FREE ESSAY ON RAVE CULTURE

RAVE CULTURE

RAVE CULTURE kentith kaniff
Rough draft ged-155
This essay will explain rave culture. The reason that I chose to research and write on
this topic is that I am involved with rave scene and enjoy going to "raves." From
researching this topic I discovered that rave culture displays many of life's simple
pleasures, such as dancing. 
Over the last 10-15 years, a new trend of parties has been evolving. These gatherings are
known in the media as raves, and are often simply called parties by those attending them.
A rave is an all night event where usually young people gather in a social atmosphere
while listening to hypnotic dance music. These parties have slowly evolved into
spectacles of total sensory overload. The first is the social aspects, unhindered freedom
of expression of ones self through dance, dress or any other mean without fear of
ridicule from others. The second is the dancing and its often quasi-spiritual effects on
those partaking. 
The key to the success of raves is the positive atmosphere, or vibe. Raves are renowned
for people's acceptability and tolerance for others. They are safe havens for people who
wish to be free from social pressures. Because of this, many ravers (person who attends
these parties) are dressed differently then people you would normally see. Bright colors,
clothing with different textures and feel, and generally clothes that is very comfortable
to dance with. A sense of unity is formed between the partygoers; they attempt to form a
community of sorts through there individuality. People feel free to go up to strangers
and start up conversations. They also become very comfortable with everyone around them
and try to share this feeling with others. This is a very important part of the whole
Rave experience. When this occurs, then the party kids can truly feel free to be
themselves in every way. This is something quite rare in today's commercialized society,
which often dictates what is normal, and what isn't. Seen less and less as a spiritual
tool and more as a form of entertainment. Today young people are re-discovering dancing
and music in an experience much like people of the past through these all night parties.
The music played at raves is very reminiscent of the pounding beats of hand drums, which
are ancestors used to dance to. Young people, between the ages of 15-30, mainly attend
these parties. At these parties the crowds of people are worked up into frenzies of
energy, with people dancing hours on end without stopping. 
Another part of the rave experience is the lighting and surroundings. In the summertime
many parties are held outside in desolate, and sometimes quite beautiful surroundings.
Out on the West Coast of B.C., many of the parties during the summer are held up in the
surrounding mountains of the lower mainland and around lakes. These serene settings all
add to the utopian experiences created by a rave. During the winter months when it is to
cold to hold a party outside, raves are held inside banquet halls, vacant buildings, or
wherever a big enough size room can be found. Often these venues can be quite plain and
boring in contrast to the vibrancy of a party. Stage type sets are brought in to conquer
this dullness, usually with a theme associated with the party. The most important part of
the backdrop for a party though is the lighting system. In order to fulfill total sensory
overload, expensive laser light systems are brought in to aid the whole experience. These
lighting systems can cost in the thousands of dollars and are often run by computers. As
a DJ is building up the crowd so that they can go off, the lighting and lasers follow
suit accordingly. When the DJ has the music peaking and the crowd is going off, the
lasers and lights are usually shining as brightly as possible and are flaring off in
every direction. 
Raves are a medium for young people to get together, forgot about the problems in their
everyday lives, escape from the world around them, and be free to be themselves for a
short period of time. In Vancouver and many other Canadian cities, raving serves as an
open-minded sanctuary from many young people. The Vancouver Rave Scene is different from
many other American cities because of the fact that Canadian youth are allowed into
drinking establishments much earlier than American youth. In Vancouver, many of the youth
feel that the Bars and Clubs bring upon many superficial ideas. Raves serve as a place
for these youths to have fun without being judged.
Disco Family Plan
Bibliography
Work cited page first and rough copy
1. WWW 1. E is for Ecstasy by Nicholas Saunders - Chapter 3 
2. WWW 2. Raves for Research or Psychedelic Researchers: the Next Generation. 
3. WWW 3. MDMA Frequently Asked Questions 
4. WWW 4. MDMA Neuropharmacology 
5. WWW 5. Phase I MDMA Research Update - September 1995 
6. WWW 6. Ecstasy Facts and Myths 
7. WWW 7. Toxicity of Ecstasy - by Leon van Aerts, Ph.D. 
8. WWW 8. Spiritual uses of MDMA in traditional religion - by Nicholas Saunders 
9. Aguirre, N et al. Differential regulation by ecstasy of 5-HT1A receptor density and
mRNA expression in rat hippocampus, frontal cortex, and brain stem: the role of
corticosteroids. 
Journal of Neurochemistry 68(3): 1099-1105 (1997). 
10. McCann, U and Ricaurte, G. National Institutes of Health MDMA research controlled
study of MDMA's neurotoxic potential in humans. Newsletter of the Multidisciplinary
Association for Psychedelic Studies (Vol. 5 Number 5, 1994-1995). 
11. McKenna, D and Peroutka, SJ. Neurochemistry and Neurotoxicity of
3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDMA, Ecstasy). Journal of Neurochemistry 54: 14-22
(1990). 
12. Ricaurte, George. Long-term effects of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA,
ecstasy) on brain serotonin nerve cells in animals and humans. Addictions 1997: An
International Research Journal (1997). 
13. Ricaurte, G et al. 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine selectively damages central
serotonergic neurons in nonhuman primates. JAMA 260: 51-55. 1988.