My Second Rave Anniversary: America’s Outlook
Audiotistic is a music festival that originated in the 90s in Southern California. It became so popular that it added a second location in the South Bay Area at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountainview, California. The festival was welcomed by ravers who grew up in the underground rave scene of San Francisco, California, and hip-hop lovers who indulge in Bay Area culture. Although the festival doesn’t have a current return date, it has left a lasting impression on those who attended it. I was fortunate enough to experience this festival as my first authentic EDM event in 2021, which allowed me to share a piece of what the Bay represented as a recent new resident of the Bay Area. My second rave anniversary passed in November of 2023, and since then, I have learned a lot about the rave scene as a whole.Bay represented as a recent new resident of the Bay Area. Recently, my second rave anniversary passed in November of 2023, and there is a ton that I have learned as a raver since then.
Personality plays a significant role in the festival scene. You will often come across festival-goers sporting a “free hugs” t-shirt, carrying a totem that invites people to approach them for motivational advice, or groups of friends headbanging and chanting “Ay! Ay! Ay!” together in the crowd. The concept of PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect) is pervasive and easily noticeable, and anyone can learn it early on as it is shared by ravers, crew members, and artists alike. PLUR is an essential part of the EDM scene, and it spreads in both emotional and physical ways, as I discovered over the last two years.
Ravers express PLUR (Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect) in various ways, including kandi. Kandi is a pony bead bracelet designed creatively with charms or words like “drink water” or “love yourself.” Kandi is a significant aspect of Electronic Dance Music (EDM) culture. It has evolved into a more sophisticated art form, with ravers creating intricate three-inch wide cuffs, bucket hats, facemasks, and more. One of my most memorable experiences at a festival was receiving my first-ever kandi cuff through a trade with another raver. The amount of time and effort that went into creating it made the experience even more special. It inspired me to create kandi cuffs to share with others at future festivals. Once I began watching YouTube tutorials on making a cuff, the hours I spent developing these patterns and designs made it more special to be traded cuffs in the future. The raving scene pulls you in to appreciate the kindness others are willing to give and help you learn, hence the term “rave family,” referring to those you choose to spend time with during the festival.
(Photo by Brittany Dove on Etsy)
Dance moves are a popular way for people to connect with others at festivals. The style of dancing often depends on the music playing at each stage. For example, at an EDM festival, there are many different styles of dancing, which can include creating circles where people take turns showing off their moves or starting a moshpit in a safe and controlled way. At a house music stage, you’ll see a lot of shuffling, with people often performing routines they’ve choreographed themselves. Hardcore music fans often opt for punching the air and making a bass face, while the dance style known as muzzing has become increasingly popular over the past year. Finally, bass music often inspires moshpits, headbanging and rail riding, which can sometimes result in people wearing neck braces afterwards.
Objects like light whipping, hula hoops, silk veils, light-up orbs, and much more are different forms of art that festival attendees love to bring to entertain people within the festival grounds. It is seen especially in the back parts of the stages outside the filled GA pits, where there is plenty of space to toss the light-up hula hoops in the air and not hit any bystanders.
People within the rave scene take their outfit game seriously. The colors they choose to have to glow from their light whips or outfits can mean a lot to the person wearing them. Some people even choreograph their outfits to match each other through color or costumes. Maids or grandmas with canes are popular for ravers to dress up to get playful laughs from people around them. When the beat drops, they all bust into dance moves or headbang so aggressively that onlookers can’t help but be amused. Some people make their outfits, support small rave businesses, or wear their favorite corporate brands to look good at their favorite events of the year.
In the two years that I have been raving, outfits aren’t my choice of self-expression; instead, I have developed my skills in dancing, kandi, writing, and the personality of PLUR in my everyday life. I am grateful for all the people I have met and the growth I have experienced since becoming a raver. EDM has helped me develop a more fabulous personality for myself and the electronic music scene in Southern California. I have connected with many people who have offered me jobs and life advice, and I have done the same for them.
I want to thank the following rave organizers for keeping the scene going weekly for me this past summer in the Los Angeles area: LickNDip, Blind Tiger, Radiate, Inertia Events, and The Melrose House. These events allowed me to support local artists who had attended music school in the area and were learning how to produce more EDM music. Being involved in the scene not only during the grandest times of festivals but also in the nitty-gritty of where it all starts for artists has been such a pleasure. I am grateful that I was in attendance for the first time in my EDM life.
Here’s to my second year as a raver, and I am so pumped for this upcoming festival season of 2024.
