Rave Culture In The US

28 Pages 7075 Words

truck speechless. The bass was rattling the mirrors on the far wall. There were laser beams everywhere. The music shot into the core of my body and I moved, I just moved, all night long. People I didn't know gave me water when I was thirsty. People gave me candy and hugs. For one night, I was one with the universe, I was one with my neighbor, and I was one with the music."
-rave participant
"But the people who came to dance the night away ... never made it inside the door ... the event was called off ... and the crowd ordered to disperse by local police ... standing by to assist local officers if necessary were seven members of the Green County Sheriff's Department, the hard helmets and visors of their riot gear reflecting the overhead street lights."
-Dotson
"We negotiated the stairs down to the dancefloor, we began to slide in contours to the rhythm, becoming immersed in it, the bass curling round the spine which felt like it had been loosed of its inhibiting rigidity, like it had slipped the bounds of all that was holding it -- us -- back, and we could just flow, loose, warm, alive ... in a second we were amongst the throng, synched right into the matrix of bodies and sound; transported, transformed, together ... the feeling resonated through us as the drums thrashed upwards towards climax" (Collin 3)
"Mr. Gimble said the rave ... was an ... irresponsible and uncontrolled event ... we have a responsibility to let parents know we will protect their kids ... we can't have an event where kids 12 and 13 years old are drinking, smoking, and having sex on the floor."
-Luckman
"... but what struck me more than the immense sensory bliss was the amazing group of people who shared this experience with me-six thousand young, beautiful, high humans having one HELL of a good time together. No fights. No one crying in the corner. No one sick in the stairway. Everybody smiling. People would walk by and actually touch each other. Some ...