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Feb 15, 04
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5 reasons Rave is dead
The top 5 reasons rave is dead in Vancouver
First I should say that, while I’m not a raver now, I was; and I loved every bit of it. My first party was D’oh 2, and I probably went to 30 in the following 2 years. I was sad to see ClinT at teamhardcore.com put his site to rest recently, and for me that really marked the end of an era. So here, I submit, are the 5 top reasons that the explosion of popularity in all night dance parties came to a grinding halt. Don’t think of me as naïve – I know underground parties are still going on – and BRAVO to the promoters who put them on – we’re all thankful – but it is high time (no pun intended) that the community stop bitching about the cops, municipalities, kids and other crap, and think critically about what happened to our scene. Ultimately a discussion may lead to better understanding, acceptance amongst people, and perhaps a greater appreciation for what is left of the scene. 1. Ravers were never given a voice because to the outside, they looked like kids. And it was their own fault! One only has to step back from the scene to see how ridiculous the whole thing looks to an outsider. Imagine being an adult looking at a group of 15-25 year olds wearing “fun fur pants”, glow sticks and sucking on a soother. Then imagine talking to a raver – who’s pretty done up – and have him/her answer questions. Responses are fragmented, emotion-based, even rebellious. More than anything, and simply because of the nature of rave ideology, there was no obvious leadership. Few stepped out of their way to fight for the right to party. No-one came forward to give a mature, rational voice to what was going on. Media loved it, the masses consumed it, and eventually, it was seen as a bunch of kids doing drugs. Kids like these can and need to be disciplined – or so the adage goes. 2. Rave in Vancouver went from “community” to “scene”. In the early 1990s, raves were smaller events, with older people. They were wholly underground, and there was a strong community as a result (loungex.com). Starting in 1996 or thereabouts, the demographic changed so that younger people got in and there was a rift between those young and old. (no-one better tell me that there’s no difference between a 15 and 23 year old) This lead to impersonal parties where the older crowd started going to clubs instead and the mean average age at raves dropped substantially. “Community” was shot and the gulf of dissention grew yearly. At that point, when raves became mainstream, raves themselves became a “scene” - a cross-section of society wrought with divisions, and the strongest thing binding people was shattered. 3. Promoters played a part. Initially, the promoters threw parties for pride, their buddies, DJs and knowing that they were king-shit. The Supersweet parties were great examples of this. Eventually, pride was replaced with money – at about the same time “community” changed to “scene”. Gone were the days of great Riverside parties, and bigger, more aggressive money making parties were being thrown. Less on lights, sound, security – more on packing the place. (I should say that one of my fave parties ever was that one FNK put on at tower beach, UBC – that was thrown for the right reasons – and my god it was good!) 4. The Cities were sick of seeing people over-dose. After a couple of high-profile deaths in the scene (for instance Spooky at the PNE), raves became a public relations nightmare. This sparked cities to enforce requirements on promoters to get insurance, greater security, greater police presence. This axed most of the smaller promoters, and even today, only the big-boys come out to play (Twisted etc.) 5. Benson and Hedges. This is simple economics. Not many people can bring in Sasha who bills out at 30,000 a show. But big tobacco can. Promoters have a hard time competing with this kind of show. What would you rather do? Pay 20 bucks to see Tiesto, Sasha, Cox or 60 bucks to see a second liner? It will be interesting to see what happens now that GoldClub is gone. If you made it this far, thank you. I love techno, I love raves, I love community – I love this board. This argument is not airtight at all - I know that – but lets talk about this. If the community is to survive at all – and it will (like the Matrix will reboot) – we must be able to have open, rational dialogue. 
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Feb 15, 04
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you want my input???
i've been raving since i was 9, so that was back in 1999....i've been through every drug, and gone through every stage raving isn't dead...check it out, this forum is bumpin and kiss probably sold out it might not be what it used to be, but don't say it's dead, it's just different and you're probably just bitter cause you're not the rava flava of the week woopaaa the only thing i hate mor ethen raves is the people that like to have serious conversationg bout them...it's just a party, get over it and SUCK MY COCK
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Feb 15, 04
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^^Pretty much what I was going to say.
How can it be "dead" when the massives are over selling and undergrounds are being held on a weekly basis. The only thing dead here is that you are unable to rationalize the fact that the "community" you started in has growen to something that is a lot different. Different in that they aren't so much "raves", but more so a party. Personally I believe the acual rave in physicality isn't dead, but the real term "rave" is; considering the points above in your post. Poeple just call partys, raves because it is what they are used to. Damm i should be at the valentines RAVE right now. :toasted:
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Feb 15, 04
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Just the same as what i was thinking.
Raving now a days has certainly changed since the glory days but it isnt dead at all. All that happened is that it went from a really big rave scene to a smaller scene now. It's still around, people still go, there are still massives etc... Dead is more like there being only a couple raves a month and them all being small 300-500 peopel parties because thats about all your getting.
