Whats it like on the outside looking in?

[noel emits]

See, this is where you're getting too specific again. No, the west coast scene was a bunch of dudes dropping acid and taking pills. Most of them gay.

Haha. I don't know about the gay quotient (like it matters) but I think you'll find this is pretty much a definition of rave. So what's your point? I know what music was coming out of there and used to go and listen to these DJs on a regular, so although I'm in the UK I have some idea. I'm just saying - what that lot were doing, and how seriously they took their music combined with how hedonistic and utopian it was reflected UK rave better than other pockets of US dance.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Please ask yr friends where they go for that stuff. That goes for anyone else that knows the hotness in the Chi.

The only one that springs to mind is Entheon, which by the sound of it is a big ol' acid-fried hippy-fest*, but with some great d'n'b. Oh, and Bombay Beatbox, which does d'n'b/bangra stuff (with live belly dancers! ), although I can't remember if that is a night in its own right or a bunch of DJs (and dancers) who played at Entheon. I'll ask around.

There are a couple clubs here that basically play whatever's hot in UK/Europe now... have European DJs tour -- I think it's like Erol Alkan now. Kompakt dudes roll through now and again.

I remember when he was a hot new up'n'coming DJ playing at Trash on Monday nights...good times, good times!

*they play at Burning Man, so 'nuff said

 

[nomadologist]

I mean, I wouldn't say you couldn't have found some "scenes" back in the day, but no one here even remembers what they were, or cares, or listens (heaven forbid) to the music.

 

[nomadologist]

I miss Tonic, the Kompakt guys used to have a night there!

 

[swears]

What I would ask is: Never mind the US, how many people really a toss about the 'nuum in the UK itself, anyway? Most of the original 90s ravers have grown up and moved on now, and even its most recent development, grime has failed in terms of popularity/sales. And as pointed out on the bassline/niche thread most of the kids into that stuff don't give a toss about the history of the scene, either.

 

[Mr. Tea]

sorry i seem to have turned into some sort of electronic music enoch powell

Haha, you could do a speech about "rivers of lukewarm Red Stripe".

 

[straight]

ive always thought that burning man stuff looks turbo cringey and im not even going to get started on the rise of tiesto etc in the US

Much as it gets mentioned on here about once every paragraph on here the mythical hardcore continuum doesnt really matter a bollocks outside of london, its not really relevant to what im talking about, what i was talking about is the top 40 hits, is there much like benassi on the radio for example? Even though i rag on it all the time I suppose we're spoilt in this country with non commercial (well, kind of) radio 1/1extra, even if it does mean I hear 'heartbeats' at 10am in the morning isnt that kind of cool? Its better than fucking matchbox 20

 

[nomadologist]

Haha. I don't know about the gay quotient (like it matters) but I think you'll find this is pretty much a definition of rave. So what's your point? I know what music was coming out of there and used to go and listen to these DJs on a regular, so although I'm in the UK I have some idea. I'm just saying - what that lot were doing, and how seriously they took their music combined with how hedonistic and utopian it was reflected UK rave better than other pockets of US dance.

This is exactly the thing, though. The scenes here were never as "utopian" as the UK ones, from what I can gather.

What's funny is that Paradise Garage and Warehouse and all of those places were the real first American raves. George Clinton used to go dressed as some funny character. THAT shit was about a utopian post-Fordist fantasy night. Influenced later house parties big time. But I would say the original detroit techno/chicago house stuff is where the original "raves" were at. I don't think raving was U.K. invention, and it certainly existed in the U.S.--it just peaked about 15 years earlier.

 

[noel emits]

I mean, I wouldn't say you couldn't have found some "scenes" back in the day, but no one here even remembers what they were, or cares, or listens (heaven forbid) to the music.

You really have to stop equating the entire US with your East Coast hipster friends with regard to this.

 

[noel emits]

This is exactly the thing, though. The scenes here were never as "utopian" as the UK ones, from what I can gather.

