By now, you probably have been exposed to tragic stories of music festival attendees overdosing matched with the soaring number of drug related arrests at large events. You’ve probably begun to understand that our culture is collectively fighting off a full-fledged onslaught driven by the mainstream media, that paints dance music’s most celebrated events as glitter-saturated, drug-fueled clown parties. Thankfully, industry heavyweights, including producers, DJs, and tastemaking event organizers have all either taken to voice or action to put a stop to not only the gross hyperbole employed by the press, but also fix some problems from the inside too. One of the key people taking steps to perpetuate these changes is Mad Decent‘s head honcho, Diplo.

After reports of two untimely deaths and more than 20 arrests following the Washington, DC edition of the traveling Block Party, the festival’s organizers are beginning to crack down and levy modified security and safety measures. For everyone’s own good. One of the most notable changes to the festival’s rules is the now strict ban of kandi. The remaining Mad Decent Block Parties will now turn away kandi-clad attendees, shifting the attention from the outdated, sophomoric rave-culture “trend of expression” to where it should be; the music, the reason we are all there anyway.

The festival has also included spiked jewelry, fur, open packs of cigarettes, and the obvious illegal substances to its list of non-approved items, in hopes that Mad Decent Block Party can distance itself from the regrettable association of rave culture and drug use. With the reduction of bead bearing bros and fur draped masses at the Block Party’s remaining dates, hopefully dance music as a whole takes a page out of Mad Decent’s books and begin to turn positive attention back to where it should be. The music.

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Mad Decent Block Party Establishes Strict New Safety Measures (Banning Kandi)