Staying focused on one genre through trend changes builds identity and longevity while followers who chase trends lose distinctiveness

Mills describes a moment when house music became more popular and ‘a lot of people in Detroit changed to start a big house’. He did not. He credits this steadfastness with advancing his career: by staying true to techno when peers shifted, he maintained a distinct identity. Carl Cox shifted toward house, certain trans sounds faded. Mills’s lesson: trend-following dilutes identity; committing to a singular sound through down-cycles creates long-term recognition and audience trust. This is not stubbornness but strategic patience — the belief that the music’s intrinsic value will outlast the trend cycle.

Examples

Mills staying techno when house trend surged; UR refusing to license tracks broadly; Basic channel’s ‘neither house nor techno — something in between’ as a genre-transcending identity.

Assessment

Explain Mills’s argument for genre loyalty as a career strategy; identify one risk and one benefit he implies.