As the Design Museum opens its new show Electronic, we speak to curator Gemma Curtin and The Chemical Brothers collaborators Smith & Lyall about the genres wider impact on creativity and culture, and how the music industry could look post-pandemic

Its a surreal experience stepping foot inside the Design Museums new exhibition about electronic music in the midst of a pandemic. When I visit the show in late July, the UK is well into its fourth month of a nationwide lockdown, and its been what feels like an eternity since I interacted with real-life people outside of a Zoom call, let alone feel the crush of other human bodies in a crowded nightclub or music festival.

As I walk around the darkened exhibition space, Im bombarded with sensory experiences flashing strobe lights, a thumping soundtrack and electrifying footage from the bygone days of live shows all designed to transport you back to the dancefloor. But as I step inside the final exhibit, an immersive installation created by Adam Smith and Marcus Lyall, longtime collaborators of The Chemical Brothers, which recreates one of the bands live shows, the thing that instinctively hits me is just how familiar it smells.

When I catch up Smith and Lyall after the show and question them about the distinctive scent that I cant quite put my finger on, Im informed that its just the smell of the smoke machine. Its like freshly mown grass for ravers, isnt it?, says Lyall. In putting on Electronic, the Design Museum is attempting to recreate that intangible feeling of electronic music albeit in a different setting while also exploring the genres wider social and cultural influence.

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From Kraftwerk to The Chemical Brothers: the evolution of electronic music - Creative Review