Forums > Social Chat > For the Doof/Rave/Party People

Posted: 13th Nov 2001
I only ever go to parties in the rain forest, I don't really like going to parties in abandoned warehoses. I love going for a few reasons.1. Everytime you go its a little adventure. You pack up couches and Teepee's and tents and drums and whatever else you can fit in your car. You drive out of the city into a secluded part of the rainforest, set up a sound system three times too big and just watch people roll in from all over the place. I've met people from all over the world at this kind of event and made some really good freinds.2. I love to get back to the bush, i was born there and i just feel at home out there.There are more reasons than this but i will let someone else say something now.But i do think the "illegal" elemant is a big drawcard for a lot of people. Most parties i go to a "half-legal."Someone will get a permit for 50 friends to have a "birthday party" and 350 people will turn up.Hope that helpedCheersAPB

Good on usGood on us all

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 13th Nov 2001
hey Pele, its an interesting question, but for starters its at least 2 seperate questions. Cuz at least round these parts, Raves and Doofs are two very seperate things, two seperate crowds to the greater extent too.Josh

Posted: 13th Nov 2001
I started going to raves simply for the music. "Normal" music got boring for me so I ventured into electronic music, I gradually got deeper and deeper until I was submerged in weird and bizarre techno and goa trance. It was awesome, I had always thought of techno etc as simple stuff that could be created by anyone who could hold a beat, but I was wrong. Some of this stuff is so intensely complicated that you can lose yourself in the music. For me raves and especially outdoor bush doofs are all about the music.I prefer the outdoor events because it shows how nature and technology can share the same space. The contrast between the trees and water (remember Mitchell River @ Earthcore?? mmm), and the music and dancers is nice.I have found that the goa/psy trance parties are usually my favourites because, aside from having the best music, the people are always so friendly and non-judging. The more "mainstream" raves are generally good and I do like progressive trance etc, but I find that the people are not the same. There is SOMETIMES a slight feeling of superiority that I sense from "ravers" over "clubbers". That somehow because they are at a rave they are the coolest! This is not something I have experienced at a goa/psy-trance thing. And yet all ravers seem to be less judgemental than the average nightclubber.I think the fact that the people are usually there for the music is important. They aren't there to pickup, or see what other people are doing this season! I think this appeals to the mature, older people and the fact that they are often unlicensed makes them accessible to the younger.I think that the people who are more interested in a rave/party simply because it is illegal don't understand the purpose of the rave! It is an outlet for people to express themselves without being judged or controlled. In fact a party that has the go ahead from officials is probably even more free, provided that behaviour is not being policed, since there is less chance of it being prematurely ended.

Courage is the man who can stop after only one peanut

Posted: 13th Nov 2001
However Josh, my understanding is they come together under the same context, and Bendy illustrated this. Location is different, maybe even music but....emotion and reasoning tend to be similar.However...I need fuller answers.Everyone says they want positive media coverage, here's the chance.....Thank you Bendy and APB..it helped alot. [This message has been edited by Pele (edited 14 November 2001).]