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Feb 15, 04
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i was just at the fnk meet at kiss. there ahd to be 100 people who stopped raving and showed up, because they cared about learnign more about their fellow ravers. perhaps this is a demographic, generational thing but i think that a new surge in raves is beginning. drugs are now more accepted socially and the rave scene is more visible and mainstream. This hurts the scene, its true, but also strengthens it as well.
Keep in mind that vancouver is different from other cities. Our scene is different due to or musical tastes, the venues we can throw parties at, local laws, and the ethnic composition of the rave scene. We have new and different challenges facing us that other locations dont have. Perhaps Vancouver isnt suitable as a rave city right now. But we can try.
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Feb 15, 04
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Raving is not dead, take a look at the couple hundred that went to Kiss last night...
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Feb 16, 04
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You are probably about three years too late on this one, everyone knows by now...and I'm pretty sure people don't really care because there are a lot of people still having fun.
(ps, you have fun when you don't have to analyze the shit out of everything, it's never been perfect, so just let it be or get out. )
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Feb 16, 04
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Quote:
woohooorrdd!!!! Dont need to add more.
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Feb 16, 04
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Quote:
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Feb 16, 04
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What kind of person thinks Raving is dead. Some people just dont appreciate the Momentum that is put into these parties. straight up, what the hell are you thinking.Ive bin raving since i was like 13, and i am grown up now, 22, ya i could go to normal bars and stuff, but raves bring me out of my cacoon. Go to New York, Philadelphia, And New Jersey, check out the scene there, and then tell me its dead. Thats all.
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Feb 16, 04
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I agree... rave is not dead in van... you made a remark in your number one reason, about fun fur being rediculous and making it hard for adults to look at "us" as adults... so i thikn candy is the only part of rave that is dead... you dont see too much of it anymore, but like others have said massives are still getting sold out, and there are still undergrounds every week almost.
party on, and stop whinning!
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Feb 16, 04
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DJ PONZ:
1. Ravers were never given a voice because to the outside, they looked like kids. And it was their own fault! One only has to step back from the scene to see how ridiculous the whole thing looks to an outsider. Imagine being an adult looking at a group of 15-25 year olds wearing “fun fur pants”, glow sticks and sucking on a soother. Then imagine talking to a raver – who’s pretty done up – and have him/her answer questions. Responses are fragmented, emotion-based, even rebellious. More than anything, and simply because of the nature of rave ideology, there was no obvious leadership. Few stepped out of their way to fight for the right to party. No-one came forward to give a mature, rational voice to what was going on. Media loved it, the masses consumed it, and eventually, it was seen as a bunch of kids doing drugs. Kids like these can and need to be disciplined – or so the adage goes. ------------------------------------------ Yeah rave fashion is pretty lame. Fat pants, and beaded jewlery are gay wank which I think cramped the style in Van City. I wouldn't say raving is completely dead tho...The culture is still around. Underground parties still happen, plus there are a lot of young kids on this forum that rep their scene in what ever way or form- that will only snowball back to what was two years ago...with raves every weekend, more promoters, more deejays, mc's, producers. It's all about evolving which is what the rave scene in Van City is doing...Right now it's in a "depression"..It'll pick up again. Rave isn't completly dead..it just had a really bad cardiac arrest.
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Feb 16, 04
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Quote:
Rave died in Van ages ago. Calling these underaged kids going to massives "raves" is kinda just kicking the tombstone a little bit more. Doesn't mean raves can't still happen. And it doesn't mean they don't. But I'd hardly call Plaza parties Raves. But whatever. As Frosty always says, "If you aren't having fun, what are you doing?"
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Feb 16, 04
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people take raving and rave culture way too seriously
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Feb 16, 04
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I think this may be the first intelligent post I have ever read on this board in regards to this subject. I am struggling with these same questions as I face turning 27 and I am remembering my first party at age 23........YES 23. NOT 13.
I remember people actually dancing and me feeling like I was a part of something, not a commodity just there to line the pockets of some promoter. Things have dramatically changed but I think it is most likely for the best. Raves will become "uncool" and the youth will move on to the next MTV endorsed thing, benson and hedges will fade and the underground will push on. There is still the music which survives and which is why I started going to these things in the first place, well that and the fact that I love to dance.... so dead or not is really not the issue. The issue is about evolution and the fact that everything runs in cycles. So enjoy the journey but think twice about the ethics of it all. I started losing respect for things when people were dying and things continued as if nothing happenned. Last edited by Mirka Cerny; Feb 16, 04 at 06:27 AM.
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Feb 16, 04
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When the glory days of raving were around raving was a "trend". It was the cool thing to do and everybody in Vancouver suddenly were going to raves. After a good run it was over and the trend has ended. Now all you have left are the people actually give a crap about the music and go cause they love it not cause its cool or it being a trend. And with those people we are still able to have raves all the time and having massives sellout all the time with a shit load of people waiting outside the door feeling lucky that they will get in. Take a good look at it the rave scene is not fucking dead just different.
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