Tijana T on Cancel Culture, Techno’s Unwritten Rules, and Staying True to the Music
- Filip
- May 15
- 2 min read
What happens when dance floors become courtrooms and DJs get trialled by tweet?
We caught up with Belgrade- and Berlin based DJ and former TV host Tijana T at a time when the electronic music world is deep in its feelings about cancel culture, online accountability, and the unspoken rulebook that shapes the scene.
With over two decades in the industry and a career built on refusing to conform, Tijana T doesn’t shy away from the grey zones. In this episode of Playful Podcast, we dig into how techno culture — once a space of rebellion — is becoming increasingly policed, not just by institutions but by its own crowd.
“The music is supposed to be the centre. Not your opinion about someone else’s opinion.”
Tijana gets real about the double-edged sword of social media in dance music — a tool for empowerment, but also a weapon for mob mentality.
“I’m not saying people shouldn’t be held accountable,” she explains. “But it’s the speed and aggression — like, people are one Instagram story away from being exiled.”
And beyond cancellation, there's the creep of creative self-censorship:
“There’s this weird pressure to keep up with all the right narratives. And sometimes it feels like people are more scared of saying the wrong thing than they are focused on the music itself.”
Techno’s Unwritten Rules
Despite the supposed openness of the scene, there’s a strong current of unsaid expectations — how to look, what to say, what not to say. And for someone like Tijana, who’s lived through the shifts, it’s hard not to notice how quickly authenticity can get lost.
“Techno used to be about freedom, not perfection. Now it's like there's a dress code for your personality too.”
Still, she’s not bitter — she’s just aware. And she’s calling for more compassion, more context, and a little less online frenzy.
Reclaiming the Centrepiece: Music
For Tijana, it all comes back to the booth — and the belief that music still has the power to unify, to move, to remind us why we started showing up in the first place.
“At the end of the day, the dancefloor isn’t a debate club. It’s a space for release. We’ve got to stop letting noise drown out the beat.”
Watch the full interview: Tijana T: Cancel Culture within the Techno Scene – on Playful Podcast
