GEB 206 Global Culture and Citizenship
Part VI: Subculture-
Rave culture
1.
Subculture
1.1. Subculture
is a response to the mainstream CULTURE in a historical moment
1.2. People
develop their distinct way of life and give an expressive form to their social
and material experience.
1.3. Example:
skateboarding, street dance, … …
2.
A history of rave culture (Rave Party: 狂野派對／瑞舞)
2.1. In
the late 1980s, a subculture of dancing, music, drug and space emerged in
Manchester. Most early ravers
escaped from chasing by the police. They follow the tradition of squatting
movement, initiated by the anarchists and other radicals. Some argue that rave culture is the
biggest sub-cultural movement and social gathering since the 60s’
“counter-culture” (hippies, anti-war movement, sexual liberation, …).
2.2. Rave
culture moves to other European countries and even drifts across the Atlantic
to San Francisco, Chicago and Detroit.
2.3. In
the mid 1990s, it influenced other places in the world, including East Asian
cities.
2.4.
Rave culture becomes a global phenomenon.
3.
Space: TAZ (Temporary Autonomous Zone)
「我走進那個地方，很快變得無法說話。遠處牆上的鏡子被音樂震得卡嗒卡嗒響，到處都是旋轉的雷射光束。音樂擊中了我的身體，我開始舞動。我不認識的人在我口渴時給水我喝，人們還分給我糖果。這一晚，我是音樂的一份子，我是宇宙的一份子。」
3.1. In
the early period of rave culture development, young people (50-100) broke into
some abandoned warehouse or square illegally and organized dancing party
overnight.
3.2. Planned
spontaneity: A band of people brought some simple and cheap equipment to the
site after a short discussion and planning.
3.3. Do
It Yourselves: The party was organized more or less according to the principle
of DIY. For example, ravers print
and circulate flyers to inform people of the party. They might also use internet for information dissemination
and discussion.
3.4. "The
TAZ [is a] festival…The essence of the party: face-to-face, a group of humans
synergize their efforts to realize mutual desires, whether for good food and
cheer, dance…or to attain the very transport of bliss—in short, a "union
of egoists"…or else…a basic biological drive to "mutual aid."
(Bey 5) "The party is always "open" because it is not
"ordered"; it may be planned, but unless it happens it’s a
failure. The element of spontaneity is crucial." (Ibid.)
(Eric
Stiens 1997. “On Peace, Love, Dancing, and Drugs: a
sociological analysis of rave culture” http://www.phantasmagoria.f2s.com/writings/raveindex.html)
3.5. Hedonism:
Ravers reject all politics or dogma and pursue pleasure and happiness.
3.6. Pirated
utopia: being closed off from the society and welcoming newcomers.
3.7. PLUR(
Peace, Love, Unity and Respect): People support and care about one another in
the party, e.g. passing water and candy, greeting warmly and listening to
others, …
4.
Music: Techno 電子音樂
(and House, Trance)and DJ culture
4.1. Techno, primarily electronically created music that generally has a high level of bass, in rave party is a “record” culture, a sort of musical pastiche and ignoring authenticity.
"Overall, techno
is denoted by its slavish devotion to the beat, the use of rhythm as a hypnotic
tool. It is also distinguished by being primarily, and in most cases entirely,
created by electronic means." (Stiens
1997)
4.2. The
major role in this sort of music is DJ who “spins” to create the music for the
ravers. The act of spinning is the art of mixing songs together using different
pitches, different speeds, and an equalizer to create an ever-flowing,
ever-changing wall of sound. This is also a tradition of “house music”
developed in Chicago and Detroit during 1980s.
5.
Dance: liberation of body and mind
5.1. Dancing
is a way of liberating physical and mental constrains. Ravers follow the beat
to swing their bodies in the way similar to the religious dancing of the
primitive tribes.
5.2. Dancing
is a not a sort of performance for others but a self-practice or self-therapy.
Dancing partners are not necessary in rave party. People dance individually in a spontaneous gathering.
5.3. Dancing
is only for oneself rather than for others.
6.
Drug: Ecstasy忘我／狂喜／Fing頭丸／搖頭丸
6.1. Ecstasy
is the most popular psychedelic (迷幻藥／放心藥)and
designer drug in the 1990s. In Britain, the new generation of young people is
called E-generation or chemical generation.
6.2. Ecstasy:
MDMA (3, 4, Methylenedioxymethamphetamine)
6.3. In the 1950s and '60s, advocates of the drug,
including the author and chemist Alexander T. Shulgin, claimed that it could
benefit people in psychotherapy
by helping to engender trust between therapist and patient. It was adopted
enthusiastically in the 1970s and '80s by adherents of the New Age movement,
who explored the similarities between the mental and emotional states induced
by Ecstasy and the mystical states of awareness described by some traditional
religions.
6.4. Although
this drug produces the feeling of happiness and relaxation, some researches
pointed out that it might be harmful to human brain function. Since 1985, many governments have
banned MDMA.
6.5. Against
Ecstasy: MDMA causes serious and long-term damage to human brain by affecting
the level of serotonin, a substance for neurotransmission. And some claim that young people do
have enough “ability” to make the right choice.
6.6. For
Ecstasy I: The risk of Ecstasy use remains unclear
Richard
Hammersley and Furzana Khan and Jason Ditton. 2002. Ecstasy and the Rise of
the Chemical Generation. London: Routledge.
6.7. For
Ecstasy II: Drug usage should be a matter of individual freedom. Providing sufficient and correct
information is much more important and reasonable than forbidding legally. Example: Safe House system in
Netherlands
7.
Rave culture and commercialization
7.1. Rave
culture becomes more commercialized.
For example, now most rave parties are organized in club or disco rather
than outdoor places or warehouses.
7.2. While
Ecstasy becomes illegal, more people use it but it is always mixed with other
substances. It is estimated that
more than 3 million people use Ecstasy in the US and 50% young people in
Britain are Ecstasy users.
7.3. Rave
party is losing its utopian function and is appropriated by capitalism as a
commodity.
7.4. Rave
is seen by the government as the hotbed of drug dealing, triad activities,
“casual” sex, etc. The police
keeps close monitor on all rave parties and imposes strict license regulations
on venue organizers.
7.5. Some
governments even organize “cleaned-up” rave party: no drug, no overnight
dancing, police monitoring, … …
8.
Rave culture, politics and globalization
8.1. Rave culture is a combination of primitive rituals, radical politics and modern technologies (media, internet, drug, …) This might be the major characteristics of contemporary subcultures.
8.2. The popularity of Ecstasy is a new wave of “psychoactive revolution” initiated by capitalist and imperial expansion. Many “drugs” becomes widely used by people after the colonialists introduced them to Europe by trade and colonial invasion.
David T. Courtwright 2001. Forces of habit : drugs and the making of the modern world(中譯：《上癮五百年》)
8.2.
Rave culture is contesting with the state power and
the mainstream social system, not only by using illegal drug, but also fighting
for space and creating a utopia.
8.3.
Political activists begin to ally with ravers. For example, there is a movement called
“Reclaiming the Streets” protesting WTO, promoting environmental way of life
and blocking government’s destructive construction.
Please
see: http://www.reclaimthestreets.net/
Website:
重回街道：一個瑞舞文化與搖頭丸政治的空間觀察
http://bigate.com/dfzx.com.cn/bigate/b/g/g/[email protected]/wencui/020318200/0203182008.htm
HK
raver world—一個香港有關Rave culture的中英文網站
http://www.hkraverworld.com/flashindex.htm