Discotheque (Sidney SN DNB Mix) 2025

 Released 12/12/2025

 Lately I’ve been kind of productive. I recently recorded a progressive house mix. And now I’m back with DNB. It’s an energy I don’t want to keep inside for no reason. 

Yeah, Discotheque. This is the latest DNB mix from Sidney SN — a slightly lively liquid or disco DNB mix...

 

 Tracklist:

 Nichenka Zoryana & Amigosu – Voise

 Midnight – Quiet Earth

 1991 – You May Find Yourself

 Flava D – Reesey Thing

 Hoax & Zitah – What You Came Here For

 Dynamic Stab – Contrast Shower

 Hillsdom – Say What’s On Your Mind

 Rueben & SOLAH & Klinical – Your Move

 Dawn Wall – Holding On

 Sonic Art & Maykors – Keep Running

 Linx – Trying To Hold

 Ownglow & Elle Vee & Disco’s Over – Breathe

 Duskee & Deadline & Slay - CHICA

As November Fails

 This is pure irony, a paradox, this makes me a laugh... People in the Central Europe, who seemingly define themselves most strongly against migration, for example, elect a migrant as prime minister. Likewise, they have a person with a migration background at the head of the government. And these people then go on to appoint, for example, an ultra-right-wing figure to the government. Migrants who reject migration. And yet, with the policies they promote, they themselves would never have been allowed to come to Czechia. Another layer of irony lies in the fact that migrants choose someone who presents himself as ultra-right-wing, even though he should, by principle, reject these “migrants.” It is populism and the irony on every level—from the certain group of voters to a their government. It is evident that Czech society has long suffered from a deep level of internal contradictions.

I don’t know why a future prime minister couldn’t be Ukrainian, since by the same logic, anyone from anywhere in Ukraine can be a prime minister.

Something similarly absurd can be seen in the economy. Likely perhaps also because of the previous government, the Czech economy today should be showing rapid growth. Yet Czechs elect people who have pushed the economy back to a state from before this growth—the very growth that was being discussed in the media not long ago.

The truth, however, is that this so-called “rapid growth” seems to exists mainly on paper. In real life, it is clear that something changed in Czechia starting in the winter of 2023. Economic models made this visible. Interestingly, this happened shortly after I began pointing out, in 2023, a specific post-pandemic condition in Czechia that was not common anywhere from Germany to Western Europe. After the pandemic, the downturn in Czechia was rather preserved—or even deepened. And this happened several months before the war, and during that period as well.

The post-pandemic period may have indicated that keeping something “down” was not accidental. This state lasted until the winter of 2023. Such an almost two-year condition after the pandemic did not exist anywhere in the more western parts of Europe. The population seemingly did not realize its situation for a long time when compared to the reality of Western Europe—apparently perceiving this state, one of the worst economic downturns in Europe, ?as their “normal condition.”? The positive thing is that the states were exposed, and therefore can no longer function as they were supposed to. In the Central Europe, I noticed a change only toward the end of 2023, which is also shown by economic models. It seems that some people began to speak up who want to hear the truth, a certain groups of people with certain values. Prague itself looks like that because of the result of election. However, this concerns only certain parts of society and certainly does not correspond to what the paper statistics show.

I have said before that a weak economy can show a certain level of growth without actually becoming stronger. Quite the opposite—when compared to strong economies that, for example, do not need any dramatic growth in a given period or do not currently have it, it becomes even clearer that this growth is purely statistical. Rankings themselves are misleading in this respect. In the end, growth stops again at a “dead point” that wealthy countries overcame many years ago, often decades ago. It stops because the economy is not set up in a way that would allow it to reach that level and catch up with those that overcame a dead point long ago—or never had one at all.

This is clearly visible in Czechia: the results of growth are reflected only among a certain segment of people. Mostly among those who gravitate toward a particular lifestyle and are able to stick to their values—both for better and for worse.

