would answer ‘yes’, but how can all this phone-based intrusion be removed? Image: Press Having put the Meta glasses to the test at a recent event, he’s confident that wearable tech is the answer. On 29 November last year, he DJ’d at Club 2.0, a one-night event at London venue FRAMELESS’ Blank Canvas gallery where attendees were asked to keep their phones hidden and on airplane mode. Those who still wanted to document the night were instead offered a pair of Ray-Ban Meta Gen 2 smart glasses. “It gave an insight into what a club would look like when guests move away from their cameras and stay present more,” he says. The collaboration included the creation of an Ibiza sunset visual room, which was inspired by Fat Tony’s history of DJing on the island. “That instantly drew me to the project,” he says of the vision behind the party at which attendees placed their devices in sealed pouches. “Clubbing need not choose between memory and presence,” concluded Nisa Serin in a post-event feature for Luxuriate Life. “One could fully engage with the beat and energy, while still taking home something more enduring than a blurry phone video. They also wondered if Club 2.0 could be a “beacon for change” in nightlife and events… where “curated, immersive, tech-enabled experiences prioritise attendance over documentation, presence over posts…” While this remains to be seen, London Evening Standard journalist Allegra Handelsma has also given a personal account of her time testing the “nightlife tool”. “To me, the glasses initially felt like another AI gimmick, an accessory just for tech bros,” she said in a feature focusing on her days wearing them at London club Lost, as well as Lorde’s 02 arena show in the capital. In the end, her experience was unq