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TECHNOLOGY

Dancing in silence all the rave

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The concept of the Silent Disco, which started in the Netherlands, is becoming popular in other parts of Europe.

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AMSTERDAM, the Netherlands (CNN) -- Surprising, surreal and just a little bit silly, welcome to the weird world of Silent Disco.

Developed in the Netherlands, the concept involves a DJ, numerous sets of wireless headphones and a certain lack of shame, as clubbers dance on a quiet floor.

Instead of being played out through speakers, the music at Silent Discos is delivered to dancers' ears via their own sets of wireless headphones.

Partygoers tune into a restricted radio frequency through which the music of the DJ is broadcast.

The people behind the project, Nico "No DJ" Okkerse and Michael "DJ Od" Minten, are veterans of the Dutch arts scene.

The DJs, whose company is known as 433fm.com, came up with the concept in 2002 and say the aim is for people "to go wild in silence."

They told CNN they are confident that in the ever changing world of clubbing, it is better to be seen than heard.

"The music is very intense and you hear everything perfectly. People know that the party is exclusive to them, so it gives a good feeling," Minten told CNN.

A silent disco was held in June at this year's Glastonbury Festival, in the west of England, to enable the party to go on later into the evening without infringing the noise curfew.

Festival-goers at the dance tent were issued with free headphones, complete with bass, volume and treble controls, so they could have the music as loud as they liked.

Minten told CNN the concept has been well-received where ever they had held the events, including in Belgium, Spain, Italy and Scotland.

In a year's time, the pair hope to master a six-channel sound system to enable entire music festivals to happen silently.

CNN's Linzie Janis contributed to this report

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