The
LingoThe
Lingo
RAVE CULTURE: The culture which surrounds raves and ravers. The types of people that participate, the rituals they participate in, and their general lifestyle in this brightly-coloured culture that stays up super-late and dances to techno music.
RAVES: The parties are held in warehouses, vacant shopping malls or any large space that can support hundreds of dancers. The experience remains communal, centering on the electronic music that emanates from the DJ booth. Ideally, there is no "star," as the DJ seeks to create harmony between himself and the crowd -- allowing dancers to lose themselves within a collective vibe, enhanced by computerized lights and holograms.
from: Morgan, Heather. PLUR. Rave: Inside 90's Counter-culture.
PLUR: Peace, Love, Unity and Respect (PLUR) is a code invoked frequently by those inside the rave subculture, one that has mutated significantly since its 1980s roots in Detroit basements, where electronic music pioneers drew unorthodox crowds. The music's main mode of presentation -- by DJs in front or in the middle of a dancing throng -- precipitated the contemporary rave, and the scene has evolved into a social movement. Driven by the repetitive beat and often by the drug-induced euphoria, communities of ravers seek transendence and escape from mainstream, commercial culture. They strive for social inclusion and for happiness in a peaceful environment.
from: Morgan, Heather. PLUR. Rave: Inside 90's Counter-culture.
RAVING: To go to a rave. To go raving is to spend the entire night immersed in the life and ecstasy of a rave.
RAVER: The typical raver is between 17 and 25. He is equally likely to be a she. He or she is probably white. He or she probably came from a middle-class family, and is reasonably well educated. There is a definite sense of individualism within the rave fashion scene-you are likely to see someone in jeans, someone in black vinyl pants, or someone in costume. However, many people fit into a definite "typical raver" mold. For males, baggy pants are the norm...Pacifiers are common, stuffed animals are common, lollipops are common, shirts emblazoned with cartoon characters are common. In a sense, this embodies the culture. Outside of a rave, many ravers appear ‘normal’. Many have jobs in technological fields like computer programming. Many are college students. Raving is not an ‘all-the-time’ culture, as the hippie movement was and is.
from: Steins, Eric, 1997. A Sociological Analysis of Rave Culture.
DJ: Disc Jockey. "DJs are an integral part of the raves, occupying the center stage and the attention of the dancers as they spin one track into -- or over -- another."
from: Morgan, Heather. Rave Etiquette. Rave: Inside the 90's Counter-culture
ELECTRONICA:
electronically-generated music, typically played at raves, clubs,
and various other related functions. Subgenres include house, techno, drum'n'bass,
jungle, downtempo, ambient, trip hop, breakbeats, and trance.