About Raves

Raves have been an integral part of the youth culture since they began in the 1950s. Though the rave culture has changed throughout the years, the fundamentals have remained the same. They have always included loud music, long hours and lots of people--all of which contributed to a "raving" party atmosphere.

Significance

A rave is essentially a large party that is characterized by hundreds of people dancing to DJs spinning fast-paced electronic music. Much like the hippy culture before it, the rave culture believes in unconditional love, peace, unity and respect. Some ravers refer to these staples as "PLUR."

History

Raves first began taking place in London in the 1950s. Back then, they referred to Bohemian-style parties that were frequented by Britain's young, hip population who partied hard. In the 1960s, these chaotic parties continued, though they no longer took on a Bohemian-style theme. By then mods were the in-crowd, and the term was used to describe the wild, "raving" get-togethers that often continued well into the night and morning. By the 1980s, electronic music and narcotics had become staples of raves, which were mostly still held in Britain. In America, these parties first caught on on the East Coast, and began popping up in Chicago, New York and parts of Canada before spreading to the rest of the country.

Geography

Raves still take place in just about every state, as well as throughout Canada and most of Europe and Australia. Because they need to accommodate hundreds and sometimes thousands of people, most raves take place in large, open spaces, such as warehouses, airplane hangars, sports centers and dance clubs. Due to the massive drug presence that accompanies most raves, many raves are held "underground" now, in abandoned warehouses or other out of the way locations that don't have a large presence of people. Oftentimes the location of a rave is usually kept secret until less than 24 hours before it is set to take place in order to evade the police.

Features

In addition to electronic music, raves also feature sophisticated light displays, large dance floors and, usually, an abundance of drugs and alcohol. Marijuana, ecstasy, speed, mushrooms and acid are fairly common at raves. Many people share their drugs openly with others who, like them, hope to achieve a blissful state of peace, love and ecstasy by combining chaotic lights with electronic music and hundreds of other people who want to have a good time. Raves are also characterized by extremely bright-colored clothing. Some commonly worn items are red pants, neon green visors and rainbow-colored shirts under jean overalls. Toys, such as pacifiers and glowsticks and costume or plastic jewelry is often also seen at raves.

Considerations

Raves have gained such popularity and noteriety that several publications sprung up that were solely devoted to these get-togethers. Many of these magazines were regional and documented their own area's rave culture. These types of publications existed all over the United States, though some of the larger publications were located in urban locations, such as Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, Milwaukee, Chicago and San Francisco. Some of the more popular rave magazines include Nocturnal magazine, Huge! magazine and Jive magazine.

Resources

• Raves.com