Raves

[Candice Dionysus]

So. I've been a rave girl (kandi kid) since I was 14, attending house-raves and all ages events in Barrie for three years constant, until they stopped occurring when I was 16 or so. I never stopped liking raves, I just couldn't find any to attend, and couldn't go out of town for them at all. (Unlike now, as I have a cash flow, and can go down to Toronto for all the raves I can find and book time off for.) But lately I've been wondering and wondering where all the raves have gone, and in my search, I found one next weekend here, downtown at the Foxx Lounge, and am actually old enough to attend (because its a 19+ event)! I'll be going for sure.

Recently I've been getting into a rave "sport" called Glowstringing or Glowsticking. Thats where you tie industrial glowsticks to shoestrings and spin them around in patterns. There's a lot of complex moves, and it looks like a lot of fun ( I used to see it all the time, but I never really thought much of it until I got back into the idea of it when I joined GenXGlow forums ), and so thats been taking up some of my online time. I got my brother into both glowstringing, and the rave scene. We're going to attend one in Toronto on October 7th, and all ages event.

I wanted to know how many other Stephen King fans were into raves as well, just because I wanted to see how much I have in common with you guys besides The Dark Tower, and Kings other books. So drop me a line here, and/or we can chat through PM's.

[Erin]

I've never been to a rave before. I'd like to check one out sometime, just to be able to say i've been to one.

Here's a question Candice....Due to stuff i've seen in the media, one tends to associate raves with drug use, particulary ecstasy. What's your experience with this? Do the raves you attend have heavy drug use?

[Candice Dionysus]

Thats a myth, Erin. Not all ravers take drugs, and not all drugies are present at raves. Some of them do, and its generally hallucinogens, but in all the raves I've been to, its never been a problem.
I won't touch E, which is chiefly associated with ravers and our culture. I despise the stuff. But DOI100, if you can find it, is a nice, safe, and legal alternative to the rave drugs that I've seen. If you're into that sort of thing.

The thing is, a lot of us just want a place where we can be ourselves and transcend the hate and anger in this world. We're all about PLUR (Peace, Love, Respect, Unity) and making friends with everyone we can. We don't judge, and we ask not to be judged. Were we a society, we'd be almost Utopian. Almost.
Like every culture, the Rave culture has its pitfalls, and sometimes people get in who don't cling to the music and the atmosphere as though it were the only thing keeping them sane... People who judge, and people who hurt, and people who are everything we're against. It can't be helped, but we try to ignore it. It gives us a bad name, though.

A lot of us, real kandi-kids, follow loosely a manifesto. I've posted it below. We love, we care, we protect, we share. We can't be put down, and when we're hurt by others, we can always count on another kandi-kid to give us a shoulder to cry on, and a warm hug. We see outside cultures with eyes unclouded, and we stick to our own because we're above all the hate out there.

Anything else I can answer for you?

Our emotional state is ecstasy..

Our nourishment of choice is love..
Our addiction of choice is technology..
Our religion of choice is music..
Our currency of choice is knowledge..
Our politics of choice is none..
Our society of choice is utopian.


You may hate us,
you may dismiss us,
you may misunderstand us,
you may be unaware that we exist.
We can only hope you do not care to judge us, because we would never judge you.


We are no criminals.
We are not disillusioned.
We are not drug addicts.
We are not naive children.
We are one massive, global, tribal village that transcends man-made law, physical geography, and time itself.
We are the massive one massive.


We were first drawn by the sound, from far away the thunderous, muffled, echoing beat was comparable to a mothers heart soothing a child in her womb of concrete, steel, and electrical writing.
We were drawn back into this womb, and there in the heat, dampness, and darkness of it, we came to accept that we are all the same.
We came to accept that we are all equal; not only to the darkness, and to ourselves, but to the very music slamming into us and passing through our souls and somewhere around 35Hz, we could feel the hand of God at our backs, pushing us forward, pushing us to push ourselves to strengthen our minds, bodies, and spirits.
Pushing us to turn to the person beside us..
To join hands and uplift them by sharing the uncontrollable joy we felt from creating this magical bubble that can, for one evening, protect us from the horrors, atrocities, and pollution of the outside world.
It is in that very instant with these very realization that each of us is truly born.
We continue to pack ourselves into clubs, warehouses, or buildings you've abandoned and left for naught, and we bring life to them for one night; strong, throbbing, vibrant life in its purest, most intense, most hedonistic form.
In these makeshift havens, we seek to shed ourselves of the burden of uncertainty for a future you have been unable to stabilize and secure for us.
We seek to relinquish our inhibitions and free ourselves from the shackles and restraints that you've put on us for your own peace of mind.


We seek to re-write the programming that you have tried to indoctrinate us with since the moment we were born.
Programming telling us to hate, that tells us to judge, that tells us to stuff ourselves into the nearest, most convinant pigonhole possible.
Programming that even tells us to climb the ladders, jump through the hoops, and run through the mazes for you.
Programming that tells us to close our minds, instead of opening them!



