Strobe lights blinking from every which way, techno jams fill theroom as a DJ spins his eclectic assortment round and round amid a seaof masks, glow sticks and Mr. Bubble bottles.
No, you’re not on “Soul Train: Live from Disneyland.”
You have just entered the rave zone, a long-time enigma slowlybeing unveiled to the mainstream world.
Originating in Britain in the mid-1980s as acid houses attemptingto dilute the dress code-conscious period, raves found their way toAmerica around the turn of the decade. According to www.altculture.com,techno music and an Age of Aquarius inspired harmonious feel servedas catalysts for the virtually outlawed all-night parties.
Surreptitious for the most part, raves are a largely misunderstoodand highly condemned component of modern day alternative culture.Though often connected with abundant drug abuse, Mike E.*, 19, a SanDiego State University communication sophomore, said that is not whatraves are all about.
“There are a lot of stereotypes,” he said. “Where else are yougoing to see 10,000 people in harmony together and not one fight?”
True, rave crowds don’t have a reputation for being violent oragressive. But as www.altculture.comsaid, for a party fueled by rampant Ecstasy use in an attempt toachieve a utopia-like existence, the obvious connection between ravesand the drug is hard to ignore .
“Yes, there are drugs,” Mike E. said. “But you go to any kind ofpublic function, be it a Led Zeppelin concert or a club, and drugsare prevelant whether you know it or not.
“I’vedone it. I have friends who do it, but only in and at the rave.”
Exactly the reason raves have gotten a bad rap. In 1998, drugswere one of the top causes of raves being shutdown, according towww.hyperreal.com. Theillusion is that Ecstasy, invented by Parke-Davis in 1917 as anappetite suppressant , is a mild, harmless drug.
The reality, said www.hyperreal. com, is that ravers not knowinganything about the effects of Ecstasy abuse the drug. In some cases,ravers have experienced allergic reactions and in a few isolatedcases, have died as a result.
Mike E. said though his friends who use Ecstasy only do so at arave, it’s easier to target a large group of people participating ina mysterious subculture than to seek out every individual curiousabout the drug.
“You can get it anywhere,” he said. “You just have to know how touse it responsibly.”
Amanda Robbins*, 18, a psychology freshman, said the drug waseverything she thought it would be and attributes curiosity to herreasoning for trying Ecstasy.
“People want to be on the level that they see everyone else at,”she said. “But I don’t do it every time I go. I don’t know anyone whois addicted to the drug, but I know people who are dependent on thefeeling. Addicted means you need it to survive. “
But both Mike E. and Robbins said the people they hang out withall take care of each other and look out for each other’s interests,and that drugs, though a component of the rave scene, are far fromthe focal point of the event.
Still, considering its roots and societies common connectionbetween drugs and raves, the extravaganzas continue to piquecuriosity and skepticism among the police. According to www.hyperreal.com,technically, the majority of raves are legal, as many are plannedusing local permits and adequate safety precautions.
The problem is, by nature, raves breach a multitude of statewideordinances across the United States. For instance, a rave might bebroken up due to fire-code violations, noise violations and forkeeping minors out past curfew.
But the dangers don’t keep the crowds from going back. On thecontrary, the allure of the rave has only drawn in more people, andfor different reasons.
For some, like 19-year-old Trinity Frank*, it’s an alternative tothe 21-and-up club scene, one where age restrictions don’t apply andwhere people are free to come as they are.
“At raves,” she said, “people are just chillin’. Everybody ishappy; the vibe, the lighting, the music is completely different fromwhat you would see at a club. No one’s mad-dogging anyone, and youcan dress however you like because it’s not about competition. You’rethere for yourself.”
For others, like 20-year-old Mike Andrews*, it was thesecret-society exclusiveness that initially drew him in.
“I used to go to these raves where the directions to the spot wereextremely secretive,” Andrews said. “It was fun that way, when nottoo many people knew about it. The face of raves is changing, though.It’s so misunderstood, yet so many people are buying into the scenewithout really understanding it.”
Indeed, the popularity of the rave has heightened throughout theyears — and at an increasing pace. Seeping through the core ofmainstream culture, it has managed to soak in even the unlikeliest ofparticipants.
“It has become much more mainstream than it was before,” Franksaid. “You see high school kids, even gangster guys showing up. Itused to be an underground thing, but it’s become such a trend.”
For Andrews, the rave’s amassment of the average Joe has dissuadedhim.
“Some people are really protective over the scene and don’tappreciate people who are there just to say they were there,” hesaid. “I can understand that. It’s like someone putting on an outfitfor Halloween and proclaiming that as an identity and saying, ‘Lookat me. I’m a raver.'”
Raver: a term that has come to mean so many things for so manywalks of people. For some, it’s an occasional hobby, like going tothe movies or playing a sport. For others, it’s a way of life, withthe music and freedom consuming their every desire.
“It’s just a great place to go and forget about everything,” MikeE. said. “You only hear about the bad things. For me, for those fewhours in my life, the only things that matter are me, the music andthe DJ.”
*Name has been changed.
–Irene Yadao contributed to this report.