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 13th Nov 2001
hey pele. alright here is my input....i was turned on to techno, trance type of music before i even went to a rave. i never liked the music they played at a regular club/bar. so when i heard about raves i was told they are like a club but they play all techno. so i had to hop into this. ~so first off i go for the music, the music they play is full of energy and is just amazing to the point of giving me goosebumps sometimes. ~secondly, it's the one event i have found that is the "happiest place on earth" . not once have i seen a fight break out, not once have i seen drunk guys (especially older guys) hitting on the girls(younger). the people who go to raves all have a common passion, the music. any other club doesnt' have that. the people who go to clubs have all different reasons why they are there. the energy of the music makes you want to dance. i have taken friends who DONT dance to a rave and they danced. it was amazing. and the best thing is no one cares what you look like while dancing. just the fact that you are happy and enjoying yourself makes the whole vibe perfect. and if you are happy and enjoying yourself just by sitting all night long and chilling and observing people, they still dont care. they are not offended by those who dont' dance. as long as they are bobbing there heads it's all good.~ i have never been shown more respect any where else than at raves. its a huge esteem boost when someone compliments you on your dance or that you are straight (dont' do drugs). ~i have no reason to be fearful of anything while at a rave. i'm not afraid of sharing my water with someone who looks dehydrated and asks for some, i'm not afraid to get a ride from to the rave from someone i just met at the last rave. i'm not afraid of some older drunk guy hitting on me all night long (as i have experienced in the past at club/bars) and best of all i'm not afraid to dance. let all my fears out and just let go.~as for it being an "escape"...there are two ways to think of this......i use it as an escape in the sense of being able to let go and release stress (especially after a hard day). ... but..some look at the word escape as trying to get away from their problems (like people use alcohol to get away from problems) this i dont believe is the reason anyone goes. yes it is a temporary escape. but my main reason for going is not to escape. it's to let out stress, let go, and enjoy the music i have a passion for.so it is an escape in a sense but not in a negative one. ~i see the most creative and imaginative kids , it's amazing. no where else do you get people with amazing diverse talents. from spinning glow poi, to liquid dancing , to breakdancing, to freestyle dance of amazing purportions, to the thought and effort they put into their style of clothes and into making clothes and different hair styles etc. absolutely astounding. and sometimes i go just to admire the creativity.~i believe it is a better scene for people to party because it eliminates any prejudices, race, sexuality, etc.~i also believe it's not for all the "partiers". it's not for the people who go to regular clubs/bars. it's not for everyone and the people who do go dont' want it to be for everyone, hence the reason they keep it underground. anyone who doesn't enjoy some type of techno/industrial music, anyone who goes out for the booze and to pick up chicks, anyone who can't mesh with every personality and every race, and anyone that can't just let go and not care what others think of them....all of the above should not be at raves....and the "rave kids" don't want them there....that may sound like the "rave kids" aren't open minded to everyone. not true, like anyone else they just dont' want there world to be destroyed. the day i see a fight at a rave will be a very sad day for me, and tears will fall. ~wraping up.........music, unity of diversity, no fear, energy boost, creativity,exercise, self esteem boost, stress reliever, love, peace, and most of all respect ~and anyone who says they go for anything else is going for the wrong reasons.------------------the music feeds my soul that glows and grows with every spin i take.

the music feeds my soul that glows and grows with every spin i take.

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
All I can speak from is my own experience. I've helped put on Raves, I used to be quite involved with ADRAVE who have pretty much dominated the underground rave scene for a long time in Adelaide. (dunno what they are up to now, I left cuz of internal politics a couple of years ago). I've also been involved with putting on larger Scale parties with some of the more easily recognised commercial crews here. I've also put on and helped put on a number of psy parties, ranging in size from tiny illegal parties to 7000 strong bush stompers...I know that I wouldnt go to anything that advertises itself as a Rave, because I have had a lot of bad experiences at such parties. HOwever, if something advertised as a Doof, I'd be more inclined to go. They are quite different to me, such that I could tell easily. The differences Bendy was talking about become more apparent when you actually get involved with putting these things on. But perhaps I'm imagining it...there is definitely *some* cross over...some ppl seem to go to every party that gets put on anywhere. Some ppl are more selective.This weekend I'm going to a Techno party. Mostly cuz we know the dude putting it on, and katinca is good friends with his girlfriend, and besides, Adelaide is dead as far as Trance goes anyhow BTW Bendy, no party on the first...maybe NYE I guess it comes down especially to the music. I think psytrance requires a different mindset to 2-step Drum and Bass (for eg). I've been into both, but I prefer Trance now. I dont know many ppl that go the other way...(starting with Trance, and getting into d & b).I must stress that this is a local opinion, things might be less corrupted in other countries (although I find it very difficult to believe).Adelaide seems to have no underground community anymore or maybe I'm past the post, and putting my ear to the wrong (under)ground...I DO know that the reasons I got into Raving were the same reasons I left it and got into doofing. I dont think there is much PLUR in raving anymore, but I find it more in doofing. If you had asked this question of me 5 years ago, I probly wouldnt have drawn this distinction, but I think Doofing and Raving have gone their seperate ways - at least locally, and thats why I said what I did. Josh