Until the sun raises to burn our eyes by revealing the distorted reality of the world you've created for us, we dance fiercely with our brothers and sisters in celebration of our life, of our culture, and of the values we believe in Peace, Love, Freedom, Tolerance, Unity, Harmony, Expression, Responsibility, and Respect.


Our enemy of choice is ignorance..
Our weapon of choice is information..
Our crime of choice is breaking and challenging whatever laws you feel you need to put in our place to stop us from celebrating our existence.
However, know that while you may shut down any given party, on any given night, in any given country or continent on this beautiful planet, you can never shut down the entire party.
You dont have access to that switch no matter what you think.

The music will never stop - the heartbeat will never fade - the party will never end.

I am a raver, and this is my manifesto.

[Matt]

I've always wanted to try ecstasy. I figured I would have to attend a rave to do it.

^joke

We are way to rural out here to even have them but I bet they go on in Denver

[Candice Dionysus]

I've always wanted to try ecstasy. I figured I would have to attend a rave to do it.

^joke

We are way to rural out here to even have them but I bet they go on in Denver

You're one cool customer, Matt.

No, if you want to do any kind of rave drug, I said above, legal and safe, DOI100 if you can find it. Otherwise, I don't recommend anything aside from LSD or something more natural, like shrooms or pot. I mean, if you're going to do it at all.

Generally, I don't even drink at raves (except from my water bottle. A water bottle is a ravers best friend!), let alone take drugs. But when I do, I'm always sure of my drugs, and I always take them before I get there, because you never know whats in what someone offers you.

[Matt]

Yeah, everything on the list has been done and got the teeshirt.

[Candice Dionysus]

XD Welly-well, how fun. Haha.

[Brice]

Back around the days when I followed the Grateful Dead around I went to maybe a couple dozen or so small raves up in Virginia. This was more than a dozen years ago.

[funky dredd]

Well....where should I start?
I started going to raves back in 1990 (I am dating myself here) in clubs called AAHZ (Orlando), Brassy (Cocoa) MARZ (Cocoa), The Edge (Orlando), The Abyss (Orlando), Firestone (Orlando). We had places in Daytona called The Colisseum, Madhouse, 3D, Sol-Rays, and Stealth just to name a few. I started Dj'ing around 1991 playing at that time house/deep house then moved on to progressive house. I don't DJ that much in the clubs anymore because I tend to spend my time with my family now, but I still DJ.
I can't even begin to count how many party's I have been to or played at, I use to keep a notebook with all of the flyer's but that got too much because every friday and saturday I was somewhere. Unfortunately as time went on the drug use started to get bigger and it seemed to swallow up the whole underground community. This was never the case in the beginning, drug use was seldom. I personally have not done anything since the early 90's but DJ'ing at one will give you a wide eye over everything that is happening. To me it became too much watching some of these kids ruin there life. I once watched a kick O.D. right in front of me while I was DJ'ing (not cool) but I kept playing while he was being attended too. I don't know if he made it or not? I watched this activity up until I stopped playing in the clubs around the end of 2002 beginning of 2003. I basically got sick of watching kids do this to themselves.
But as far as the music goes I still listen to it everyday and have listened to some form of electronic music since the middle of the 80's. Starting with New Wave then onto acid house then house, progressive house, deep house, jungle and so forth and so on. To me it's all about the music, it's always been about the music.
If anyone wants to have a listen to some of my sets just let me know.

[Candice Dionysus]

Back around the days when I followed the Grateful Dead around I went to maybe a couple dozen or so small raves up in Virginia. This was more than a dozen years ago.

Wow, long time. Heh. I'm going to rave till I die, man. Honestly? I'll never stop attending the ones I can find.

I remember the first bush rave I went to... Those were the days. Don't have those 'round here anymore.

[Candice Dionysus]

I'd love to hear some of your sets, Funky. Its cool to meet a DJ, even one that doesn't play anymore.

I always seem to find the ones where drug use is minimal. Lucky me, eh? Even still, I'm very against the use of E at raves, I feel it detracts from everything. But I'm not against certain drugs, in moderation. ODing is being an idiot.

[funky dredd]

The thing is, a lot of us just want a place where we can be ourselves and transcend the hate and anger in this world. We're all about PLUR (Peace, Love, Respect, Unity) and making friends with everyone we can. We don't judge, and we ask not to be judged. Were we a society, we'd be almost Utopian. Almost.

True! I have never ever seen a fight at a rave in all the years I have been going or playing. I've met people from all walks of life who are there to have a good time and that's it.

[Brice]

Back around the days when I followed the Grateful Dead around I went to maybe a couple dozen or so small raves up in Virginia. This was more than a dozen years ago.

Wow, long time. Heh. I'm going to rave till I die, man. Honestly? I'll never stop attending the ones I can find.

I remember the first bush rave I went to... Those were the days. Don't have those 'round here anymore.

Shockingly, there aren't many raves in rural NC. They were somewhat more commonplace when I lived at the beach. Yes, it's been a long time. I am old.

