Drugs and Raves, It’s More Wholesome Than You Think
Part 1: Sharing Love at Dance Parties
Over the past few decades, the influence of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in the music industry grew significantly. EDM is no longer a niche genre for the underground community, but a mainstream sound that we hear at huge music festivals, nightclubs, and on streaming services. In this series, we will explore how EDM and its surrounding culture has evolved over the past years, and take a look at some current trends in Dance Music as we finally emerge out of COVID-19.
It would be impossible to talk about EDM without first talking about rave culture. So in Part 1 of this series, I will do a quick overview of the Dance Music scene and dive into what exactly people do at raves and music festivals.
A rave is simply a dance party that typically features a DJ playing EDM. Traditionally, it would be hosted at warehouses or underground music venues. But in the modern day, raves are largely commercialized and often take place at prominent music festivals or licensed nightclubs.
So what is the difference between a rave and a Friday night-out to the hottest club in town? While there are several characteristic differences which I will get into, the key difference lies in the general purpose of the event. Although raves have a notorious reputation for drug use and intense partying, it is actually a more wholesome event than you think. PLUR, which stands for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect, is a term which represents the guiding principles of rave culture. In essence, ravers are expected to not be creeps and just dance together to good music. There is obviously a spectrum but in general, ravers indeed follow the PLUR guidelines. It is actually quite rare to find drunk guys who prey on girls, or people who disrespectfully push others at raves.
This largely has to do with the types of drugs that are often used at EDM events. The most commonly used substance (apart from alcohol or marijuana) at raves is MDMA/ecstasy, as well as some hallucinogens like LSD.
Despite the negative view towards drug usage, research shows that MDMA or “ecstasy is used to enhance feelings of emotional closeness and bonding with others” (1). There are also studies on psychedelic therapy, in which “participants reported significant reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress following the psychedelic experience… [and] had greater compassion” (2). Overall, the drugs that ravers favor are known for intensifying the user’s sense of empathy and connectedness towards the community. As a result, rave attendees tend to be very mindful of safe drug usage and respecting others, so that everyone can have a good time.
The characteristic features of raves are very much intended for attendees who are on MDMA or hallucinogens over other substances. As we can often see on Instagram posts for EDM festivals nowadays, ravers love to wear extensive costumes, especially incorporating glitter or fluorescent lights. For ravers who are on substances with hallucinogenic effects, such outfits provide a pleasant visual experience for each other. Raves are also often accompanied by extravagant light shows or trippy visuals for the same reason.
And of course, the music plays one of the most important roles in the rave experience. Although there is a broad range of EDM played at raves, most of the songs are upbeat and have repetitive phrases that build-up tension before the breakdown. The breakdown contributes towards a euphoric feeling of release for ravers on stimulants or psychedelics. In addition, there is usually an emphasis on the kick drum and bass, so that ravers can easily dance to the pulsating beats.
Though there were ‘raves’ featuring garage rock and psychedelia bands during the Hippie era, ‘raves’ as we know it now became popular in the 80s with the birth of Chicago House music. House music quickly spread among the youths in the States and overseas (mainly in Europe), and raves started growing bigger and bigger. By the 90s, they became more commercialized and went from underground to overground throughout the decade.
While there are still raves hosted in secret warehouse locations, most of them are very much mainstream events nowadays. Music festivals such as Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, and Electronic Daisy Carnival attract thousands of attendees, while maintaining the main characteristic features of raves mentioned above. Concert venues like Brooklyn Mirage (New York) and Radius (Chicago) regularly host raves with big name DJs and extensively utilize online marketing. There are also EDM nightclubs like Smartbar (Chicago) and Gorgomish (Vancouver) which curate the underground vibe, but even these venues have an online presence on social media. In fact, even the real ‘underground’ raves with secret locations are often promoted on Instagram these days.
Such changes in the dance music scene received both praises and criticism. While it is delightful to see EDM gaining popularity amongst a wider audience, fans are worried that the over-commercialization of dance music is ruining the culture surrounding it. Many have expressed disdain towards producers who are more concerned with going viral on Tik Tok than actually playing well at live events. Some are also unhappy with the massive scale of raves nowadays, as it is harder to control the crowd and we inevitably see attendees who don’t follow the PLUR guidelines.
At the same time, we can’t expect DJs and producers to provide their service for free. Yes, it is important to remember that raves are meant for people to dance and share love, but capital is necessary for a top-notch sound system, awesome light shows, and special effects that ravers enjoy.
And even at large festivals (that are specifically EDM focused), most people tend to be nice since nobody wants to have a bad time nor cause others to have a bad time on drugs. It is common to see ravers who make sure everyone (even strangers) stay hydrated while using substances for a safe experience. Although there are some drawbacks, the commercialization of raves is allowing more people to enjoy EDM and the PLUR culture in positive ways.
Now that we’ve briefly gone through what kind of setting EDM is played at, we will take a look at what types of Dance Music are currently trending in the second half of this series. With the commercialization of raves, the sounds of EDM have also evolved towards Pop, with artists like Beyonce and Drake releasing dance albums recently. Stay tuned to find out what’s popular in Dance Music right now and what’s coming in the future!
