Junk my Car Blog

Every generation has it's dance culture. From early swing to 70s disco, people just had to get their dance on. My generation is no different. Out of the 80s from disco and the hippy movement came the rave scene. Sometimes called Techno Hippies, Ravers have created a scene that is more than a DJ and some kids looking for a good time. Ravers have a sense of style, culture, lingo, and sociology all their own.

There is a huge perception that raves are just drug filled rooms w/ a bunch of sketchy kids. Anyone that has gone to one of these all night electronic music fests will tell you it more than that. People go for the community. No where else can you meet a person and not see them for months, only to see them on some random dance floor to be friends all over again. There is a tradition among the "candy kids" that entails swapping bracelets to new friends. These new type of friendship bracelets are called Candy, (hence that's what gives these kids, who wear them up to their elbow with pride, their name). I myself have hundreds of candy and can tell you the name, face, or place where I got it.

Most people who hear techno think of car commercials with their heavy bass background sound or what is heard in the background of any bar. On the contrary, there are as many types of techno as there is rock and roll. Not all hip hop is the same and techno is no different. With the speed of the bass also comes a style all of its own. If your into deeper psychedelic flow there is trance. For your hiphop orinated, there is jungle and drum and bass. Even for those that thrive for a hard hitting jump out of your skull speed to your music, we have happy hardcore. There is a flavor for all of your potential tastes and it all can converge under one roof. Walking from one room to another will send certainly send you from one sensory experience to an other. One thing is for sure, you will leave liking something new and different.

There is no typical raver but you can certainly pick one out if you know what to look for. There are the blatant candy kids with their pikachu backpacks w/ colorful bracelets up to their arm pits to the the more dressed up wearing a buttoned up dress shirt untucked w/ khaki wind pants. The scene is also responsible for creating signature clothing such as UFO and Caffeine clothing lines which are a staple to any raver closet. Graphitte artists have even been able to find a voice by promoting the scene and the scene doing the same by creating shirt lines such as MethodNYC.

This brings me to one of the most important concepts that is the rave scene. P.L.U.R.: Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. This is more than the mantra but the essence of the lifestyle. There are several urban legands on where the motto originated. One thing that all agree on is it's simple meaning. These four things are more than the root of our community. It's something we carry with us in our everyday live. The party can be as small as a one room weekly to a outdoor 5 tent massive, this motto reverberates clearly no matter the size of the crowd. Raving is more that something you do on your weekends but a full on life style. I've been a part of this scene since the mid 1990s and have seen the evolution of the styles of music and dance. But P.L.U.R is fundementally the same regardless if your new or old skool. If you love to dance, meet new people, and a get sense of community rarely seen in a club or concert, I recommend giving one a shot. Who knows how many bracelets you you will walk out with.

Labels: Candy, Junk my Car, Rave