In the UK, dance music gets faster the further north you go...

[RobJC]

The more emotionally 'North' you are - that is the colder and more detached your temperament - the quicker your preferred tempo too.

Northernness also correlates positively with size of anorak and quite coincidentally - because of cheaper rents - extent of record collection.

I think you'll find that Brighton is the exception that proves the rule.

Surely its a heat thing? - the further north the colder it is = dance faster to keep warm

Simple?

or possibly due to rate of change regarding to scenes - the further north the less factional dance music is, therefore the more established forms hang on for longer - not a judgement, mearly an observation. Of course, there are exceptions and what piece of consumer journalism doesn't tend to generalise any theme anyway?

 

[mms]

cornwall used to have a huge freeparty scene with a very lairy gabber contingent, regular gabba nights in st ives and penzance - is'nt the bpm test remoteness/skintness apart from d and b which ususally contradicts this.
hardhouse is the most popular music down there djs like mark eg who were early gabber ppl and it's fast and heavy.
no one played d and b there much till about 1996 or so really, no one really knows about dubstep there, post rave it was gabber and hard trance that ruled.

 

[stelfox]

anything involving crusties and free parties doesn't count. it completely messes up the theory!

 

[mixed_biscuits]

is'nt the bpm test remoteness...

Remote areas are not overwhelmed by choice or competition; scenes can build momentum undisturbed, especially as micro-societies - music only being the medium for politicking.

Scene leaders, like terrorist big cheeses, assert themselves by proving their mettle - obduracy shown through kick drum resistance. Everyone else follows.

 

[mms]

anything involving crusties and free parties doesn't count. it completely messes up the theory!

they were mixed up with spotty speed taking teens in spliffy troosers and cars with big dun dun dun speakers tho.

 

[DRMHCP]

. Also, theres a massive carribean community in leeds and manchester.

As someone pointed out there are west indian communities in those cities but the fact remains that something like 90% of the West indian community in Britain lives in London and the South East.
The West Indian communities in other cities have never been big enough to influence youth culture in the way they have since as far back as the 50s in the London area. Mainstream local radio in London since at least the early 70s had Black programming at peak times (Black Londoners when I was a young kid etc) and black music was just part of the white working class youths life since at least the 60s. When I went back north unless you go to very small relatively speaking areas (ie Chapeltown in Leeds) you'd hardly know there was a significant West Indian community in places like Leeds. So obviously the influence on the community as a whole wont be so great.
I dont know much about Birmingham but I believe there is a slightly bigger influence in that city