I have been observing this development for roughly the past ten years. The pandemic deepened it further. Meanwhile, in the more western parts of Europe, in 2022 I barely noticed that there had been a pandemic at all—“despite” much stricter measures. Likely due to politics and general mentality, these countries were able to get back on their feet relatively quickly after the pandemic.

Perhaps also under the previous government in Czechia, some things did move slightly, but the reality of Czechia remains ironic. Society is often illuminated mainly by high school students or students or by a certain group of people who hold certain values. Without them, society is often frightening. In comparison to this Czech reality, the West then appears as a gold standard.

Sidney SN in a book

 Hi, Sidney SN is here with something new. He decided to make a brochure :D

The brochure is about Sidney SN, but it also includes other posts. 

Sidney SN think it turned out well... 

In the Sidney SN brochure, you will find many things related to Sidney SN, his experiences—including those with you—as well as some articles related to drum and bass and electronic music itself. Or a posts about an events. 

The brochure mainly contains a selected set of posts from the Sidney SN blogs. 

To view or download, click on the photo. Enjoy!

Man Over Machine

 ’90s Thunderdome, 2000s Central European techno events, free tekno culture and the reality of certain drum & bass scenes

 This is one of my recurring themes. But it comes from my direct experiences with people across the electronic music spectrum. 

 It is also shaped by the nature of electronic music itself: it can run almost continuously and does not depend on human factors as much as instrumental music does. This reality was one of the reasons why various pathologies emerged — such as nonstop noise lasting through nights and days in the case of certain subcultural ideologies like free tekno, as well as the spread of substances that enable uninterrupted raving. 

Perhaps this is why, already in the early ’90s, the UK adopted legislation that defined bass drops themselves as a threat to nightlife, effectively making night raves impossible in England. Yes, and this is the reason why the shelter or central hub for this raving is the Central Europe.

In my view, electronic music has brought not only a great deal of happiness, but also a great deal of harm.

When people use fewer drugs or nothing, they focus more on the music — on its structure, emotions, tension, silence, and the energy between the beats. Space opens up for art and for culture. But once attention shifts to the substance, music retreats into the background. It stops being the goal and becomes mere scenery. Without chemistry, many people are no longer able to enjoy the music at all. And it is precisely at this moment that the character of an entire scene breaks.

“Why does everybody always talk about drugs, when I care about is stroking my cats.” Cats by Flava D 

This mechanism has been repeating itself in electronic music for decades, and it can be clearly observed in three concrete examples: ‘90s Thunderdome in the Netherlands, techno culture in the Central Europe, and contemporary drum & bass events.

In the 1990s, Thunderdome represented an extreme, raw form of hardcore. The music was physical, uncompromising, built on intensity and collective pressure. At the same time, it very quickly became associated with mass use of MDMA and amphetamines. Extreme tempo and the length of sets stopped functioning on their own — drugs became the means by which the music could be endured at all. The audience’s attention shifted from listening to the state of intoxication. Hardcore ceased to be perceived as a musical direction and began to be perceived as a chemical ritual. The scene burned out quickly, and what remained in memory was more the image of drugs than the music itself.

A similar shift can be observed in Czech techno culture. The original idea of trance, repetition, and deep immersion from techno in rhythm was gradually replaced by MDMA and methamphetamine as the primary source of energy. The drug began to dictate the pace of events, the duration of events, and people’s behavior. Music no longer led — it merely sustained attention. It is therefore not surprising that many people abandoned techno music — because of an environment in which drug use is so normalized that without it, a person does not fit in or is unable to function.

Drum & bass today is often presented as an emotional, community-oriented genre. There is talk of “good vibes,” connection between people, and joy through music. The reality of many events, however, is different. MDMA, cocaine, ketamine and amphetamines are the silent standard on which the evening’s dramaturgy is built. 

Rapid succession of drops, minimal space for atmosphere, and long nights without pauses create an environment that simply does not function without chemical support. Music is consumed, not experienced. Emotions are intense, but short-lived and hollow.

