Youth culture and identity in Southern California's underground rave scene

Underground Raves in Southern California

Ethnographic Paper On Underground Raves

Raving has become an increasingly fashionable form of recreation for the youth in the United States. California is not left out of this. The rave phenomenon which began in England in the 1990s spread to the U.S. through Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Chicago. Raving refers to the dance that is held in a clandestine location and is open to all ages. It is marked by a sound track of fast-paced, high-volume synthesized dance music. The music has over 120 beats every minute and the typical parties went on into the wee hours of the morning at about four or five in the morning Hier 36.

Organizers of raves would break into warehouses and tap into their electrical circuit in order to power the turntables, film loops and laser lights, as well as other easily mobile equipment. Notification of a pending rave would be passed on by word of mouth to rave aficionados which would create hype and add on to the exclusivity of the event thus increasing the attendance of the event Gibson 20()

Most revelers in the raves are young people who say they are attracted to the raves since they feel it belongs to them and not to their adult counterparts. This is a fact that is recognized by rave party promoters many of who are 20 to 21-year-old college dropouts and not mainstream entertainment industry executives. Young people who are fond of the rave scene usually celebrate the blunt rejection of adult, corporate rock and roll as a testament of their independent authenticity and identity as members of the youth with a culture that is centered on cyberpunk rock Wilson 401()

The ideology of the rave stems from the past but it remains a phenomenon for the 1990s in its expression of the cyberpunk culture. Within this culture, high-tech gadgets and machines are used in non-traditional ways. The members of this culture have forged strong alliances with the technical world which has led to revolution of the rave to what it currently is Wilson 403()

Literature review

Tepper (279)

argues that the Southern California rave scene has been thriving with a wide range of events for revelers to choose from. These include small underground events with capacities to host between 100 and 200 people to the larger street events which have the capacity to host thousands of revelers. The rave scene has been fast growing and it has attracted the attention of mainstream media. The media has, however, majorly concentrated on the negative impact of these raves such as drug abuse, alcoholism and unprotected sex rather than the showcasing of musical talent which had helped grow some of today's most known musicians. Despite this negative image of underground events perpetrated by mainstream media, these events are one-of-a-kind musical experiences.

In the Southern California underground raves as in other raves around the world, music plays a huge part in the party. It has developed greatly since house was first introduced to the world to trance which is a flagship genre that became rather popular. Trance has attracted many new comers to the Southern California underground rave scene and has also influenced the rave scene greatly. Apart from increasing the number of revelers, trance has also made them enjoy the raves night after night. House has also stayed as a popular form of music for these underground raves Sommer 76()

Despite the huge prosperity of the underground rave scene, the argument put forth by Marsh (423)

states that irresponsibility has been a major phenomenon in Southern California underground raving. This has been focused on by the media which has highlighted the stereotypes of the rave scene which are drug abuse, overdrinking, and unprotected sex. Promoters of the underground rave scene have, however, argued that there is much positivity in the scene. They have pointed out to the acronym PLUR which is used in most, if not all, advertisements of underground raves. PLUR stands for peace, love, unity and respect and has helped revolutionize the Southern California rave scene by making people act what they preach. The true ravers are those who uphold these values but what the media highlights are the few who are irresponsible and these are the people who are presented to the world by the media.

Drug use in underground raves

The opinion regarding underground raves has been biased as a result of the negative image of underground raves promoted by mainstream media. The majority of the members of the public who have never been to these saves think of them as massive drug festivals since the media have painted underground raves in this picture. Marlin-Curiel (155)

argues that though use of drugs in underground raves is common, there are other places where drug usage is higher than in underground raves. Furthermore, Demers (408)

adds that many of the revelers in underground raves go there for their love of the music rather than the drugs or alcohol.

