The reason this blog exists is due to a school project. Throughout the next 13 weeks I will be updating this frequently, with various posts about electronic dance music.
I will be taking a closer look at the rave community, and giving an insiders perspective, as I do frequent many shows and festivals and have a lot of connections through the community. I love EDM music, as well as a variety of other music genres, but I find that I enjoy the atmosphere, energy and experiences from EDM shows more than any other music community. There's something about how welcoming and friendly everyone is, the way that complete strangers are willing to help you out without expecting anything in return, that really draws me in.
I also want to break down the stereotypes and stigmas associated with EDM music, as most non-ravers don't understand the true nature of the rave community or what we stand for.
A Brief History:
EDM has been around since the 1960's,
but didn't start to gain popularity until the 80's and 90's. During the 80's
and 90's the EDM scene began to explode in the UK and Germany, with underground
raves and all-night dance parties taking the countries by storm. By the
mid-2000s EDM managed to make it's way to North America, and has become a part
of popular culture ever since.
Now:
Music festivals, raves, and live shows
are all very common in today's society. There are huge festivals all over the
world, and each festival will drawn in thousands on people. Edmonton hosts
several large-scale raves during the year, and many smaller venue shows as
well.
Like all music genres, electronic dance
music (EDM) has created it's own subculture and community.
The rave community is built off of
positivity, acceptance, and love. The rave community is centered around lifting
each other up and supporting one another, and is rooted in peace and the notion
of having respect for your fellow raver. What I love most about the rave
community and culture is that it is so loving and welcoming. It doesn't matter
who you are, what your background is, or where you come from, everyone is
treated with compassion. From the other ravers, to artists and producers, there
is an understanding that the music and lifestyle are inclusive and everyone is
welcome to take part.
“This music is for everybody – it’s for
the outcasts, it’s for the cool people, it’s for the fat kids, it’s for the
skinny kids, it’s for the gay kids, the straight kids. The aliens! The yellow
people, the purple people, the black people, the white people, no matter who
you are this is for you…” -Skrillex
“Our audience is intelligent and kind,
discriminating only in regards to which sound they like best. Our audience is
unprecedented in their drive to proactively support each other.” -Kaskade
This is the part of EDM culture that
people not in the scene don't see. That they don't really understand until they
experience it. There is such a huge stigma against ravers, and rave culture,
and we are often badly portrayed in the media because all anyone can see is the
drug use. Yes, there is never going to be a rave without drugs, but there will
always be ravers that don't partake in the drugs. There will always be sober
ravers; the people just there for the music, the people that are there for the
community.
I will be covering drug use and the
stigma assigned to the EDM community in a future post. For now, this is to
focus on the rave community and what it entails.
Sub-Communities:
Within the rave community there are
sub-communities as well. Some of the sub-communities are dedicated to different
artists, or following certain EDM genres (example: headbangers are people that
are dedicated to heavy bass, the Mello Gang are fans of the artist Marshmello
etc). Other sub-communities are people dedicated to flow arts - light toys that
can be used to create beautiful patterns to the beat of the music, kandi kids -
people that use beads to create bracelets, masks, necklaces and other objects, festival organizers
and volunteers/promoters, and amateur djs - people that are trying to get
started in the industry.
Ideally throughout this project I will
be getting interviews with people from each sub-community, or go into a deeper
explanation of who they are and how the contribute to the over-arching rave
community.
Some community groups are:
The Alberta Rave Community
PLUR Republic Canada:
Alberta Glovers United
Emazing Lights Alberta
