Over the years, much has changed in the electronic music scene. So how is it possible to weather the storm and remain solidly in love with the rave community and culture that gave us so much?
Throughout my years as a raver, I’ve been asked about wide-ranging topics concerning the electronic music scene. Most often, people have been curious about my thoughts on pressing issues, what music I love, and my predictions about where the rave scene is headed.
Arguably, my favorite conversations revolve around exchanging “raver stories,” finding synergy in that my most memorable experiences are so similar to those of others. Typically I take the time to think things out, address these questions, and provide an example, opinion, or story to help answer their question.
One question the rave community continually poses to me is, “What keeps you going?”
While there are many variations to this question, it all boils down to peoples’
interest in how I persist in the face of exhaustion and avoid the boredom of repetition. From these questions, I’ve gathered a common theme: people are growing older and finding it more difficult to stay involved in the rave scene.
I felt compelled to answer this pressing question differently than I have in the past while being completely transparent. Being posed this question multiple times has inspired me to sort some of my own thoughts out, and I hope that my answers help keep you going as well.
See, first and foremost, I’m sometimes even baffled as to how I’ve continued to attend events year after year.
Each year I attend dozens of festivals, not including club shows, tours, and weekly local events that I’ve grown fond of over time. It’s actually exhausting and sometimes lonely, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Above all else, the reason I’m still doing this, still finding myself returning to events and dancing the night away, is due to the passion that I have for the entire spectrum of electronic music. I truly love the music, the culture, the range of sound, and the global atmosphere of it all, but most importantly, I love the people I’ve connected with over the years in the scene.
Photo Credit: Drew Gallego
There’s just something different about electronic music that evokes such a different response from me than other styles.
I’ve always loved music, and don’t get me wrong – I still enjoy genres outside of the electronic spectrum, like rock and hip-hop, but the electronic world just had so much more to offer for me. I can dance the night away to some serious house music, I can get pummeled by heavy bass at a dubstep show, I can feel the emotion in trance’s powerful vocal tunes, or I can have my mind deconstructed by some techno beats.
The variety is there, but the ability to play a song by an artist and have it be loved across countries’ borders, entire oceans, and proverbial language barriers is something else. The beat, the rhythm, and the vibe of the night when an artist is up there playing their heart out and truly connecting with the crowd makes for an experience like none other.
But the music – that’s just one piece of the puzzle.
I fell in love with electronic music far before I had ever attended an event. During their heyday, I downloaded random tracks on Napster and Limewire but never had the drive or ability to go beyond my comfort zone and seek it out live. Even later on, when it came back around to the forefront of what I was downloading (rather curating and taste-making, I guess)… I kept my love for the music to myself.
No one understood me; no one liked what I liked. But then I attended my first show. It was Datsik at the House of Blues right before the dubstep scene became too popular (and well before the allegations were made against him that has soured the fact that it was my first electronic music show). After attending that event, I was sold… But it wasn’t because of the music there. It was because of the atmosphere.
That’s right. The culture is what kept me around. The fact that everyone was happy, connected, dancing, and clearly having a good time.
There weren’t people who were judging me, telling me my tastes sucked, or making me feel bad for enjoying something I was passionate about. Instead, I was accepted into the community. I began to learn more about the history of the rave scene, about PLUR, about the rebellious nature of the early days – and I was entirely enthralled.
I didn’t enter the rave scene because it was “cool” or because my friends insisted I went. I didn’t even start attending with a large group of people – just usually myself and one or two other people. I started to attend more and more events because I developed a passion for this community, for its history. And I wanted to be a part of it in any way possible.
The scene even in the 2009-2011 timeframe, was still really small, and that was the time in which I made some of my biggest leaps forward.
During this time, I got to experience some of the best music that was out there at some
barebones events that had little to no production value. All the while, I was meeting new people that would inevitably become lifelong friends. I firmly believe that these positive experiences solidified my passion for the rave scene and changed the course of my life forever. For what it’s worth, if it wasn’t for electronic music, I honestly don’t know where or what I’d be doing today.
It’s easy to look back at the events in the early days I attended and see them through rose-tinted glasses.
They weren’t all amazing experiences, but they helped form who I am today and have become integral to my journey. There are definitely certain artists, songs, or sets that evoke waves of nostalgia. Standing in a crowd collectively singing along, experiencing songs for the first time, and seeing legends spin sets that I keep securely stored on hard drives is impactful. These emotions still exist within me today.
The answer to the question of how I keep attending events is built off those memories and the passion that I created internally.
Do I enjoy every show, song, or person that I meet? No, of course not. But I have learned to stop chasing the dragon. The firsts: that moment of walking into EDC Las Vegas for the first time, hearing your favorite artist live after waiting so long: those are all just fleeting moments we grasp at and ones that we’ll cherish forever. The reality is that those moments never can and never will be replicated.
Photo Credit: Grant Gilmore
So… how do I keep going?
The onslaught of the mainstream, the heavy number of artists playing the same thing, and the loss of friends and people I consider family to work and life, in general, are my most frequent challenges.
I find the little things, the important things, and I do my best to approach each new experience with an open mind and heart. Going to events like Escape or EDCLV has worn on me, and I won’t lie; it’s a lot of the same. It’s the same layout and similar artists, but what’s different each time is my mindset, my movement at the festival, and who is with me there.
Allowing others to lead me through events and finding enjoyment as they discover their way has been much more rewarding than attending the event on my agenda alone.
Seeing someone’s face light up the first time they walk into the Las Vegas Motor Speedway,
experiencing new artists together, or exploring VIP and other areas of the festival – that’s a huge part of what keeps me going. Of course, I love to make my own memories, but putting myself in the shoes of someone who is experiencing these things for the first time gives me renewed life as well.
I’m patient; I let them go see sets they end up hating, I let them learn on their own, and when they get it, you can tell. It’s the way they start talking about things, the words they use, and the look they have. You know they understand the deeper meaning of the rave scene.
Something I’ve learned the hard way over the years is that you sometimes have to say see you later to allow for new growth to occur.
Each wave of a popular genre brings in new people, and not everyone sticks around for the long run. In fact, most don’t. Some people will fall off, some will move on with life, others cement themselves and transition beyond just being an attendee, and some just stick to loving the music.
But when you find the people that “get it,” the people that love the scene for what it can be and not necessarily what it is at the moment, you need to take note and keep them around as long as possible.
These are the people who truly love the culture, the experience, and the beats that move you to the core. They’re the people who continue to spread the message of PLUR and continue to work toward a brighter tomorrow.
So love the people who come into your life, the ones who stick around, and even those who say goodbye. At the end of the day, if you’re passionate about the community you’re in, you’ll understand how easy it is to weather the storm of time.