The most common drug that has been associated with underground raves is ecstasy. Ecstasy is a hallucinogen that produces stimulant effects similar to those of amphetamines. The drug suppresses the need to eat, drink and sleep allowing revelers to be able to hit the night scene night after night and endure all night parties. The use of ecstasy began in 1987 when it was used as a 'fuel' for all night dance parties also known as raves in England. Ecstasy led to the rapid growth of raves since they allowed people to attend raves two or three nights in a row. Five years after the continued use of ecstasy in 1992, raves continued to become popular which led to increased popularity of ecstasy. Other drugs that are commonly used in underground rave scenes are Ketamine, GHB and LSD. Hutson (40)

noted that the worst thing about drug abuse in underground raves is that the purity of the drugs being taken is lacking. Many of the drug peddlers mix the drugs in order to make its effects stronger. These harmful mixtures have been known to lead to severe complications such as dehydration, lack of thermostatic controls in the body leading to hyperthermia and hypothermia, and even death Anderson 324()

Laws regarding raves

Prior to 2010, there was no legislation that governed raves. Legislation introduced in 2010 by the California legislature led to the prohibiting of raves at publicly owned venues. This came about after death of a teenager and dozens who were injured and rushed to hospital after overdosing on drugs during a rave. The argument was that raves foster an environment that is harmful to the health and safety of the youth and it was felt that this law was the first step towards elimination of these dangerous events. The bill also sought to reduce the effects of common rave drugs such as ecstasy, methamphetamine, GHB and LSD. This law has greatly led to increased popularity of underground raves which are less regulated and provide revelers with a chance to experience the same situations they had in previous raves which are now banned McGreevy ()

Methodology

Study design

This ethnographic study uses qualitative methods. Qualitative research involves the creation of an objective, formal and systematic study to study the variables in underground raves and find the relationships that exist between them. The qualitative research design is best for this study since it allows the researcher to gain a rich and complex understanding of the underground raves and not simply obtain generalized information from the larger group. It also helps the researcher to understand the natural environment of the behavior or characteristic being studied in a way that cannot be changed by either the researcher or the interviewees thus allowing the researcher to record human behavior and experience that uncovers the deeper meaning and understanding of underground raves.

Study population and sampling

The study population is all revelers in Southern California who are aged between 18 and 21 years of age. This age group was chosen since according to the literature found, they form majority of revelers in underground raves. According to Aronson, Wilson and Brewer (99)

, sample size is not an important consideration in qualitative research studies since they focus on collecting information on the attitudes, experiences, and behaviors which shape the phenomenon being studied. The researcher will seek information regarding two underground raves and attend the raves to collect information for the study.

Data collection

Data was collected through participant observation which involved the ethnographer participating in the underground rave activities in addition to observation. This data collection method allows the researcher to engage all senses while studying the underground raves. According to Creswell (17)

, this method will allow the researcher to gain an indigenous sense of the social setting being studied thus allowing them to be involved in the socio-cultural dynamics of their participation in underground raves.

In participant observation, the researcher will carry out descriptive and detailed observations of the phenomena which will be presented in seven categories. The first is the actors in the setting. The researcher will collect variables such as age and gender so as not to interfere with the natural setting of the revelers. The second category is the behaviors being carried out by these actors. These will be recorded as acts which are small units of behavior, activities which are a set of related acts and events which are a set of related acts in a sequence. The third category is the space that is occupied by these actors. This will essentially be an understanding of the setting of the underground rave. Information on ventilation, lighting, cleanliness, and setting of the underground rave will be collected. The fourth category is the arrangement of objects in the space. This will seek to collect information regarding the arrangement of tables, chairs, bars, and other items in the underground rave. The next category is the time of the observation which will give crucial information regarding the timing of the underground raves. The sixth category is the goals that are associated with the behavior of the actors. Here the researcher will seek information regarding the reasons behind the activities being undertaken by the revelers. Emotions and feelings of the revelers is the last category. The researcher will seek information on whether the behaviors being undertaken by the revelers have any level of emotions or feelings behind them. Other items that the researcher will observe include the language used by the revelers and their interactive patterns.