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
Why I started going to "Raves" as they were called at the time.Two specific incidents really kicked it off. At Uni I was on the stage crew. And we worked all sorts of events. Mainly bands (rock, indie, reggae, all sorts) and 'discos', which needed a PA and some turntables so they could play lots of cheesy pop stuff. Also I was a mover/shaker/DJ in a student society specialising in seriously headcrushing psychedelic rock (the "Freak Brothers" we called ourselves). That's where I was musically.There was this 'awful' (to my mind) House stuff coming out, 1987 or thereabouts. And I really hated it, all the usual snob reasons. They can't even play real instruments, you know the routine! Then one week the big Saturday gig in the Student Union was some DJ/housey act caled "Bomb The Bass". Which I fully expected to hate. And we rigged the PA, sorted out the lights, settled into our crew room to bitch and snob. After a while I wandered out to see if my lights looked OK, stood about 3 rows back from the front, and the subwoofers grabbed my knees and starrted shaking the bejayzus out of me. In a moment of blinding clarity, I realised that this situation actually made the mosh at Black Sabbath a few weeks earlier look like kiddies' playtime. Which rather changed my attitude.Then a few months later our ents guys put on an event they called "Solstice", with a DJ called Mark Jones from the Hacienda in Manchester. Again, we rigged it so we got in free. And as the event went on, I heard, for the first time, a DJ taking a whole bunch of records, all sorts of stuff, and somehow transmuting them into one, new, improvised piece of music. OK, so the fact the I noticed vast swathes of Pink Floyd laced into ti helped, but this was the point that I realised there was something really creative going on here. And that here was a 'genre' in which you could use ANY sort of music, jazz, rock, folk, kraftwerk, house, whatever. And that actually dancing like a loon for about 6 hours straight was a majorly top experience.after that I started ot seek it out. Though there was still a lot of that nasty handbaggy singy house going on, some of our guys from the Freaks started a night called "The House Of God", still going today, doing very hard, very psychedelic house nights at clubs in the city. Did a bit of stuff with the HOG, and with another clubnight started by a friend, and realised agani that it's not the genre, it's the actual music and the attitude above all that mattered.Go out for a bounce about once a month nowadays, usually the HOG still. And GFM, my thought on the "escape" word - I tend to go for "release" rather than "escape". It's a release of pent up stuff, an opportunity for me to release what I want to release. Be it positive energy I want to spread, or negative energy I just want rid of, in a safe environment.I've been smoked-up at raves, and more, but I've never done E. Just doesn't appeal. Your mileage may vary and that's great with me. But the whole respect thing is essential. Everyone's there to have a good time, everyone's there to enjoy themselves. No little sub-plots and hidden motives. That's nice.enough rant.mikeyB

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
havent really done many raves rtecently, but we used to do a real underground hip-hop night a while back when I lived in japan, and it kind of started really quiet (like 30-50 people) then got quite big... i left and came back to the uk and was glad to find some really cool hip hop clubs around leicester, but a serious lack of pirate radio... now i prefer going to someones house party and djing or just going along and kicking back... small rooms (30-50 people) cool music (all kinds in different rooms (the last one had 8 DJ's all in different rooms and floors)) and people just kind of filter into the music area they like... its so relaxed and everyone just chills... no hastle or attitudeinitially i went to raves as there wasnt many other places I could get to to hear that sort of music... mid eighties I was like 8-10, so no clubbing for me, and so I could sneak out during the evening and pop down and catch bits and bobs before it got too dark (and I had to be home) and also the last bits before everyone fell over the next morning... I kind of miss it, but now I have moved on... i tend to go out now for the music (as it was back then), but now I can be more selective, as I can get into most clubs (not all, apparently I dont look right for some door policies or something!) I prefer places without too much dress code or attitude, and never seem to come across trouble in places like that... I basically go for anything with a good beat, something interesting and challenging both from a musical and djing point of viewthis probably hasnt helped the link / answered the question, but never mind

you can take the cat out of the jungle, but you cant take the jungle out of the cat