What's funny is that Paradise Garage and Warehouse and all of those places were the real first American raves. George Clinton used to go dressed as some funny character. THAT shit was about a utopian post-Fordist fantasy night. Influenced later house parties big time. But I would say the original detroit techno/chicago house stuff is where the original "raves" were at. I don't think raving was U.K. invention, and it certainly existed in the U.S.--it just peaked about 15 years earlier.

I don't know what you are arguing for here. It's not like everyone in the UK was raving or going to techno parties. Some were, some weren't, same as the US. I think I really mean righteously hedonistic when I say utopian.

But I think straight is concerned about right now...

 

[swears]

i love it to see "raves" in american sitcoms, detectives or other television series. It never fails to be hilarious and allways involves a lot of glowsticks and face paint.

There's an early 90s episode (yes, it went on that long) of Columbo where he walks into a club and gets the DJ to stop playing for a minute while he asks the whereabouts of a murder suspect. "Sorry to spoil you kids' fun."

Proper lols.

 

[nomadologist]

i love it to see "raves" in american sitcoms, detectives or other television series. It never fails to be hilarious and allways involves a lot of glowsticks and face paint.

Haha!! I love it too. Law & Order's depictions of ravers are the best. They always have them in the tackiest clothes and have some horrific drug-fueled debacle to call up on their supercool police radios. "Female, 15, white in the candykid jewelry, known for sucking 15 cocks in the bathroom to get her next fix of X, found dead impaled on a glow stick and asphyxiated with her own fuzzy armbands"

 

[nomadologist]

I don't know what you are arguing for here. It's not like everyone in the UK was raving or going to techno parties. Some were, some weren't, same as the US. I think I really mean righteously hedonistic when I say utopian.

But I think straight is concerned about right now...

So hedonistic IS utopian for you? Ok. A lot of serious ravers get offended if you insinuate raving was mostly about drugs and not all about the music.

Not arguing anything really, just pointing out what this looks like to "an outsider looking in"

 

[straight]

Haha, you could do a speech about "rivers of lukewarm Red Stripe".

holy lols i was actually giving a bit of a speech about it at the end with a lukewarm can of redstripe, my oratorial skills tend to peak around 2am Thurday morning. thats when these opinions get cobbled together then posted in a haze on thursday morning. I did the same thing the other week when we had buruka som sistema on only it was a rant of how mp3 blogs and Global file sharing now means that all the ghetto musics have mushed together into tepid brown identikit boompty boomp ending with token klaxons and justice remixes. As you can tell im reeeeal deep and insightful and that around that time.

 

[fokse vektaire xeven]

See, this is where you're getting too specific again. No, the west coast scene was a bunch of dudes dropping acid and taking pills. Most of them gay.

I was in America for a while 96-7 and i went to some warehouse parties etc in the bay area, and it was not in the least a gay scene. in fact it was pretty "urban" and quite sketchy...funny mix of people... however it was also NOTHING like anything that went on in england

people were BREAKDANCING.

 

[noel emits]

So hedonistic IS utopian for you? Ok. A lot of serious ravers get offended if you insinuate raving was mostly about drugs and not all about the music.

Not arguing anything really, just pointing out what this looks like to "an outsider looking in"

If you don't get how hedonism was seen as utopian you don't get raving I would say.

Does hedonism = drugs to you?

 

[nomadologist]

You really have to stop equating the entire US with your East Coast hipster friends with regard to this.

Excuse me?

Ask other Americans.

 

[STN]

Closer to home, there's a magic rave in an episode of inspector morse. There was also an episode of Neighbours where they go to 'Earthrave' cue cautionary kaleidoscopic camera mayhem!

I met this guy at my cousin's wedding who was immersed in UK dance music in the same way a lot of nerdy guys over here (and there) immerse themselves in reggae...

 

[nomadologist]

If you don't get how hedonism was seen as utopian you don't get raving I would say.

Does hedonism = drugs to you?

Not necessarily, but it's not sitting at granny's watching the Lawrence Welk show on Saturday nights.

 

[noel emits]

"It's a rave Lewis!"