% .,o ,i iesdlv c;-nber 8, 1999 - '
-The Mcgn Dai Nw Student Edition - 7C
Iink raves are all about designer drugs and
khno-snobbery? You're making a
By Jason Birchineier f Daily Arts Writer
D etroit raves have recently become an adventurous
weekend activity for University students seeking
something extraordinary. A decade ago these extrav-
agantt dance parties began to occur in Detroit on a small
scale. Along with the accompanying electronic music cul-
ture, popularity has grown year after year. Only a 45-
minute drive from campus, these modern cultural events
rent an alternative to the mundane repetition of week-
end campus life.
Some people choose to stay on campus and do a little
drinking. Others catch up on their studies or go watch
bands play some good old rock 'n' roll. Nearly everyone
does something to unwind from a stressful week of class.
Yet of the various on-campus weekend alternatives, not
many are as relieving as a night dancing to electronic
music at a Detroit party with anywhere from 500 to 3,000
other people.
Ask anyone returning from a Detroit rave about his or
h, xperience and prepare for a poetic tale of adventure
art enlightenment. Most parties create an extreme envi-
ronment unlike anything found in Ann Arbor. An experi-
ence such as this will most likely be more memorable than
another one of those nights at The Brown Jug reminiscing.
So what exactly goes on at these raves that's so fun?
For some the appeal can be all-night pill-popping and
the use of whatever designer drugs always seem to be on-
hand at some raves. For others, it can be the simple thrill of
flocking to an illegal party. But for most, going to raves is
not about the illegal activity and hard-drugging you've
re about and seen on almost every TV channel. And,
is also often overlooked by everyone - most raves are
not illegal.
Music First year student, Anne Lauckner, serves as a
perfect example. When asked about what goes on a rave
she described a common myth among students. "I thought
it was all about drinking and all about drugs," she said.
Engineering Senior Shane Eaton has been intimately
involved with Detroit's party scene for years. Recently he
has begun throwing parties of his own in Detroit as one
half of his company, PLURKids Productions.
'hat's the first question to come out of everyone's
m~h," Eaton said. "The basic question is 'areti't raves
just a place to go to get high and do drugs?"'
And LSA junior Doris Payer said though raves often
offer a clean way to have a good time for many, what real-
ly goes on is not what makes it into the newspapers.
"I think it's mostly the media that makes raves out to be
these crazy drug-infested orgies with deafening music and
strange props like pacifiers and face masks to complete the
rituals," Payer said.
Another University student involved in Detroit's party
;cene, LSA sophomore Gabe Sandier, said these myths
a ecome problematic.
"The main problem I see with the scene is the judgmen-
al attitude that American people who have not participat-
:d in it tend to have," Sandler said. "It's the type of thing
rou should see for yourself and form your own opinion
n."
Located in the farthest depths of Detroit's inner city
;hettos, some may be hesitant to investigate these non-tra-
litional musical gatherings. Locations don't get revealed
intil the day of the event and even then directions can only
p on a voice m ail recording . T actics such as these
What todovw
help foster an atmosphere of mystery as well as function-
ing to keep the parties as underground as possible, where
only the most courageous dare venture.
Once you arrive at the party, park the car and finally
enter, a whole new world presents itself. "It was kind of
dark with minimal lights, loud music, dirty floors, potholes
on the way to the party with steam coming out of them,"
Engineering senior Gary Givental said, referring to his first
experience at a Detroit party.
Givental found the environment to his liking, motivating
him to become an aspiring DJ and Eaton's partner in
PLURKids Productions.
"People are there listening to the music, they're dancing,
they're sitting on the floor chilling," Givental said.
"Whatever it is they're doing, it's just a totally different
atmosphere. I totally got into it because it was such a
friendly environment, like I'd never seen at a concert
before.
"It totally blew me away because right away you could
feel it in the air - you could feel the vibe. That sounds
weird to some people but you definitely feel the atmos-
phere," he said. "After that I wanted to go back. I wanted
to hear more -- I wanted to learn more about it."
Eaton's first experience prompted him to begin throwing
parties as part of PLURKids Productions.
"This was a whole new experience," Eaton said. "This
was an exciting new world. This was me experiencing
something I'd never experienced before and meeting all
these new people.
"There were no fights, no belligerent drunken people, no
gangstas walking around trying to be all hard, just fantas-
tic people. The more I got into the music and the more I
realized what I love, the more I wanted to spread this stuff
around," he said.
Sandier puts this environment which Givental terms
"the classic Detroit feel" - into further perspective: "A
good Detroit party for me requires that two ideals are met.
First, the music played there should be aesthetically pleas-
ing in the sense that it's art and beautiful. Second, the
crowd should reflect many different types of people there
for the same reason - the love of fun."
Also, the fact that Detroit parties last all night separates
them from traditional dance clubs. Since dancing can
sometimes go from 10 p.m. until noon the following day.
most people come dressed more for comfort than glamour.
Tennis shoes, comfortable pants and light t-shirts are the
norm.
Also, don't expect a meat market. This isn't the
Nectarine or Rick's. People come for the music, not to ful-
fill their sexual desires. "You will never ever see a guy
freaking a girl at a party, and if you do, you're at the wrong
party!" Eaton explained.
Depending on the particular party, the music can range
from hip-hop to jungle but in Detroit, techno and house
music reign as most popular. Usually, most raves have
more than one room in order to offer multiple DJs and gen-
res along with separate chill-out area away from the boom-
ing bass. Since raves do go until dawn, people often need
a break from the loud music and dancing to hydrate and
recharge.