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
The reason that i go to doofs, drive for hours or evendays to get to them.. deep into the forest or on a remote secluded beach is for the absolute togetherness of the people who attend, the fact that they bring people from all over the world to simply stomp and play and connect with each other and the earth...an intence love of the music and where it takes you, blowing your mind wide open.aided by wicked pschedelic installations and amazing concepts, sculptures and the colour..the absolute feeling of freedom of expression..the secret *doof* *doof* *doof* sounds as you approach the venue...dancing barefoot and seeing the happy satisfied faces of those around you, after being on the dancefloor for 6 hours...dancing as the morning sun peeks its warm rays thru clouds on the horizon sheding light on the contented, covered in dust!, beings placed all over a vast dance floor..the freaked out conversations, the smile from a stranger on the other side of the feild,that first twirl of the evening, ...dolphins heaving their sleek bodies free from the waves in the first glimps of morning,the haunting uplifting morning track,.. a steaming cup of chai...i am constantly in awe of the people and their amazing attitudes and veiws on life, i mean these parties are attracting open minded, positive, loving people....i have shared many a dancefloor with old hippies, children,freaks, dogs,(dogs love psy trance),indiginous aussies, drummers , Isrealies, Europeans, Japanese cyber punks..whoever, the fact is these parties are truely bringing people together, uniting and in their own little way...giving the world a decent dose of understanding and love...each time they happen...there is truely a sence of community...i think this is why we love the doof..and i think this is why i'll never stop going to them!can't wait to read your peice on the nature of doof babe!love Holly______----------the happy chaos from which enlightenment might come.

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
it's interesting to see people from abroad answering. it's amazing that thousands of miles away, a similar concept can evoke/invoke a similar feeling. i love going to parties/raves (i hate that word) because of the atmosphere, the attitude, and general feeling of well being. you can walk around and everyone's your friend. that huge/buff m'fer that would kick the shit out of you in a club for bumping into him has a smile on his face, and as you pass, you give the nod and say whatsup?!? there's a general overall good vibe in the air. it's like everyone's karma's mixed together above the air. it's a charged feeling. it's exciting, and fun and scary and a little weird. to see thousands of people dance like no one cares... act like no one's watching and everyone's their friend is refreshing. it's a conglomeration of like minded individuals who have given up trying to be society's image of human. we are the energy. we feed off the music, and air our excited phermones for everyone to get more intoxicated. it's the hippy movement of the '00's. everyone's looking for acceptance, and just a reason for being. we are people who are confused with society, and want something more. something peaceful, something nice. something closer to who we should really be, not the ugly mask that we walk around in all the time. the media and gov't is trying to make us think we are someone we are not. we are all beautiful people, and at parties, we remove our masks and worries and preconceived notions of who we should be and let it go... shakin' that ass, smiling,laughing; loving all the people around you that can't wait to be able to keep the mask off all the time...

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
This is absolutely beautiful people, reading all your different views of raves and "doofs"..we are all one people, experiencing this joy of music and love together, it's all one and the same, australia, england, canada, new zealand, the USA, I hear the same things from all the english speaking corners of the world. it really doesn't matter what nationality we are when we are out dancing barefoot in the grass! this is worldwide people, a global conciousness emerging from everywhere, we'd hear about it from other place too if they spoke english.I have heard about doofs a few times on the net, but never in my native canada. I'm gathering from the context that a doof is an outdoor rave way in the middle of the forest?we have them here too, we just call them "outdoor raves" and they usually last for several days.. they are the best kind of parties.anyway.. I have said my peace. the ravers and peace loving people are going to be the new citizens of the global society!PLUR!------------------~whoosh whoosh whoosh~

~whoosh whoosh whoosh~

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
well, i didn't read the rest of the responses because i wanted to give my reasons for partying, as we call it here on the east coast USA. I went to me first party/RAVE when i was 16. Growing up i never had a genre of music i could identify with. Then i found techno, back in the early early 90's it was some pretty crude stuff, but i loved it for that. Even today when i go to parties and the dj throws on such ditties as "I NEED YOUR LOVIN'" my body melts. I started up really hard back in '97 and I just got so involved. I grew up in what we call a "Family Scene" down in Blacksburg, Va. It was about the most comforting wonderfull feeling being at those parties. Small venues, people that you know really really well, and usually hung out out with outside of the parties. I mean there were really only about 150 regulars at the parties and i knew just about every single one of them. I was an intense sense of belonging, almost as if it were a family. People would go out of their way to help a kid out if he was in a jam. You needed a lift, they had a ride, you needed some water, there it was, you needed anything, and it was there. Its those days that i look back upon with tears in my eyes. I have since then become a "jaded" raver. It seems to me that the scene isn't what it used to be, the only thing that is left is dance and music. Maybe thats true, but maybe i'm just growing up. If you want to learn more about the beginnings of rave and underground parties read a book called "LAST NIGHT A DJ SAVED MY LIFE". It will tell you evrything you could possibly need to know about the origins of the rave scene, starting as far back as the seventies and the origins of turntableism. Great book, have at it.

