If 2 years ago you would have told me that my sophomore year of college was going to be a year of new experiences, especially in my social life, I would have just brushed you off and continued on and with my day. Back to the present, I sit here writing this article, my neck and back are sore because this past weekend I went to the Disciple Takeover Tour, and let’s just say that I banged my head to the beat a little too hard. Nonetheless, I reminisce and think back to how happy I was in that moment. From an outsiders point of view, rave culture may seem weird and a little exaggerated, or was I the only one that thought that? But raving is something that you have to try at least once so that you could have an opinion about it. Let me convince you that raving is something that you should definitely try once during your lifetime. Kandi, the same people and new opportunities to make your group bigger, raving solo, pashes, plur, price!
I first got introduced to EDM when I was in 7th grade. I had downloaded Tap Tap Revenge 4 onto my iPod, and one of the first songs that popped up was Cinema by Skrillex. I remember that I would play just to be able to listen to that song. Time passed and I forgot that that song existed until last year when I was at my friends apartment and it played on shuffle. I was so happy when that memory popped up in my head. It was not until this year, in October, that I went to my first rave, and it was all by coincidence. When I saw the opportunity to be able to go to a RL Grime show, I took it, and boy, I am so glad I did! After that show, my eyes were definitely opened. In the span of the next few weeks, I would go to 3 other shows including Dirt Monkey and Bear Grillz. I already have some shows lined up for next month and 2020.
To give you some light, here are some things that go on during raves. First, everyone is so nice! I’ve only ever been to 4 raves in total, and the last time I went, I decided to go solo. It was pretty nerve-wracking, but I managed to meet some people and I even saw some familiar faces from the previous rave, which is also something that I love about raves. You see the same faces regularly because they have been doing that for a long time and they adopt you if they know that you are a rave baby. Second, PLUR. Peace, Love, Unity and Respect. This was something that I immediately was fascinated with; the motto of rave culture. What you do is, when you vibe with someone you can trade kandi, which are basically bracelets that you can trade. You don’t necessarily have to always trade kandi, it can also just be something that you do when you feel like it. Third, the price! Going to concerts can be expensive. Tickets for top artists can be up to $350. For a rave, tickets range from prices of $5-$60. Pretty affordable if you ask me. Prices are different for festivals like Ubbi Dubbi or Freaky Deaky, where tickets can be up to $200, but even then, tickets are for a 2 day event. These are just a few things that happen in rave culture. I’ve only been raving for a month but I do not plan on stopping anytime soon. Raving is a lifestyle that I am glad I came across and I hope to continue going to many more raves.