The researcher will also conduct interviews with promoters, DJs, and bouncers for these events. This information will help to understand the organization and operation of these underground raves and thus enable the researcher gain information regarding the raves. A standardized interview form will be used to ensure consistency of data collected.

Data analysis

Data collected through participant observation and interviews will be analyzed through concept analysis to find emerging patterns, themes, concepts and meanings which will then be presented systematically. It is expected that since this ethnographic study uses the natural human social setting or encounter, routinized patterns will be recognized which will be the emerging themes sought in this analysis. The researcher will also be able to find the social norms applicable to underground raves which will create an understanding of the broader socio-cultural context of the society. Information regarding the deep structural interactions of revelers at these events will also be studied to pick up stimuli for these interactions.

Data presentation

Interviews

Data collected from the DJs, promoters and bouncers informed the researcher that the Southern California underground rave scene has become popular since 2010 when the law was passed to prevent raves in public places. Promoters have the role of organizing these raves which begins from hiring the location, printing informational leaflets and passing word-of-mouth communication to revelers. They also seek musicians and DJs to mix in the event and from the two promoters interviewed, one had personal experience in underground raving as a reveler while the other was a famous DJ before assuming the role of promoters. The promoters have the task of keeping up with local, national and international trends in organizing raves that create huge hype and give huge returns.

The DJs are the personalities in the rave and they help to pull the crowd. When a popular DJ is mixing at a rave party, revelers flock the event. They have an artistic personal that comes from the intricate relationship between them and the revelers at these raves. DJs need to be smooth in their transitions from one song to the other in order to maintain a continuous beat which allows the revelers to dance continually for hours without stopping.

Bouncers are the event security and they have the job of ensuring everyone at the underground rave is safe. They prevent brawls from happening during the event as well as overdosing on drugs or alcohol. They also ensure the security of the musicians, DJ and promoter at the event by using crowd control measures. Bouncers also collect entry fees and issue tickets to revelers to prevent unauthorized entry. They also keep a look out for police or other forms of law enforcement that may show up at the event.

Analysis

The researcher found that ravers use alcohol and drugs to enhance their psychedelic experience which was consistent with information collected in the literature review. Ravers head straight to alcoholic counters to purchase their psychedelic enhancer which may be alcohol, ecstasy or LSD. This enables them to stay on the dance floor for long periods of time. Raves have, however, failed to differentiate between reality that is altered through the use of electronic and technological means and reality altered through the use of drugs and alcohol. This is seen in the presence of both reality alterations which has led to loss of distinctiveness of the psychedelic enhancers in this setting.

Information collected from secondary data informed the researcher that the profitability of smart bars is very low and as a result they are usually contracted out to other rave entrepreneurs. Most of the drinks in smart bars are more expensive than the alcoholic drinks. Ravers also argue that alcoholic drinks give them a better feeling as compared to these smart drinks. Scholars have also argued that smart bars are attempts made by rave cultures to redeem their lost image by trying to promote nonalcoholic behavior.

Summary

Rave culture has grown since the 1980s when it first began to become a youth culture that is centered on maximizing the rave experience. Today, raves are marked by latest technology in lights and loud music as well as dancing to fast-paced music. They are also marked by fear of violence which leads to tight security at these events. Event promoters also have concerns over their legal liability which has enhanced the exclusivity of the raves. Mass media portray raves as hip events marked by state-of-the-art technology and other youth cultures such as environmentalism, computer generated art, alcohol and drug abuse, and loud music. The picture painted by mass media is the real picture of underground raves with the only thing being that the mass media focuses majorly on the negative effects. The researcher found that the data in literature was consistent with primary data collected. Alcohol and drugs such as LSD and ecstasy are often used as psychedelic enhancers. The right move for legislators should be to educate the youth on the harmful effects of these drugs instead of banning raves which will create greater exclusivity for underground raves.