Some of the better Detroit raves offer other sorts of
entertainment besides just music and people. Professionai
light shows add an aura of otherworldliness to raves, edim-
rhen a band
ADRIANA YUGOVICH/Daily
Caught up in the music at a Detroit rave, this party person swings a glow stick as he dances. Despite tales of rampant drug
use, most raves in the Motor City are first and foremost intended for music and dancing.
inating any remaining mundane elements. Depending on
the time of night or the party, light shows can range from
near-darkness with carefully positioned strobe lights to all-
out barrages of every imaginable color.
The sum of these various elements creates a surreal
world capable of overloading one's senses. Being lost in
the middle of a strangely lit ocean of youths all reacting
wildly to the channeled energy of a DJ's music can become
utopia for a hedonistic individual interested in sensory
overload. The combination of stimulating environment,
forward-thinking music and thousands of peaceful, danc-
ing youths continues to convert music lovers of all kinds to
party culture.
Richie Hawtin, better known as Plastikman, engineered
some of the first and most legendary parties in the history
of Detroit. During the past decade, parties such as
"Spastik" and "Consumed" are now considered historical
events for their ambitious attempt to create surreal envi-
ronments capable of immersing the partyers, making them
forget about the outside world for the night.
Held in an early 20th Century temple, "Consumed"
needed four floors to accommodate its various environ-
ments. The first floor consisted of a gigantic lobby. After
ascending the stairs, partyers had the option of entering the
main dancefloor 72 feet in length and 45 feet wide with a
quadraphonic sound system where Hawtin performed.
Then after taking the elevator up yet another floor, par-
tyers could explore two audiovisual installation rooms or
several other special artificial environments. Finally, the
fourth floor consisted of more technologically disorienting
art installation rooms and another large dance floor where
partyers could relax and socialize as other DJs spun ambi-
ent music.
"We were involved at a time when there were no parties,"
Hawtin said in reference to the early '90s. "It's different
now because there's a whole different mentality, there's a
whole different reasoning behind the thing. When we start-
ed throwing parties this wasn't a big scene. There was no
fame involved. There was no money involved. There was
only one real reason to be doing it. It was to make music,
to go out and hear music, to go out and dance to music."
Detroit's rave scene continues to grow with multiple par-
ties occurring on weekends. But as the scene rises from the
underground, Eaton said he believes it is slowly spreading
itself thin.
"I arrived when the scene was on its way down to where
it is now, from the true underground, where it once was,"
he said. "I never saw the true underground. It was mostly
dead by the time I arrived a few years ago. Parties now are
all too often marred by a focus on everything else but what
really matters, the music and how it makes us feel."
Still, even as raving has become increasingly trendy,
Payer's maintains an opinion that correlates with the com-
mon attitude among University students familiar with the
party scene: "It always has been and always will be about
the music."
passes 'U' by? Hit the road
Vetroit and suburbs provide venues less than an hour away
By-Jewel Gopwani
Daily Arts Writer
Almost every student is sure to
find some sort of entertainment
value in Ann Arbor's numerous
musical, outlets. But some bands just
can't or don't make it to Ann Arbor.
Which only makes die-hard music
,kps travel outside this college
pn's boundaries.
No matter where you go outside of
Ann Arbor, you'll have to either be
the sucker with a car or find a suck-
er with a car. Once that's accom-
plished, grab a map, some cash and
some concert tickets and the possi-
bilities are endless.
If you're seeking big-name bands
took up and to the right on that map.
Your best bet is the Palace of
Iburn Hills. About an hour-long
Uve from Ann Arbor, the Palace has
hosted the Dave Mathews Band,
Pearl Jam and Aerosmith. Early in
September, Canada's Barenaked
Ladies and the tour no one ever
expected to happen -Tori Amos and
Alanis Morrisette - will make
appearances at the Palace.
If you're looking for some smaller
musical names, try Pontiac and
-troit. Pontiac's night life has
Aproved by leaps and bounds since
Clutch Cargo's, Mill Street Entry and
the 7th House started attracting all
kinds of alt rock bands. Limp Bizkit,
Snmisonic, the Foo Fighters and the
Red Hot Chili Peppers have caused
thousands of pre-teens, teens and
honor of being a "buzz band" has
paid its dues at this tiny venue. St.
Andrew's also hosts a few hip-hop
shows. like Foxy Brown and its Hard
Core Hip-Hop fest during the sum-
mer. Underneath St. Andrew's is The
Shelter - another haven for tiny
bands with a big sound.
A little bigger and a little prettier,
the State Theatre hosted Rammstein
earlier this sumner and is bringing
in Britney Spears in September.
On Saturdays, The State turns into
a dance club and shows movies on
Monday nights - both for those 18
and up.
Just down the street is the Fox
Theatre, which offers an older crowd
and an even more dazzling atmos-
phere.
But every once in a while, a person
needs a little of that '80's glam rock
that has managed to surge once
more.
For that stuff, stop by Harpo's in
Detroit. This place started off as
strictly a rock and roll club and
branched out to host some rap acts.
And no one should forget about
Toledo.
The capacious Toledo Sports
Arena and the Stranahan Theatre -
Toledo's version of Detroit's State -
is usually a stop on a band's tour
before or after its Detroit stop. So if
you can't do without one more
glimpse of Flea's undies, make the
trip to Toledo and feed your need.
And when a band doesn't include
Ann Arbor on its tour, don't wait for
them to come to you.
Pack into the car and go to them.
I *OKI vi