Electronic Music & Rave: On the phone, with flier in hand, youlisten anxiously to the pre-recorded directions on the Mission Control ravehotline. This valuable information can only be accessed on the day of the event,but now that this is out of the way, its time to prepare. People of all ages,but mostly between the ages of 17 and 26, madly attack appropriate stores topurchase their necessary rave gear. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-Category:Music & MoviesPaper Title:Electronic Music & RavesText:ELECTRONIC MUSIC & RAVESOn the phone, with flier in hand, you listen anxiously to the pre-recordeddirections on the Mission Control rave hotline.
This valuable information canonly be accessed on the day of the event, but now that this is out of the way,its time to prepare. People of all ages, but mostly between the ages of 17and 26, madly attack appropriate stores to purchase their necessary ravegear. They buy glow-sticks, glitter, dark glasses, sealed water, vicks vapo-rub,other trinkets and outrageous, often striped clothing. True ravers would drivefor hours or fly to attend these worldwide conventions, and all share the samedrive. You finally arrive at your destination to find a warehouse located on theoutskirts of its respective city, with a large mob of people desperately tryingto get in. Its about 12:00 midnight and all are mentally and physicallyprepared to party for the next 9 or 10 hours straight, to finally emerge fromthe doors to see daylight and non-ravers half way through their day.
The Webster dictionary defines rave and techno as. RAVEu8217ra-v: To move or advance violently: STORM: to utter in madness or frenzy: To talk with extreme enthusiasm: To declaim wildly: An extravagantly favorable criticism. TECH*NO-pop: pop music featuring extensive use of synthesizersIn general practice, a rave usually refers to a party, usually allnight long, open to the public, where loud techno music is played and manypeople partake in a number of different chemicals. The number of people at theevent is unimportant; it can range from 50 to 25000 people. The cost varies, butis often 25 to 30 dollars and is usually held in a remote, and secluded part oftown. The ages of those who attend are concentrated between 17 and 26 but trulyrange from 14 to 40 or 50 years old.
Its common to have several differentrooms playing different types of techno simultaneously. Techno orelectronic music can be distinguished by its often lack of vocals, creation bysynthesizers or other electronic means and its unusually fast beat; rangingfrom 115-170 BPM (Beats Per Minute), while commercial dance music isusually a maximum of 70 or 80 BPM. The first substantial piece of music composedelectronically was the Illiac Suite (1956) by the avant-garde composer LejarenHiller (192594). Each room is equipped with a Dj, a set of two or moreturntables, walls of speakers located offset from the corners and impressivevisual effects: such as lasers and light shows. The people that attend are dressed ultra alternatively. This consists ofcomfortable yet creative attire.
You would often see ravers wearing extremelybaggy pants, glow in the dark body suits, and ultimately any visually entisingclothing with similar accessories. Heads of hair are often dyed with uniquecolors and faces are covered strategically with glitter and an assortment ofblack make-up for a somewhat gothic look. All of these various forms ofexpression, visual effects, the barrage of audio only compliment the fewchemicals used. Most members of the congregation use ecstasy in the form oftablet or capsule and/or acid.
The light display and outrageous costumes aregeared to act as a stimulus for the hallucinogen of the acid, but the music andoverall environment is geared to the mystifying effects of ecstasy. Ecstasy, the tablet or capsule, is a man made drug derived from a plant whichproduces legal, herbal ecstasy in the form of a liquid or over the countertablets. Ecstasy is a combination of concentrated herbal ecstasy and speed orheroin, cocaine, or crystal methane, but never containing a combination of thelast three mentioned. This particular drug is said to have little visualeffects, but more so physical effects. Your body starts to feel fluffy as theenergy produced from the speed kicks in.
You almost uncontrollably start to moveto the beat of the music while the grinding of the teeth (from the speed) ismore noticeable. The severity of this grinding on your teeth is lessened by theuse of a baby pacifier. This allows you to grind on a soft rubber-like itemperfectly suited for the mouth rather than the hard enamel of the teeth. Regardless, your jaw muscles will be sore.
The more erotic effects of the drugcome from the concentrated herb. In a sense, it drastically amplifies your senseof touch. Where a massage when sober feels like heaven, when on the drug amassage feels more like true ecstasy, as the name would suggest. Once Vicks vapo-rubis used, it offers a flurry of hot and cold flashes and lubrication to themassage. Several pairs of ravers can be seen giving massages while, more oftenthan not, sitting at the base of either the surrounding walls or the walls ofspeakers. Similar to most types of music, techno has an appropriate method of dancing,but unlike most other forms of dancing, each individual dances alone.
Thisallows you to perform independently, and being the main activity, this alsoallows you to demonstrate the extent of your talent. Dancers commonly use a pairof glow-sticks like the one enclosed to enhance their abilities. One is placedbetween the fingers of each hand. The most secure method would be under theindex and pinky finger and over the ring and middle finger.
The fingers are thencurled downward. Normally the glow-stick glows brightly and comes in anassortment of colors, nevertheless, this method allows the most illumination tobe seen. Now, these glow-sticks are carefully manipulated to create adeliberate, constant flow of intricate patterns and color, making sure toutilize all the space available about the body and maintaining rhythm with thebeat of the pulsating music. The Djs play an important role in the Vibe of the rave.
They canalmost be considered a shaman or a high priest of the congregation. They controlthe psychic voyages of the dancers through his choice of continuous,original music and their skill in manipulating it. I think the importance of themusic at a rave is somewhat comparable to that of the music in an AmericanIndian pow wow. In both cases the music helps one to fall into an alter state. Music is generally considered as pleasurable, but the music at a rave, and theecstasy, help to form a sense of unity by sharing an emotion and a sense offreedom. Yet, at the same time you are revered for your individuality.
Forexample, the more original and entising your dancing is congratulated by aslapping of one of each persons palms together, a pat on the back, verbalgratification or simply a smile or nod. The people are very friendly, becauseyou seem to appreciate you for what you are rather than for what you are not. This differs from the typical club environment. The friendly, liberal attitudes of the ravers in conjunction with the dress,dancing and overall layout allow me to conclude that traditional values andbehavior of society is rejected. Individuals can do almost anything in a rave aslong as it does not affect someone else. For example, I could strip down to myboxer shorts and sit in the middle of the dance floor and even though it isntdone often, I can garauntee that it will be accepted.
If I were to do a similarthing in Crobar (a popular club in Miami), I would promptly be ridiculed, andthen removed from the premises. In the ritual of clubbing in Miami would notaccept this form of attitude. The ritual of raving seems to promote a moreliberal view. A view based on total freedom of expression. This is apparent bymy previous description.
I have met a few ravers outside of the event and amable to conclude that most of them are somewhat typical citizens. They abide bythe traditional values and behavior imposed by society, but use the rave to letgo and express themselves in a more flamboyant manner. Ritual is a patterned, repetitive, and symbolic enactment of a culturalbelief or value; its primary purpose is alignment of the belief system ofindividuals with that of society. With this in mind, we can now fathom theidea that raving is a ritual.
Raves can therefore be seen from ananthropological view as a congregation of members of a sub-culture, sharingsimilar emotions, beliefs, dress and behavior, all governed by techno music andthe Djs. They experience unity yet individuality, freedom of expression, and aliberal environment, all simultaneously.-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
