It’s the Spring of 2025, and I found myself walking down the streets of Tokyo towards a club. Earlier that day, I had gone with my two close friends to the biggest mall in Shibuya and the streets of Harajuku to find the perfect outfits. They found cute t-shirts whilst I found the coolest, and tallest, white sneakers I had ever seen. They 100% were going to make my feet hurt and twist my ankles. But they were perfect.
But here was my dilemma. The club we were heading to wasn’t just any club, but a known underground rave club. Not only was the name intimidating, Circus Tokyo, but the even bigger issue—I had never gone to a rave.
At this point in time, I was interested in the rave scene but not fully convinced. I always unknowingly loved listening to songs with EDM drops and house-y beats. My friend and rave veteran, Benna, only helped grow my curiosity even more as we spent countless nights watching festival clips and sending songs to each other. So when the opportunity came to travel to Tokyo, Benna asked me, “Want to go to a rave?”, my answer was immediately yes.
$30 dollars later, a shinkansen, a 30 minute walk, and 2 tequila shots in, I found myself in a boiler-room rave as multiple DJs played. At first, it was awkward. I didn’t know how to dance. I didn’t know what faces to make. I didn’t know the unknown, yet known, lyrics to the beats. Yet, as the cigarette smoke filled the room, the speakers boomed, and the music blared, all that stress went away. My body naturally started headbanging, whilst my friends and I all huddled up to dance together. The lasers lit everything up, and it was magical.
Riddim, bass, and techno all echoed through the room as I realized how lively the crowd had gotten. At many festivals, the best act is saved for last, and as 1 hour became 4, the main act soon came up and it changed everything.
These 3 DJS that changed my world were none other than the trio known as Levity. And yes, my first rave ever was in Tokyo, at an underground club, where Levity was the main act. And yes, I did only pay $30. You see, the baby raver in me thought this was nothing crazy. As I now write 1 year deep into this community, I can say that I was a very lucky rave baby.
As they took over the board, I could feel this immediate switch in energy. If everyone was already hype, they turned that up by a million. As their set began, I understood why they were so popular. Not only were they interactive and charismatic, but the music was SO GOOD. Their mixes went from their originally produced songs to popular songs injected with space-like bass. I loved every second of it! Not only did I hear Levity live, but I met them, too.
After their set ended, it didn’t even feel like I had even been dancing for 6 hours straight. I ran my way back to our Airbnb, in cloud nine, as I knew I had found something I would cherish for many years. 1 year later, I’ve fallen deeper and deeper into the EDM community. Levity reminded me of all the love I had for EDM in my teen years during 2016. Now that EDM is coming back, it feels all full-circle for me, as this time has always been waiting for me. Now, I find myself singing to Calvin Harris, while the next I kick roll to Holy Priest. I have never been the same since. It’s the type of bliss you seek anywhere you go.
So if someone invites you to rave, always say yes. You may never know how many ways the music will make you fall in love.