mixmag netherlands


Then consider hyperfocus – it’s easy to see it as the producer’s engine. The producer who spends 14 hours carving a sound out of a modular synth isn’t “disorder- ly” or “obsessive”. They are simply using their autistic monotropism or their ADHD-driven dopami- ne-seeking to enter a flow sta- te that others struggle to reach. For many neurodivergent artists, production isn’t a job – it’s the only time their brain finally feels aligned.


This need for alignment takes shape in a daily and often underrecognised practice: sonic stimming. Stimming (self-sti- mulatory behaviour) is a repeti- tive behaviour that helps regu- late the nervous system. When sound becomes the regulator, it manifests in very specific ways. It can mean listening to the same song on repeat for hours without ever seeking very


getting tired, high volume


because the sound pressure “turns off” intrusive thoughts, or repeating a beat, white noise, or a phrase to calm anxiety. Other times, it means wearing noise-cancelling headpho- nes even without music, just to reduce sensory overload. For a neurodivergent brain, none of this is a vice or a strange behaviour – it becomes a sensory survival strategy. Sonic stimming works because a predictable, repetitive stimulus – a kick drum, a delay, a drone – creates a sonic cage that reduces mental chaos, turning music into a biological anchor, not just an aesthetic one.


In the club, this balance finds its natural stage. On the dancefloor, you don’t need to maintain eye contact, you don’t need to make small talk, you don’t need to de- code ambiguous facial expres- sions – you just have to move. The club becomes one of the few social spaces where the rules are explicit


(you dance, you listen,


sometimes you nod) and social judgment is suspended. Let’s be clear: this is not an accusation or a generalisation. We are not


saying that all neurodivergent people love electronic music, nor that the scene is a problem-free paradise. But the numbers and testimonies suggest a deep attraction, rooted in the very functioning of the brain.


A study for the UK’s Department for Digital Culture, Media and Sport added another data point: over 20% of the overall creative workforce is neurodivergent. But in electronic music, the figure shoots upward. Why? Because it’s a sector that has historically attracted outsiders – people who didn’t recognise themselves in the linear paths of music schools or marketing offices.


Harold Heath, a writer and DJ diagnosed with AuDHD (ADH- D+autism), puts it clearly: “We’re not exceptions – we’re the silent norm. For years, many of us hid our neurodivergence for fear of not being taken seriously. Now the numbers prove us right.”


It would be romantic and false to say that being neurodivergent in electronic music is only an ad- vantage. There are real barriers, but talking about them (just as Harold Heath does with his awa- reness campaigns) isn’t about pity – it’s about understanding where we can improve.


One of the main issues for tho- se living with these conditions is periods of total creative block alternating with explosions of hyperfocus. It’s not easy to ma- nage, especially when you have deadlines, gigs to prepare, or record contracts to honour. Ex- perts suggest several methods for dealing with creative block, such as designing chaos instead of fighting it – avoiding rigid schedules and instead making them flexible to give rhythm to the day without suffocating it. Time-boxing with themed bloc- ks (“creativity”, “administration”, “rest”) that respect the brain’s natural attention waves is also a valid alternative. Another stra- tegy is to make the abstract


concrete: breaking a giant idea into tiny tangible steps can turn paralysis into action, emptying the mind onto a notebook or an app to avoid overload. To break inertia, you can try body doubling – working in the physical or virtual presence of another person helps overcome procrastination linked to executive dysfunction. Finally, if the block is accompanied by emotional fatigue and apathy, it might be creative burnout rather than a simple block. In that case, the only way is to stop, take real breaks, and reassess your expec- tations – because forcing crea- tivity in that state only makes things worse.


As mentioned earlier, for many neurodivergent people the club is not a problem at all. In fact, for many autistic and ADHD individuals, the dancefloor environment – with its hypnotic repetition, the darkness that protects from others’ gaze, and the freedom to move without speaking – is precisely what makes it unique and irreplaceable. However, precisely


because


neurodivergence is a spectrum, what is a life-saving anchor for some can become a barrier for others. Strobe lights and lasers, for example, are an immediate sensory


Mandatory


overload for many. networking (af-


ter-shows, backstage, dinners with other


or nonverbal communication.


No accusation, just an observa- tion: the scene is already full of neurodivergent people, but it’s not yet designed for all of them. Fortunately, the response – as often happens – comes from the ground up. In Bristol, for example, Disco Neurotico (founded by autistic DJ Byron


Vincent)


rewrote the rules: venue tours before the event, a silent disco with a dedicated channel for brown noise, multiple spaces like gaming, crafting, and a recovery room. No surprises, no overload.


nightmare for those with social anxiety


artists) is a difficulties with


048


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82