Difference between revisions of "Raving (worldwide)"

As a leisure activity, ''raving'' is similar to clubbing and attending Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals (Mugan 2012). EDM events and rave parties have a lot in common: the musical genre, its massive attendance, the open-air or countryside location and the emphasis on decorations such as elaborate visual media (e.g. graphic projections and laser shows) and paraphernalia like UV lamps, glow sticks and LED-embedded gloves, intended to enhance the partygoers’ experience (Weinel 2018: 131-4). However, EDM festivals and night clubs are authorised to run their events and operate within the limits of legality. They are publicly promoted and taxed according to the laws on entrepreneurial activity. Raves, to the contrary, are non-authorised initiatives and the earnings, associated with them, belong to the realm of the shadow economy.

As a leisure activity, ''raving'' is similar to clubbing and attending Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals (Mugan 2012). EDM events and rave parties have a lot in common: the musical genre, its massive attendance, the open-air or countryside location and the emphasis on decorations such as elaborate visual media (e.g. graphic projections and laser shows) and paraphernalia like UV lamps, glow sticks and LED-embedded gloves, intended to enhance the partygoers’ experience (Weinel 2018: 131-4). However, EDM festivals and night clubs are authorised to run their events and operate within the limits of legality. They are publicly promoted and taxed according to the laws on entrepreneurial activity. Raves, to the contrary, are non-authorised initiatives and the earnings, associated with them, belong to the realm of the shadow economy.

Keeping locations of raves secret allows the organisers to avoid police intervention. Early raves were promoted via flyers and word-of-mouth. Today, information on upcoming raves is circulated on Facebook and other social media (Rosca 2014). This method enables the organisers to estimate the number of attendees and supply sufficient amount of alcohol and balloons filled with nitrous oxide (‘laughing gas’) (Rosca 2014). When inhaled, the gas induces a short-lasting euphoria. Large canisters from which the drug is dispensed are typically stolen from medical facilities (Perry 2017). Raves are also associated with the use of drugs like MDMA ('ecstasy') that amplify the sensorial experience and boost energy levels. The close connection of rave culture with drug consumption is the most controversial issue associated with raves in public debates, particularly in the light of accidental deaths from overdose, dehydration, or intake of impure drugs. In the UK, the moral panic around the practice of ''raving'' was driven by the tabloid media since the 1980s with an explicitly negative coverage of the issues and misleading headlines (Critcher 2000: 148-9), for example ‘A new threat to British Youth: Acid house is a façade for dealing drugs of the worst sort on a massive scale’ from the Daily Mail (Colin 2009).

Keeping locations of raves secret allows the organisers to avoid police intervention. Early raves were promoted via flyers and word-of-mouth. Today, information on upcoming raves is circulated on Facebook and other social media (Rosca 2014). This method enables the organisers to estimate the number of attendees and supply sufficient amount of alcohol and balloons filled with nitrous oxide (‘laughing gas’) (Rosca 2014). When inhaled, the gas induces a short-lasting euphoria. Large canisters from which the drug is dispensed are typically stolen from medical facilities (Perry 2017). Raves are also associated with the use of drugs like MDMA ('ecstasy') that amplify the sensorial experience and boost energy levels. The close connection of rave culture with drug consumption is the most controversial issue associated with raves in public debates, particularly in the light of accidental deaths from overdose, dehydration, or intake of impure drugs. In the UK, the moral panic around the practice of ''raving'' was driven by the tabloid media since the 1980s with an explicitly negative coverage of the issues and misleading headlines (Critcher 2000: 148-9), for example ‘A new threat to British Youth: Acid house is a façade for dealing drugs of the worst sort on a massive scale’ from the Daily Mail (Colin 2009).