Hey chicky chick, check slick Nik flick sick tricks with glow sticks and lit wicks real quick!...;) (IM:cmsnr grdn)

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
all of the above, and you can take your shoes off without fear of standing in broken glass mmmmm

I'm not mad, I just have my own specialised version of sanity

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
Oh I so agree with what everyone has written...but would just like to add something.Anyone who has done any sort of meditation will know that it is very hard to get your mind focused for very long...without stray thoughts wandering in. I have found at a couple of raves that I have just totally "lost myself" in the music, not a thought in my brain for hours....just moving the body. I guess that is why some of it is called trance music, but this state of quiet in the mind is very hard to acheive these days and I think that this is another attraction of going to a rave is being able to lose yourself for a few hours, not care or stress or think about anything much, just be there and live in the moment!! Just my 2 cents worth------------------fe fi foo fun

fe fi foo fun

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
now that I've drawn the distinction (take it or leave it), I'll answer your questions 1) Why I started going, why I keep going.I cant really explain this without a snapshot of the background of my current interest.In about 91-92 I was going to underage dance parties; basically a large hall packed with 14-18 year olds and a large PA. Listening to Tracks like James Brown is Dead, Dominator and Energy Flash..at the time I was more interested in the girls than the music, but I couldnt help but nod along.93 I got more into 'dance music' and started seeking out more dance / techno style clubs. I also sought out like minded ppl in my year at school, and grabbed tapes off them. sometime in 93 I saw DyeWitness live at a local club which really turned me onto the more harder edge (heh) stlye of music. Later in the year I saw Lenny Dee and DJ Paul playing Rotterdam style hardcore (eg Antiprocrastination off Rotterdam Records compilation 3). I began buying harder and harder styles. end of 93 I started going out with a girl who was already into raves. She had heard about a NYE party, which she thought we could get into after 4am for free (as we had been at another party earlier.) So we went and it blew my mind. I can remember standing to one side of the main dancefloor (complete with foam bubble pit) thinking something like; I've found the thing I'm going to do for the rest of my life. There was NO attitude, the music was cranked, and ppl were going off and I didnt feel self-conscious. It was great. So I went to lots of Raves enjoyed it alot.This girl's older sister was going out with a guy whose Brother was into psytrance. They decided to go to a party in the next state, and we decided to go to. It was a big hippy fest with lots of Trance, Dogs, political people, issues and the like. WE had a great time, but we didnt really get the music yet tho. that was about 95.Afterwards I got more into it, the genre (at the time) was called Goa. Yum. This was the repeditive beats I had been searching for, totally involving on the cerebral level, and still shaking yo ass . and well...I'm still there I've grown as the genre has grown / mutated eaten itself etc and I still help out / put on areas and parties.I keep going back, because I enjoy participating in a bubble of normality outside of the chaos that is civilised western society. I enjoy being in a place where people are equal. Where people love each other. Where people arent so judgemental (or maybe they are? they arent judgemental of each other at least) I enjoy participating with my mind my body and my soul, without fear of recrimination. These things, have been sadly lacking in the rave scene of Adelaide, largely due to the domination of a handful of monopolising promoters. 2) What is it about them that serves as an escape for you? I dont really see it as escape, although from a non-doofers perspective, it could be seen that way. I see it as coming home. I see it not as an aborant weekend spent escaping, but rather I feel its more a coming home. I dont escape from the real world when I go to a Doof, I enter the real world when I go to a doof. for me its a vastly preferable reality, and IMHO, a much more realistic and advanced community, the the one I work in. I like to contribute to this society too. I like to assist in the development and maintenance of spaces which can contribute to others having the same realisations as I have. 3) Why do you think it appeals so much to such a broad band of age groups?Feeling loved, feeling unself-conscious, feeling free and all the other reasons I've stated appeal to anyone aged between 0-100+, as long as they have an open enough mind to let their 'real world' shields down enough to reap the benefits on offer.2) Anyone know about the historical evolution of these things? Where did they come from? Yeah I do, but you are better to go straight to the source.www.hyperreal.org will give you links.I should also point out that Doofs have a seperate evolutionary history to Raves. doofs started on the beaches of Goa India, Raves started some say in Warehouses in Detroit, some say in clubs in the UK.4) Do you think the fact that they are illegal in so many places aides to increase attendance numbers?I think there is defintely an element of the crowd that goes because its naughty. This is part of the reason I have stopped going to 'Raves'. I could point out that this bad stuff has started coming to the fore more since raves have been made illegal than it was when raves were non-legal (outside of law). If they were made legal, Id say there would be reduced problems with them - this element is the element which is giving Raves the bad name, and the worse a name they get the more this element is attracted to Raves...lalala..5) What is the most positive aspects of these?I think I've already answered this.6) What makes raves-doofs different from going to the local club?The focus is on the experience, the community, the music ...everything other than picking up (although at raves and doofs this is becoming more common...I'm still undecided about whether its a good or a bad thing. I guess the meat-market side of the clubs Ive experienced I find abhorrent, and would be horrified if it started to become normal at Raves / Doofs...as the Meatmarket is the denial of personality IMHO.If there was a club where ppl went to do the Doof thing, or the traditional Rave thing, then I'd be all for it I guess...in winter anyhow clubs lack the natural feel of a doof tho, and tend to be a bit more commercial (alcohol and all its ill-effects seems to power most clubs I've been to). Clubs also dont have the progression of the night into day etc etc which makes outdoor parties a more spiritual experience. I think a good Doof is a spiritual experience for me, and others who share my opinions. For us it is a cleansing experience, even if we do end up with Nasty Boogers and a light covering of dust Josh