[Candice Dionysus]

The thing is, a lot of us just want a place where we can be ourselves and transcend the hate and anger in this world. We're all about PLUR (Peace, Love, Respect, Unity) and making friends with everyone we can. We don't judge, and we ask not to be judged. Were we a society, we'd be almost Utopian. Almost.

True! I have never ever seen a fight at a rave in all the years I have been going or playing. I've met people from all walks of life who are there to have a good time and that's it.

Exactly! We're happy, generous, kind, and caring people, even transcending age and place. We just want the music, the dancing, the glowstringing, and the freedom that raves provide.

[Candice Dionysus]

Shockingly, there aren't many raves in rural NC. They were somewhat more commonplace when I lived at the beach. Yes, it's been a long time. I am old.

Age is a state of mind, babe. You're not old, just mature. I know a few sites where you might be able to find listings for raves in and around where you are. If you're interested.

[funky dredd]

I'd love to hear some of your sets, Funky. Its cool to meet a DJ, even one that doesn't play anymore.

I always seem to find the ones where drug use is minimal. Lucky me, eh? Even still, I'm very against the use of E at raves, I feel it detracts from everything. But I'm not against certain drugs, in moderation. ODing is being an idiot.

I still play, just not at the clubs
There are other ways to have a warehouse party (which is what they used to be called).

You can find my sets here
The Stealth set is actually live on a new years night. I am still upping some sets as we moved our host but keep checking for more.

[Candice Dionysus]

I still play, just not at the clubs
There are other ways to have a warehouse party (which is what they used to be called).

You can find my sets here
The Stealth set is actually live on a new years night. I am still upping some sets as we moved our host but keep checking for more.

We don't have them in warehouses, here... I wanted to buy an abandoned warehouse and hold raves there, though. I figured would be fun. Convert it and everything, make it work. <3

[Brice]

Shockingly, there aren't many raves in rural NC. They were somewhat more commonplace when I lived at the beach. Yes, it's been a long time. I am old.

Age is a state of mind, babe. You're not old, just mature. I know a few sites where you might be able to find listings for raves in and around where you are. If you're interested.

My state of mind is old too.

Send me links if you would if you would. I'll at least check them out and see what I see. My ability to travel is heavily limited though and for the most part I rarely go out anywhere anymore.

This may just be the first time ANYONE has ever called me mature dear.

[Brice]

I'd love to hear some of your sets, Funky. Its cool to meet a DJ, even one that doesn't play anymore.

I always seem to find the ones where drug use is minimal. Lucky me, eh? Even still, I'm very against the use of E at raves, I feel it detracts from everything. But I'm not against certain drugs, in moderation. ODing is being an idiot.

I still play, just not at the clubs
There are other ways to have a warehouse party (which is what they used to be called).

You can find my sets here
The Stealth set is actually live on a new years night. I am still upping some sets as we moved our host but keep checking for more.

I may have to check this out too if I can. I do love music.


<---remembers them being called warehouse parties too.

[Candice Dionysus]

Well, here's a rave site for the world over, at any rate, Brice, babe. Should have something in the way of rave locations. I think there are a few, I saw.

http://www.genxglow.com/f51/

[Brice]

Well, here's a rave site for the world over, at any rate, Brice, babe. Should have something in the way of rave locations. I think there are a few, I saw.

http://www.genxglow.com/f51/

Thank you Can!

[Candice Dionysus]

Well, here's a rave site for the world over, at any rate, Brice, babe. Should have something in the way of rave locations. I think there are a few, I saw.

http://www.genxglow.com/f51/

Thank you Can!

Hey, no prob, hon. I spend a lot of time on genXglow because its partially dedicated to Glowstringing, and I love Glowstringing. Haha.

[tamez]

i was totally into going to Raves a few years ago
but, they've all but disappeared here.
about five years ago, they were declared illegal in Texas
so, there's only small parties now.
i've been to a couple illegal ones
but, they got busted pretty fast.

i just want to say, about the glowstick on a string thing?
watch out where you're swinging that shit man.
i don't know how many times, i'm trying to DANCE
and i get whacked by the stupid glow stick.
besides I think twirling fire is where it's at

oo, i wrote a poem about Raves once
i wonder if it's on this computer somewhere... hmm

[Candice Dionysus]

Illegal in Texas? Thats awful, man. How yucky.

Don't worry. When I glowstring, I do it where I have ample room. Haha... I never do it at clubs.

[tamez]

ee
i found the poem I wrote.
i think i posted this at the .net a loooooooooong ass time ago
so it's not new or anything
but
this is for Candice and her thread

RAVE

Glowing neon shades and black.
light sticks float and dance in back.

lazers stream across the air.
vibrant colors blend everywhere.

sounds,
sights,
flying lights:

these you'll find
on special nights.

people bumpin,
breakin,
jumpin.

everyone moves
as beats
set grooves.

the room evolves:
a dancing zoo
all the lights illuminate you…

to the floor you must move
you feel the urge, the need to groove.


the base fills your chest cavity
the melody sets your body free.

feel the bliss you'll soon grow fond of.
let the sounds move you beyond love.
under lines of lazer's gleams,
find the world that ravers dream.