Photos by
Catharine Kendall
Emerald
k
Ravers at the WOW Hall
take over the dance floor,
doing their thing, last
Thursday night.
ients’ hosts a
fscendental dance
party featuring nine DJs,
colorful costumes
cc
A
Ilf
By Yael Menahem
Oregon Daily Emerald
11 you need to have a
rave is some techno mu
l sic, about 500 kids and
Ifjust] as many hits of
acid.”
That rather coarse description
—uttered by DJ Frankie Knuckles
and found on a raver-friendly Web
site — is characteristic of what
many think the scene is.
Although drugs can be a major
part of raves, other aspects such as
the music, the dancing and an
overall sense of unity among hun
dreds of strangers is another de
sired goal ravers seek to reach.
Friday night at the EMU Ball
room, student-run radio station
KWVA and the Cultural Forum
are sponsoring an all-night rave
with hopes of bringing those peo
ple together. Although they are
taking steps to ensure the safety of
all participants, Chris Spinelli,
who works with the Cultural Fo
rum, said organizers can’t prevent
peoples’ use of drugs prior to en
tering the rave.
Although this rave will try to
imitate the standards of regular
raves by featuring nine DJs, it ends
at 1 a.m., when many raves usual
ly begin.
Steven Sawada, promotions di
rector of KWVA and one of the DJs
slated to perform at the rave, said
he and the other spinners have to
keep “an awareness of how the
crowd is reacting to our music and
how we’re going to set forth a DJ
set that will keep them engaged,
[while] at the same time, catering
to what we like to play.”
Raves were bom in England
during the late 1980s and the scene
was introduced to American party
goers in the early 1990s.
The music genre is techno, a
popular sound in gay clubs at the
time. Since then, many extensions
of techno have been introduced to
ravers, and following the trends can
become confusing.
Techno music was first taken to
a heavier extreme called house,
which then jumped to another
level, acid house. Soon jungle
music was introduced and
that spilled over into
trance, which led to
acid trance, hard
trance and trance
house.
Sawada,
who will go
by the name
DJ Max
Power for
this rave,
said he will
play progres
sive house, trance
and jungle. He said that “jungle
transcends a lot of prejudicial bar
riers because you get a lot of kids
who are into jungle and hip-hop.”
The music, of course, is the es
sential part of any successful rave.
“Spinning” is how DJs keep the
flow going from one song to the
next without stopping to change
to a new vinyl. There has to be a
continuous sound between songs,
and the DJ who keeps people danc
ing without missing a beat is a mas
ter of the trade.
Ravers have become a culture
within themselves, as well.
There are fashion trends that
many ravers follow to keep their
look fresh, glittery and most of all
it seems, young. At any given
rave, teenage girls can be seen
sucking on pacifiers or lollipops.
They might carry a stuffed ani
mal, or more recently, a Teletub
by, in the form of a backpack or
large key chain dangling from
pants pockets.
Baggy pants with small T-shirts
featuring cartoon characters or
any reference to mainstream tele
vision shows or movies are wel
comed. Glitter is key on the eyes
and on the body.
Funky hairdos are also a must.
Pigtails are always an option, ei
ther putting one’s hair in numer
ous ponytails or wrapping them
up into several buns—Bjork-style
or similar to Carrie Fisher in “Star
Wars;” take your pick.
The trendy styles don’t stop
there.
Since rave rooms are so dark,
many of the dancers — throwing
their hands in the air — want to
stand out in the crowded room. So,
amidst the sweat flying back and
forth, glow-in-the-dark items can
be found all over a dancer’s body.
Anything goes, from glowing
green necklaces, bracelets or even
a little plastic box with a red light
that ravers put in their mouth so
they’re visible at all times.
Getting dressed for a rave is
only half the battle, since most of
the time finding a rave is the trick
iest part. To avoid police breaking
up the once-illegal raves, secret
maps, treasure hunts and even ex
changing an egg for the directions
to a rave have all become norms of
the scene.
Most people attend raves in
search of a good time through
heart-stopping music. Many see it
as a time to get away from daily
life and everyday problems.
All in all, it’s a chance to act
young through the chosen clothes
and accessories, then reach back
to the days when many had no
worries and could play all day.
“Local Elements,” the Univer
sity rave, begins Friday at 8 p.m.
in the EMU Ballroom. Students
with ID get in for $4, while the
general public pays $5. Proceeds
go to White Bird Clinic.