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
yee aarr josh, perfectly put...THANK YOU.. ..DOOF=FOOD..

Posted: 14th Nov 2001
I've had to think long and hard about this...I also must clarify the difference between doofs and raves... IMHO raves are highly commercial and usually large-scale events that play a plethora of electronic music to a plethora of fashion-conscious individuals. Raves are generally held indoors and can be a little 'elitist' in attitude.Doofs, on the other hand, are primarily psytrance-driven and are outdoors, generally in hard to reach places bathed in natural beauty. the others that responded have given a good idea of the infrastructure of doofs.I haven't been to a rave since I was bout 16 years old. that, in itself, is indicative of my opinion of them.I have been going to outdoor parties/doofs since 1996. here are just some of the reasons I continue to frequent them and why I have immersed myself within the local doofing community:-Doofs certainly aren't an escape for me... if anything, they provide a grounding reality. On many occasions, I've been there on the dancefloor, surrounded by sunlight dappling through the trees, can just hear the sounds of nature above the beats and have my wonderful friends within looking distance and it occurs to me just how universal everything is. we are all connected and life is truly what we make it. Life, for me, is beautiful.I love doofs because i feel like a member of a huge extended family. going to gatherings week after week, seeing the same beautiful shining faces, connecting with people you haven't connected with before, leaving my bags unattended and my car unlocked, feeling liberated enough to run around like an idiot offering any willing participant a jazzercise class, feeling like I positively contribute to the vibe of the place, feeling free to talk with a male without the need to question his intentions, feeling free enough to whoop and holler when I'm loving the moment, not worrying about what I'm wearing, so long as I am comfortable, watching new DJ's get progressively better throughout the months, hearing new and interesting tracks, having a conversation with someone almost twice my age without need for consideration of that fact, watching people pick up thier garbage at the end of the gathering and take it away, having mental meltdowns mid-conversation and not feeling self-conscious about it....this could go on for pages....Doofs are like my own backyard. I feel completely at home and comfortable.I have only experienced 2 perfect moments in time in my life so far - where I feel in perfect harmony with my world and completely content within it ... both have been at doofs.------------------"she dances in a ring of fire and throws off the challenge with a shrug"

