Wixa

Wixa (sometimes also spelt as Wiksa or Vixa) is an electronic musical genre and social movement that was popular in the countries of Central Europe during the late 90s and 2000sWixa on last.fm, particularly in Poland, where it is currently going through a revival thanks to Rave-themed events"Raving At 200 BPM: Inside Poland’s Neo-Gabber Underground" on Electronic Beats. It is influenced by Hardcore Techno which originally came from Germany, but also various styles of House and Trance music like Hard House and Stupid House, Eurotrance, Hard Dance and Hands Up. In Poland, one collective/movement that is becoming increasingly popular is WIXAPOL, who brought back some old-school music styles like Gabber, Hardbass or Techno. The club Ekwador played an important role in its creation. It has also been described as a new subculture under the name "Rejwy""Nowe Subkultury: REJWY" on f5.pl (in Polish) (roughly meaning Rave).
The term "Wixa" is thought to be derived from the German word WichserArt Raves, Dogs & Club Ekwador: The Curious World of Polish Techno on culture.pl which quite literally translates to "wanker". This is likely because during the 90s, people who enjoyed Hardcore Techno, Trance or Techno (which were German cultural exports at the time) were seen as "weird", "sexually depraved", "satanist" or frowned upon by a major part of Polish society because of the drugs and sexual activity that was prevalent in Rave events, although that attitude has changed over time. A related word in the Polish language is "wiksować", which means to party hard. With that being implied, alcohol, drugs and sexuality also tend to be involved in Wixa parties. In Polish, the collective members of the subculture are usually called Wiksy, although in some specific regions of Poland they are known as "Jadza", "Rurka" or "Belka". Another common term is Manieczki, which references the town of Manieczki, where the Ekwador nightclub is located.
==History==
Wixa emerged as a reaction to how Techno and Rave music used to be considered a taboo topic in Polish society during the 90s. It was regarded as "satanist", "sexually degenerated" or "criminal" by many people. Most of these opinions prevailed in Poland because of media campaigns by the Catholic Church in the country. However, when Poland officially joined the European Union, these attitudes have shifted because there was more interaction with Rave scenes from other countries (such as that of Germany or the Netherlands) and combated these stigmas reinforced by Catholicism. Nowadays, Techno remains as a popular genre in the country.
Some of the first nightclubs to develop the Wixa phenomenom in Poland were the Ekwador nightclub located in Manieczki, Greater Poland (a fairly small settlement/town). They popularized some shouts like "Jazda! Jazda! Jazda!" (Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!) and some defining features of their shows were fluorescent clothing, UV gloves and glowsticks. Some of the parties are renowned for their quirky fashion, such as people dressing up as firefighters, robots or aliens and wearing safety clothingWiksa on Wikipedia (Polish). Other interesting aspects of Wixa fashion are gas masks, surgical masks, fluorescent vests and fashion inspired by the Gabber movement of the Netherlands. However, as mentioned before, drugs and sexual undertones are also prevalent within the subculture, particularly ecstasy, amphetamine and mephedrone. Unity is also emphasized in Wixa parties, regardless of social class or ideology.
Online, as it becomes more popular among teenagers, some modern music videos and Instagram accounts centered around Wixa tend to use a lot of elements of Polish meme culture and internet culture. According to DJ SPORTY SPICE, the record label WIXAPOL was founded as a reaction to the seriousness that used to be prevalent in the Techno and House scene in Poland. There are several accounts, including that of WIXAPOL, which reblog memes in platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
===Papacore & Memes===
Such icons in Wixa meme culture are persons like John Paul II, who often appears in online meme culture in Poland"Raving At 200 BPM: Inside Poland’s Neo-Gabber Underground" on Electronic Beats. For example, there's a meme format called "JP2GMD" (which is loosely translated as "John Paul II rapes little kids"). This exists because the pope is considered a "national hero" of Poland, although most young Polish people don't feel any connection to him other than the fact that they get taught to "idolize" him in school (and also considering the fact that the sexual controversies surrounding the Catholic Church have been talked about more openly in recent years). So in a rebellious/countercultural manner, there's a niche subgenre of Wixa called "Papacore", which takes samples from John Paul II's voice and layers it on typical old-school Gabber tracks. Other than the papal attire and meme samples, some collectives like WIXAPOL may sometimes use elements of dark humor and political satire, although it's used in a lighthearted way since it has always been very prevalent in Polish comedy throughout history.
==Fashion==
Under construction
==Music==
Under construction
===Musical Artists===
*Clubbasse
*DJ Hazel
*DJ Kris
*DJ Sporty Spice
*DJ TORRENTZ.EU
*Energy 2000 Mix 07.2007
*Eurodanek
*Gridlock 3000
*Indecorum
*MIKOUAJ REJW
*Mr Bronkz Pres. Bronkz Brothers
*Pan Michał i Komputery
*Stock Wudeczka
*Turbowixa Records
*Zbóje
===Record Labels/Collectives===
*WIXAPOL
===Songs===
Under construction
==Media==
===Events===
*Ekwador
*WIXAPOL
===Meme Creators===
*Piesapol (Dogpol)
*Aleksander (Dogecore)
*Monika (Matka Boska Kapslokowa)
==Criticism==
Wixa is sometimes criticized because the events tend to be oversaturated with drugs, alcohol and sexually suggestive topics. Some of these critics are directly members of the Dutch trance scene, where the same concepts existed, but aren't as prevalent as it is in Wixa. They claim that the behavior typical of the subculture is not acceptable during the performances of nightclubs, and that the phenomenon itself should not be counted as part of clubbing culture, but only a Polish "cultural phenomenon". They consider DJ sets in this genre to be irrelevant to the social implications of participating in the subculture. However, Wixa also has many defensors, particularly because without it the Polish EDM scene would have never flourished as much.
==Gallery==
wixa4.jpg
wixasss.jpg
wixaaaa.jpg
wixapolfans.jpg|Fans of the music collective WIXAPOL S.A.
wixa2.jpg
wixaaa2.png
wixaparty.jpg|Wixa party in 1997
wixameme.jpg|A Wixa meme by Piesapol
wixaparty3.jpg
R.T.I.A© 1 Spiż Katowice -Clubbasse in da mix-
==References==
Category:Polish
Category:1990s
Category:Subcultures and Stereotypes
Category:Movement
Category:2000s
Category:Music
Category:Music Genre
Category:Raver
Category:Memes