Real raves haven't been happening since the rave scene began in the 80s... in the UK... People who enjoy raves for the music and the experience are WAY to few and far between... The 95% of the people who ruin the scene are what make it a joke... And thats what makes trying to fight for it just as much of an equal joke. No offense to you, as i understand your not the normal part of the crowd... People have taken something that may have been great before your time, made it bigger, changed it, and ruined it...
This makes plenty of sense, and I clearly see your point.
Real raves may not be a part of the EDM scene anymore.
However, realize that the people hosting the newer venues (IE: Neon 2, Lalaland, TBE, and EDC) are all for the original scene. The raves going on these days may not fall under the same category, but the people throwing them are trying to achieve this. I know many people in the scene, personally, who throw these events... and they don't want it to be about the rolling teens/jail bait. They throw these events for the sake of the music, hence why Basshunter, Desginer Drugs, Brennan Heart, Darude, DJ Zany, Donkey Rollerz, and DV8 are all here this year. Designer Drugs spun an awesome show at Neon 2, and Michael knows how to work the crowd (I saw it from two feet away while taking pictures lol).
Even though the said 95% make up the scene, that's all about perception IMHO. When I went to Neon (just using this as a current example), you wouldn't believe how many people I saw that were asking who the DJ was? I saw 0... let me make that a little bigger
0. That means 0 people were there completely for drugs and to be in a false reality. Yes, I saw the jail bait prancing around in their underwear, and the rolling high school kids. Who doesn't? The main place I saw them was outside or sitting in front of the speakers... not on the dance floor. Odd don't you think? Considering that Comrade mentioned them on the dance floor. Maybe it was just my ignorance? But the point I'm trying to make is this: It's all about how you perceive the event. If
you attend a rave and expect to be surrounded by rolling jail bait, and expect all the negative from it, then that is what you will get from the experience. Remember a small philosophical quote about life? "You get out what you put in". Same applies. You expect a certain experience, you get a certain experience. I went expecting a good time, dancing the night away, meeting some good people, bumming cigarettes to fellow ravers, taking awesome pictures of Designer Drugs and Ryle, and overall having an awesome night. I was not the slightest bit disappointed. Plus, drugs are a part of every concert I've been to (minus the Christian music concerts of course). Rob Zombie, Tool, Neon Trees, Linkin Park (believe it or not), Lostprophets, Pennywise, and many more concerts I can't name off the top of my head, all have severe pot use (or so I've been told by friends who went and came home reeking of weed). How can you enjoy a concert with people stoned out of their minds, but just because people are rolling at a rave you can't enjoy that? Perception of the event maybe? I'm puzzled at this prospect. I'd rather be surrounded by people sitting on their ass getting a light show while rolling, than someone hitting a pipe next to me at a concert, but that's my mindset.
I'm not trying to argue this point with you, as I can say that a majority of the EDM scene "ravers" in the US has turned to drug users. However, I believe that since the negative perception of a rave has been so ingrained in many people's heads, they can't enjoy a rave if they tried. I know this is coming from a raver, one who goes clean, stays clean the whole night, goes for the music, and has learned to enjoy the music without letting the people around him destroy his night. Everyone has their own opinion, and I apologize for stepping on anyone's toes in saying mine (and somewhat forcing it to you, I will agree). I just feel that people shouldn't like the scene because they don't like the music, or prefer other types of events like rock concerts, etc.. People shouldn't like a scene because people will do drugs at said event and question who a DJ is. The drug part just seems redundant to me, and also somewhat hypocritical considering what I said about other concerts and their associated drug use.