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Posted: 15th Nov 2001
Nice thread Pele.The reason I started going to *free parties* was because i was bored of going to clubs as they just didn't do it for me. You go to clubs and meet really nice ppl, spend all night getting to know someone and then the next week they completely blank you. I am into making friends, not aquaintances and this just does not happen in a (mainstream)club setting. Also clubbing is very expensive and has become totally commercialised. I am an anti-capitalist and don't think it is right to make so much money from ppl having a good time. Plus you can't take your kids/dogs out for a night of clubbing. Clubs are notorious for slimey gits trying to pick u up and that just does not happen at free parties.The thing that keeps me going back is: the excitement of waiting for the directions to go on the answerphone and setting off on an adventure. The drive out to the party is almost as exciting as the party itself. There you are driving thru the darkness when most *normal ppl* are going home to bed, it gives you a sense of tribe with your fellow party goers. The tribal feeling is one of the main things that keeps me going back to parties. A sense of belonging.The escapism aspect is that they are a total escape from the binding rules of mainstream society. At free parties there are no *rules*, but everyone manages to get along fine and I have never seen any trouble. I also escape into a lot of mesmerising fire dancing during the night. Also I escape from the city and my usual life & get a feeling of freedom.I think it appeals to a broad age group of similar thinking ppl. Age is only a measure of years not a measure of who you are/how you think.I do not think the illegallity makes them more popular, I think the reverse is more likely to be true.The most positive aspects areas follows: the love and understanding I get from fellow party-goers. The wonderful ppl I have met who are now great friends. The realisation that i am not alone, there are loads of other square pegs out there! Getting out of the city and spending some time in the green stuff.I've not got much info on the hisory of these things, but have a friend who has been *partying since it started, I'll have a chat with him and get back to you.Cheers!Onelove, Thistlefirepixie [This message has been edited by Thistle (edited 16 November 2001).]

Are we nearly there yet?

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
Fan-F*ckin-tastic everyone!!!! Thank you...and feel free to keep adding. I am not intending to really finish this article until January. I really want to research it.Thanks!------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
Some quick follow-up questions....I like how Thistle referred to them as free-parties. I know that many come with a cover charge (at least in these parts) however, I think that Free-Parties actually is more indicative of the emotion and thought process of the participants more than the materialistic aspects of putting a party on. In this case, is anyone offended if I refer to them as Free-Parties then?So...(generalizing here for expediencey..don't go off on me)Doofs are outdoors with one style of music.Old School Raves are indoors with another style of music.-both share the same person to person spiritNewer raves are the ones the media is after with Kandy Kids and such? More of a self-segregated community, anti-establishment than a one-love feeling?Now, do you feel that these can be likened to the spirit of the hippy movement in the 60's (at east in the US)? They used to also gather with the free love, universal acceptence, feel the music (though it was Hendrix, Joplin, Doors and the Dead then) attitudes, that having read through your wonderful responses seem very similar to what you are conveying.Thanks. I hope I am not pestering you with too many questions...... ------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
It has been a long time since I've seen a free party. We'll have park parties every now and then, but pretty much- free is dead. Here in Texas, law enforcement/media doesn't care what type of party it is. If it doesn't have Rock or Rap or other mainstream music, then it gets attacked. The police pull underhanded things to get parties canceled (lying about drug availability, open sex, general immoralities). That, in my opinion is why the free party is dead here. You HAVE to charge for admission to pay for the ATTORNEY and Video of security doing checks at the door all night to ensure that you don't get arrested under some stupid CRACK house law.... Anyhow... even though we pay $20-30 to get into a party now (the price has been escalating recently), I still think that the feelin is there. I love the people I'm around. I DO feel, however, that there are more and more people going to parties because it's trendy. I don't mind- as long as they're not there to make the party theirs (adhere to their media imposed idea of what a "rave" is supposed to be)- rather than just relaxing and let the vibe take them.I would definately say that parties are the "new revolution" IT fits the hippy paradigm pretty closely. I think most people who attend parties are tired of being the conservative (yes, even the Dems are) do what I say because I say it's good drone. There is a thought gap between what our country wants for us and what truly liberal free people want. America is not the home of the free, and people will fight the constrictist ideas the way they see fit... by partying until sunrise. Similarities to the Hippies:In it for what we want, not necessarily legality of events to conform to society's standardsWant of Eutopia, but willing to take it one weekend at a time, with no real change in outcome, than in an aggressive political war.Fight the machine attitude, but taking too much apathy (quick party/love/acceptance fix)on the weekend to make a difference during the week.Targets of hate and intolerance.Anyhow. enough of my incoherant rants... It's just a matter of time. Someday, I'll have enough money to fight the way things are by using my infuential industry lobby dollars to buy politicians like the rest of the US does....[This message has been edited by toneman (edited 16 November 2001).]