Across all of these cases, the same pattern repeats itself: once drugs become the primary tool for experiencing music, culture and music and art begins to lose depth. People stop focusing on sound, track selection, and the shared moment. They focus on themselves, on their state, on making the effect last as long as possible. Art is pushed into the background.

The true test of any music scene is simple: does the music function on its own? Can it move people, connect them, and create a community even without a chemical crutch? If not, it is not freedom itself, but dependency — and a dependent culture does not have a long lifespan. 

More expensive is cheaper

 Based on my experience with food in the Czech Republic and in the Netherlands, I believe that I pay roughly the same for basic groceries in the Netherlands as I do in Czechia. There are, however, several differences. First, the quality; second, the much higher wages in general in the Netherlands, which are among the highest in Europe, compared to Czechia, where wages are among the lowest. In fact, basic groceries in the Netherlands are cheaper than in the Czech Republic.

I could again emphasize my own eating habits. Since conventional food in Czechia doesn’t suit me, and conventional Czech products don’t meet my standards, I eat almost exclusively organic food, Dutch cheeses, and veg products while I’m in Czechia. This leads me to an interesting realization: Czechs often complain about rising food prices, and yet I have been paying roughly the same amount for years. “Roughly,” because I truly do pay the same—possibly even less—since I no longer need to buy my food in specialty stores but can buy everything in supermarkets. My weekly spending on organic groceries (vegetables, fruits, dairy products, meat) and veg convenience foods in Czechia is about 50 EUR. To be fair, I typically eat meat only twice a week—unless it’s non-organic hamburgers in fast food. Fifty euros has been my weekly food budget for over ten years. So it seems that food prices in Czechia are rising somewhere other than in the category of the higher-quality foods I buy. Or perhaps I simply don’t feel the price increases.

The debate on food prices in Europe often collapses into the simplistic claim that “everything is more expensive in the West.” But the reality is far more complex—especially when prices are viewed in relation to income rather than in isolation. And this ratio—how many hours a person must work to afford a basic grocery basket—reveals one surprising trend:

In the Netherlands, basic food is relatively cheaper than in the Czech Republic.

The difference is clear:

– The Dutch minimum wage is among the highest in the EU.

– The Czech minimum wage, even after recent increases, remains significantly lower.

Therefore, the share of income that someone in the Netherlands must spend on basic food is much smaller than in Czechia. In other words: a Dutch worker earning minimum wage can buy more food for one hour of work than a Czech worker earning minimum wage.

Cheese is an interesting example. In Czechia, sliced cheese is typically sold in 100–150 g packs at relatively high prices. In the Netherlands, 300–450 g packs are standard—often of higher quality—and cheaper per gram.

This is no coincidence. The Netherlands is one of Europe’s largest cheese producers—Gouda, Edam, Maasdam, Beemster. These are not only cultural icons but also the reason why high-quality cheese is more affordable there than in Czech stores, which offer Czech cheeses that are simply not on the same level as Dutch ones.

Other structural differences in agriculture and retail also come into play. The Netherlands is a global leader in advanced greenhouse technologies and food production efficiency, which keeps the prices of many everyday foods lower than one might expect. Tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers are typical examples—produced in huge quantities with high efficiency. Private-label supermarket brands also play a major role: they maintain quality while keeping prices down. Dutch supermarket chains have a long tradition of strong private labels, and consumers prefer them, which creates competition that keeps the cost of basic groceries low.

Another reality is that the four-day workweek is extremely widespread in the Netherlands, with many qualified positions offering a four-day schedule while maintaining a full monthly salary corresponding to a traditional five-day contract. A Dutch worker therefore often enjoys more free time and a visibly higher income than someone in Czechia.

The Czech reality is thus paradoxical: people end up paying more for their basic cost of living than workers in one of Europe’s richest countries—workers who often work significantly fewer hours.