According to the media, raves are nothing more than gatherings of drug-addicted and undisciplined youths, deafened by alienating music, who escape from their problems, endangering public order. But what are rave parties , really?
The many origins of rave parties
Rave is a phenomenon with many facets and origins, first and foremost music. Record music , born in the early 900s and intended for exclusively domestic use, began to gain greater legitimacy in the 70s when recorded music began to be danced to in clubs. In those years, dance culture was born , and while records became the protagonist of the nightlife scene, the figure of the disc jockey acquired ever greater importance, becoming a star. An example of this is Frankie Knuckles , one of the most influential figures of this new dance era that was emerging in the cities of Chicago and Detroit. Resident DJ at the Warehouse in Chicago, Knuckles was among the first to use technologies such as drum machines , sequencers , and samplers to modify dance tracks , thus laying the foundations of house music and sending the dancefloor into raptures.
The birth of techno music
Meanwhile, techno music was beginning to gain popularity in Detroit . In the 80s, the automotive industry collapsed, many factories closed, and desolation invaded the city. Techno thus appeared as the only force capable of reproducing the mechanical noise of the workshops, breaking their silence . Thus, with the spread of techno, unsuitable for small spaces, and with the increase in attendees, clubs became insufficient, and precisely because of the need to seek larger spaces, the parties began to move outside the cities. Another origin of raves can be traced back to free festivals , whose history has its roots in 1967, when the first Summer of Love was born in California , an event with a hippie and pacifist spirit, based on the idea of liberating body and soul through LSD and acid rock . The Second Summer of Love took place in 1988 in England where the protagonists were not only acid house and ecstasy (introduced by DJs who had discovered it in Ibiza) , but also the desire to feel outside of society and its restrictions.
The rave party: the party of the here and now
Raves (which means "to go crazy") are laboratories of the present, where ordinary time is erased and becomes pure here and now , without past or future. During techno parties, the sense of connection as a form of resistance and co-presence is fundamental, but ravers do n't want to feel obligated to belong to any fixed character; they simply want to feel part of the spirit of the dancefloor , where dominant hierarchies within the social system are subverted by transgressing orders and prohibitions. Hakim Bey defines these temporarily occupied spaces as Temporary Autonomous Zones , spaces where one can feel free, independent, and at the same time invisible. The spirit of the rave party is essentially one of forgetting and disappearing, beyond the gaze of authorities and media representations. Its motto is PLUR : Peace, Love, Unity, Respect.
The importance of word of mouth
Parties are typically advertised through flyers and graffiti, although word of mouth is the preferred method, as mystery, especially regarding the location, is essential to avoid premature police crackdowns. A few days before the event, flyers provide information regarding the date, city, time, and DJ; often, a telephone number is also provided to provide more precise information about the party and location. When the evening begins, music dominates; and everything, from the lights to the lasers, from the images to the heartbeats, follows its increasing rhythm. Techno music , constantly pounding, allows the body to perceive an ever-present time, and everything in existence appears altered. This particular effect is defined as an " altered state of consciousness ": visual sensations such as colors and movements appear distorted, and skin, emotional, and psychological perceptions such as confusion, fatigue, and pleasure are altered. These effects are amplified by MDMA , distributed in the form of smiley-faced pills and taken to avoid feeling tired and to be able to socialize without hesitation.
All the accessories worn by ravers therefore have a tactical and complementary role within the context: UV-reactive fabrics, shockingly colored hair, glow sticks and whistles to accentuate the effects of the lights and ecstasy, pacifiers to counteract the grinding noises caused by drugs, overalls , combat boots, and loose-fitting clothing for dancing comfortably all night. When the evening reaches its peak around 3 or 4 a.m., the heartbeats and the drum machine 's percussion coincide in unison. The music continues until dawn, at which point ravers have two choices: continue to the after party or let the effects of the evening wear off by gradually returning to reality.
The end of an authentic scene
According to the movement's purists, the rave scene died in the UK in 1992, the year in which government pressure became insistent. In 1994, with the passing of the Criminal Justice Act , the concept of trespassing , or trespassing , was redefined . Ravers were banned from gathering in groups of more than ten people on public land without authorization, it was considered a crime to fail to leave the rave, equipment had to be confiscated or destroyed, and the sale of alcohol was banned. In response to this law, the first protests began, with marches gathering up to one hundred thousand people, to which sound systems were added to allow people to dance during the parade. In 1996, " Reclaim the Street" was organized as a protest at the CJA: metropolitan spaces were occupied and roadblocks were set up by hundreds of cyclists who, pedaling in the middle of the road, caused massive traffic jams. The degeneration of “ Reclaim the Street” then led to the famous “ Love Parade” in Berlin, but since the various street parades soon began to become increasingly touristic and commercial events, in 1997 counter-demonstrations began, in which mainly die-hard lovers of music and the original spirit of the parades took part, the so-called “ Fuck Parades ”.
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Alice Porracchio
" If there's not a rebellious youth culture, there's no culture at all. It's absolutely essential. It is the future ."