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
K a few answers to your questions, comments on what's been said:over here in canada, at least in my small town of some 80,000 people, I've never heard of a "doof", but they sound cool.we have outdoor raves, they play psytrance, but also all styles of dance music including trance, techno, house, drum and bass, ambient, even happy hardcore. each DJ brings a record bag full of tunes, and get's his turn on the decks so he can show them to you.. if you don't like drum and bass (and I don't) then you stay in your tent. but usually there are more than one stage, so where one is playing trance, the other will play ambient so you have a smorgasboard of beats to choose from. At shambalah(a huge outdoor 3 day rave in nelson BC) there were like 13 stages, you could just wander around in the forest and find a DJ perched up in the trees or something, it was awesome. This party costs $70 canadian to go to, but I don't mind if you call it a free-partie, because it certainly was a free atmoshpere.as for Raves, they haven't really gotten too overcommercialized here yet. some of them, the ones adverstised for 4 months before hand, with the location on the flyer, then everyone knows. but there are still little parties set up by the true "ravers" in town, with like 150 people in a tiny little hall out in the boonies, a pounding PA system, and tons of good vibes. I fear the day when these will be no more, because they are my favorite kind of party.And finally, as for the hippie movement, the rave movement is VERY similar. peace love acceptance, and love of music are the similarities.the differences are that raving is GLOBAL, wheras hippies was mostly a USA thing. ravers are technologically advanced, using such tools as glowsticks and turntables, where hippies used bongo drums and bright clothing.. it's all the same though. a treat for the ears and eyes, for everyone to share.now my opinion is that raving needs a cause. something like vietnam for the hippies was. something for us to unite behind, to be passionate about, to stand as one for.I'm not sure exactly what this cause is, but I am quickly getting a good idea.. more on that later. keep it up people this is an awesome thread!------------------~whoosh whoosh whoosh~

~whoosh whoosh whoosh~

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
So, another question, how much do you pay for these parties and how much would you be willing to pay?What do you think is the average fee?Thanks------------------Pele Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir...https://www.pyromorph.com

Pele
Higher, higher burning fire...making music like a choir
"Oooh look! A pub!" -exclaimed after recovering from a stupid fall
"And for the decadence of art, nothing beats a roaring fire." -TMK

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
I will pay anywhere from $5 to $30 canadian to go to a one night indoor rave.I will pay from $30 to $100 to go to a big outdoor multiple day event.actually, I'd pay more than that if I had to, I'd probably pay $300 if it was Paul Van Dyk and Paul Oakenfold on the decks all night.I go for the music

~whoosh whoosh whoosh~

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 16th Nov 2001
Having experience with putting on donation parties, and helping with paying parties I can usually workout in my head how much a rave or doof SHOULD cost...if the price is too much higher than this, I figure the promoter is in it for the $$$ and as such dont support it. the Rave and Doof scenes were built on Love. I will only Support Love built parties. They do still exist and as long as the vibe is alive, they will keep getting put on.Josh

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
To tell the truth Pele, I dont think the media is able to draw a distinction between a Doof, Rave, Sunday morning Walk the dog in the park party...The media sensationalises what it perceives are the aspects which will resonate in their audience. A lot of ppl dont understand 'feelings of community, warmth and security' so they dont write it. They do write 'Rooms designated for shooting up heroin' (local newspaper front page story circa 1995), whether or not its total crap.RL, the parties you describe (little halls in the middle of nowhere with a great PA and a cool vibe) sound like what Raves used to be like here. I'm glad to see they aint sold out all over.Raves dont tend to have as political a bent on em as Doofs tho...(at least in Australia).Josh

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
wow. those are expensive. the most i have ever paid for a rave is 20 bucks for like 25 DJs' that is a huge show will multiple rooms. and most have free fruit and candy. the only other thing i spend money on is water, and most places let you bring your own water. i have seen some posted for 35 for the gigantic shows that have hundreds of DJ's------------------the music feeds my soul that glows and grows with every spin i take.

the music feeds my soul that glows and grows with every spin i take.

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
$20USD = $45AUD...

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Posted: 15th Nov 2001
1 canadian dollar = 63 cents american.so really, I am not paying 5 - 35, I'm paying more like 3.15 to 22 for an indoor rave..they are great here josh, you should come visit.. don't you have little parties in NY, house parties and stuff? are they all overblown and commercialized?------------------~whoosh whoosh whoosh~

~whoosh whoosh whoosh~

AnonymousPLATINUM Member

Posted: 15th Nov 2001
Canada and especially BC Are on my To visit list RL, and when I get there, you can be assured, I'll be chasing you down my man (Pozee can attest to Katinca's and My chasing down ability) Josh