Politics & Power Quote by Sean Booth

There’s a sly deflation in Sean Booth’s line: the kind of shrug that doubles as a flex. The sentence begins with a familiar industry scenario - “when they come around” - a vague “they” that could be labels, promoters, gatekeepers, or trend-chasers. Booth doesn’t dignify them with specifics, which is the point. Power operates anonymously in music, especially when American tastemakers “discover” something that’s already been happening elsewhere.

The phrase “do our stuff in America” is doing two jobs at once. On the surface, it’s practical: touring, licensing, exporting a sound. Underneath, it’s about cultural translation and ownership. Electronic music, particularly the UK strain Booth is associated with, has long been forced through an American filter to be legible: repackaged, simplified, branded with a new narrative. By calling it “our stuff,” he quietly asserts authorship against that machine.

Then comes the kicker: “it’s compliment really.” The slightly off grammar reads as either casual speech or intentional understatement - a refusal to perform outrage on cue. Instead of posturing as a victim of appropriation or industry condescension, Booth reframes the interaction as validation. It’s a defensive move that avoids begging for permission. If America wants in, the subtext is: we were already ahead.

What makes it work is how it sidesteps bitterness without surrendering pride. It’s a musician’s way of keeping control: accept the praise, deny the gatekeepers the drama, and keep the center of gravity where it belongs - with the work.