Rave

The upsurge in popularity of rave culture in the United States at a certain period in time often lends it characteristics common to a 'movement' or Subculture. Although raves have existed in the United States as long as in any other country, the sudden explosion of mainstream popularity in the late nineties has lead to more common approaches to defining rave culture as a youth movement, in way which would not be possible in the UK or Europe due to a greater diversity amongst participants, countries and musical styles. Accordingly, many of the descriptions listed below are only appropriate to groups within the USA, and may even constitute generalizations within the US itself.

Although not universally agreed upon by those in the rave movement, some of the central tenets of the culture are said to be:

Openness: to not judge, condemn, or label other people's style of clothes, hair, makeup, costume, sexual orientation, musical preference, race, age, gender, class or income.

Acceptance: to not try to convince anyone of the rightness or wrongness associated with most human activities.

Positivism: to subscribe to the notion that if something makes someone happy without hurting someone else, then that something is okay. As such, fights or scuffles at a rave are rare.

Although not a constant among all ravers, one philosophy of rave culture is expressed through the acronym "PLUR", for Peace, Love, Unity, Respect.

Ravers have been compared to both the hippies of the 1960s and new wavers of the 1980s due to their interest in non-violence and music.

Technology is inherently central to electronic music, and technological innovation has influenced rave subculture in many ways. For example, since loud music made it difficult to converse at raves, virtual communities were extremely important in rave subculture. Also, access to various affordable computer technologies empowered amateurs to compose or manipulate electronic music.

On rave parties doing dance tricks of all kinds is very popular. However these tricks are not always undangerous and can sometimes lead to damages, so they are not always tolerated by the organizers of the rave. What kind of tricks are allowed and what not differs from party to party.

In opposite to other youth cultures the rave scene is not deterrent for older people, which is noticeable by the fact, that there are not so few older people visiting technoparades.

Types of ravers

Loosely defined terms generated by the rave community. They are generalized and not conclusive, complete, nor current.

Old school raver - refers to someone who has been a raver for some time, whereas a baby raver or a newbie refers to someone who is new to raving or at their first rave. Hardcore ravers are sometimes called pure ravers or true ravers or partykids. Something can be rave or have raveness.

Jaded raver - one who has been in the rave scene for a long time or someone who is growing tired of 'the scene' and raving. The newness of the experience has long ago worn off and they have noticed the seamier side. They may be pissed off at what the raving experience has become or they may be lackadaisical to certain aspects of raving that they once held a fondness for. Quite often a jaded raver will not appreciate the influx of new ravers into the scene because the new ravers are viewed as contributing to the scene's decay.

Club kid - tends to dress in bright colors and flashy, sometimes gaudy clothes, including leather and fur. They might also favor fluorescent plastic bead necklaces and candy bracelets. Many club kids also wear children's’ backpacks. Male club kids tend to dress in a more feminine manner. In some localities, a club kid is viewed as an outsider.

Candy raver/candykid - often wears brightly colored and child-like fashions such as day-glo wide leg pants, black light reactive or glow-in-the-dark bracelets/necklaces and t-shirts featuring cartoon characters. They wear homemade bracelets and necklaces made of plastic, glass, or felt beads or candy. Candy ravers or candykids are often found exchanging or giving out small gifts. These small gifts will usually be hugs, toys, glowsticks, drugs, CDs, necklaces, bracelets, and/or candy.

"Candy raver" is also sometimes used as a derogatory term for individuals who use drugs so often it is as if they were eating candy. However, it is to be noted that many candy ravers do not use drugs.

Liquid kids exemplify a dancing element of the rave scene. Liquiding refers to the fluid-like motion of the arms and body of the dancer.

Junglist refers to an urban-based sub-culture of the rave scene defined by Drum and Bass (DnB) / Jungle music. Junglists can sometimes be found dressed in camouflage, earthy tones, and adorning wooden bead jewelry. Hemp, dreadlocks, bandanas, and rastafarian-type gear are also commonly worn fashions. Other localities have a Junglist culture that is more preppy in dress with clean cut khakis, button up shirts, and vested sweaters being the norm.

Glowsticking

Some ravers participate in a light-oriented dance called glowsticking, and a similar dance called glowstringing, or poi. These dances, however, are independent of the raving community, and often the stereotyped association may be resented. Glow sticks in the dark stimulate the pupils and it is claimed that they relieve the effects of Ecstacy. Therefore at some rave places they are presented as "safety materials". On the other hand, in some cases the sales of glow sticks during rave parties was presented as a proof of illegal drug use. Glow sticks have been considered drug paraphernalia because they are used in "blowing (someone) up," or giving someone on Ecstasy a "light show." The recipient of the "light show" sits or stands facing the show giver who moves the glow sticks away and towards the face of the recipient in various stylized movements. This lightshow is sometimes accompanied by a facial massage and/or by blowing mentholated vapors into the nose, mouth, and eyes of the recipient. This is intended to increase the effects of Ecstasy.

However glowsticks can be used on most raves for interesting dancing effects, because most raves, except of some open air raves as technoparades are in dark or nearly dark rooms. Because rave parties are popular at people with intensions to show dances, the use of glowsticks can give material for creative freestyle dance.

Drug use

In the U.S. the subculture has been branded by the mainstream media and law enforcement agencies as a purely drug-centric culture similar to the hippies of the 1960s. As a result, ravers have been effectively run out of business in many areas (Media Awareness Project). Although they continue in major coastal cities like New York and LA, and notably the Winter Music Conference in Florida, most other areas have been relegated to word-of-mouth-only underground parties and nightclub events. In some parts of Europe, raves are common and mainstream, although they are now more often known as "festivals," highlighting multiple acts over a whole day period, and often including non-dance music acts.

Groups that have addressed drug use at raves include the Electronic Music Defence and Education Fund (EMDEF) and DanceSafe, which advocate harm reduction approaches. Paradoxically, drug safety literature (such as those distributed by DanceSafe) are used as evidence of condoned drug use (EMDEF press release). Other groups, such as Drug Free America Foundation, Inc., characterize raves as being rife with gang activity, rape, robbery, and drug-related deaths.