Lancaster photographer documenting “positive shoots of hope” to support struggling electronic music and clubbing scene 

A Lancaster-based DJ and photographer has undertaken a project to capture and highlight the local electronic music scene and its “passionate” artists. 

Ginny Koppenhol has aspirations of a book and exhibitions in Morecambe and Lancaster. She is using photographic portraits and interviews to celebrate stories from the roots of the culture and connect local scenes. 

“I just love talking to people who are passionate about anything. It’s just interesting, it’s what makes up life,” said Ginny. 

“Even if people aren’t interested in dance music, they might be interested in the stories behind it. Humans love stories so I’m just drawing out those stories from people, helping to shine a spotlight, especially with the photographs.”

This project comes as electronic music and club culture continues to struggle both locally and nationally, with participation declining and some Lancashire nightclubs including Switch and Revolution in Preston recently shutting down.  

Ginny sees the threat this struggle poses to these smaller, independent venues. 

“Venues are struggling, the pandemic didn’t help, I think things like drinking culture is changing, cost of living stopping people going out as much,” said Ginny. 

“You’ve got this massive commercialisation around it.

“And big clubs, you’ve got Warehouse Project, things like that. 

“The knock on effect is that local scenes are struggling more because funds and attention are going into them bigger companies.” 

However, she believes these challenges force bursts of ingenuity that create hope for the scene. 

She said: “There’s some really creative solutions coming through, people using non-traditional spaces like pop up shops and fish and chip shops and things like that, there’s people focusing on more inclusive spaces.” 

Her conversations with people involved highlight how smaller scenes have the freedom to take these ideas and be creative and experimental, without as many constraints. 

A recent interview and portrait has featured Australian musician DJ Du Jour’s perspective on the local dance scene, as someone who had travelled half way across the world to establish a career here.  

Another has highlighted Rich Dyre, co-founder of the Skiddle ticket selling website and Highest Point Festival in Lancaster, and his views of the issues facing the dance scene. 

“I feel like I’ve had some brilliant conversations,” Ginny said. “Photography adds that extra powerful layer to everything.” 

As a former occupational therapist, this project is also interested in the recently found mental health benefits associated with electronic and dance music. 

Ginny said: “More and more actually dance music is being researched in terms of neuroscience and the sort of benefits for our brain. 

“It’s almost like flipping the script on its head, like it was always associated with drugs and alcohol before but now more and more people are realising the benefits.”