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Andrew Wang
76-101 Section C
Salita Seibert
December 14th, 2014
Electronic Dance Music Culture
Todays rave culture, known as Electronic Dance Music Culture or EDMC, is a
culmination of four movements: the New York City dance scene of the 1970s, the Chicago
house music scene in the late 1970s to the early 1980s, the Detroit techno music scene of the
early 1980s, and the British acid house scene of the mid to late 1980s (which stemmed from
the club scene in Ibiza, Spain). As raves shifted from obscure locations like warehouses to the
more visible nightclub, rave culture gradually became less underground and more mainstream.
Today, raves are incredibly commercial, having evolved out of clubs and into sold-out festivals
such as Electronic Daisy Carnival, Ultra Music Festival, and Tomorrowland. Its music,
Electronic Dance Music (EDM), a culmination of house, techno, and trance music, can be heard
on virtually every popular radio station. Together, todays raves and EDM form Electronic
Dance Music Culture (EDMC). Based on discussions among scholars regarding the purpose
EDMC serves for society, there emerges four positions: the ritualists, who assert that EDMC
possesses ritual aspects and is therefore religious; the subjectivists, who believe that EDMC
liberates and transcends the mind from the body; the collectivists, who claim that EDMC
dissolves social boundaries and absorbs participants into a larger mass; and the spiritualists, who
assert that EDMC creates the authority of the self which competes with the authority of God and
thus institutional religion. By analyzing the Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect (PLUR) philosophy
of rave culture, a rave itself (its physical space, its music, the DJ, the recreational usage of
ecstasy by participants) and participants reactions and perceptions to EDM and its events, it
becomes clear that EDMC adheres more to the collectivist position.

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The concrete ideals of EDMC, the PLUR philosophy and the Ravers Manifesto, clearly
show EDMCs propensity for collectivity. PLUR has generally been defined as follows:
Peace: Letting go of fear and living at peace with oneself, one another, and the
planet for a greater good; Love: As one learns to love oneself, one is able to love
everyone else unconditionally; Unity: A mutual, corporate bond is formed
resulting from the love and peace experienced with one another; Respect: Because
of peace love and unity, one can accept others regardless of their beliefs or
background (Peace).
As seen above, the PLUR philosophy is not self-centered but rather community-oriented. Each
word in PLUR refers to the relation of a person to the people around him and promotes solidarity
regardless of differences. The Rave Manifesto further supplements the idea of community: "Our
nourishment of choice is love ... Our politics of choice is none ... Our society of choice is utopian
even though we know it will never be ... We are one global, massive, tribal village" (Peace).
By preaching peace, love, unity, and respect not just towards the self but also towards others,
EDMCs ideals advocate for the breaking down of social boundaries and thus the gathering of
people into one unified mass.
By comparing the spatial setting of a rave with that of a typical nightclub, it becomes
apparent, although subtly, that a rave facilitates unity more so than a nightclub. Although a rave
is similar to a nightclub in terms of having a packed dance floor, flashing lights, and a DJ, one
unique characteristic is that ravers tend to face the DJ and make sure that each person has their
own space to dance in as opposed to typical nightclubs where people face one another dancing
in social circles (Wilson). During a rave, ravers are all standing next to each other and facing
the same direction; thus they are more or less engaged in the same experience. A typical dance at

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a nightclub, on the other hand, may be factionalized. As mentioned above, people face one
another and dance in social circles. Unless there is one gigantic social circle throughout the
whole night, this dance is bound to be a socially segregated experience. The way a rave is
oriented is crucial in breaking social barriers and setting the foundation for unity.
Electronic Dance Music, the primary medium of expression of EDMC, also plays a
crucial role in facilitating unity. For example, the title and songs of Dash Berlins (who is
currently ranked #14 DJ in the world by DJ Mag) newest record We Are (Part 1) conspicuously
advocates it. In describing how he came up with the album title, Dash Berlin states: We Are is
a modular concept where everyone can relate to the album This means everyone is important;
it goes from record companies, clubbers, fans, friends, DJs, collaborators, vocalists, journalists,
and everybody who is supporting the electronic family (Telephone). He further states:
everyone is connected It takes a team effort to accomplish things in life (We Are All
Connected). This response clearly shows Dash Berlins appreciation for the supporters of
EDMC and the thought he put in the albums title. The fact that the title is We Are and not I
Am or You Are further suggests its suggestion of inclusiveness. Just by merely looking at the
album, the listener is already being exposed to elements of unity.
The songs from We Are (Part 1) continues to promote solidarity. For example, in his
song Here Tonight, Dash Berlin writes: I cant break this love between us, well survive
through healing Feel the love inside us here tonight (We Are (Part 1)). Through his usage of
we and us, he is encouraging togetherness and love all around. Similarly, in his song People
of the Night, he writes:
You are surrounded by love
Dont cry

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We are the people you can turn to every time

We are the people who will never judge you, never lie

We are the people who will start again, it never ends

We are the people of the night (We Are (Part 1)).

In this song, Dash Berlin assures comfort and assistance: You are surrounded by love and We
are the people you can turn to every time we are the people who will never judge you, never
lie; he is essentially describing the ideal setting of a rave: everyone is surrounded by love and
trustworthy people. By encouraging this type of environment through his songs, Dash Berlin is
breaking down differences and upholding a collective experience. Thus, his album We Are (Part
1), both in its title and its songs, promotes unity.
Last but not least in regards to Dash Berlin, he also comments on his role during the rave
experience: Im one of the people on the dancefloor. I just happen to be standing on the other
side. I experience the music exactly as they do, so we are the same, but my position is different.
Im just one of the guys who's in the lucky position to play (We Are All Connected). Clearly
he is not imposing any social distinctions; although he is the DJ, he does not let that divide him
and the audience. Therefore, both Dash Berlins music and character promote unity.
Along with EDM, the recreational use of ecstasy, a drug that is often associated with
EDMC, is known for its ability to facilitate goodwill. It must be noted that ecstasy is not a
necessity of rave culture; although it is not uncommon to hear about ecstasy consumption at
raves, there are certainly many people who do not consume it. The fact of the matter is that the

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people who participate in recreational (not excessive) ecstasy consumption have been able to
find some benefits (again, this does not mean that one needs to consume ecstasy in order to have
an uplifting, collective experience, which will be argued further later in this essay). This
paragraph is not a promotion of ecstasy but rather a denoting of users experiences. One
respondent, who has both gotten high on ecstasy and attended EDM shows, states that many
people at the shows are tripping out and are extremely friendly and open. They are talking to
each other and the ambience is really chill and calm; he therefore coins ecstasy as a love drug
because it helps spread love all around (Sachan). Furthermore, in Britain around the 90s,
warring gangs who supported rival soccer teams often went to the same clubs; but instead of
causing trouble, they were so loved up on E [ecstasy] they spen[t] the night hugging each other
rather than fighting (Wilson). As shown by these accounts, the recreational use of ecstasy can
trivialize differences and facilitate a positive environment
Analyzing the reactions of rave attendees further emphasizes the inclusiveness raves. One
participant says that the shows are free havens people get really comfortable and it pulls out
emotions from people. There is love and affection (Sachan). Many agreed, adding that raves
are all about breaking down barriers, losing preconceptions, expanding the mind and feeling the
vibe (Wilson 78). Another attendee confirmed this with an anecdote: I got into dancing in my
usual self-conscious way Then, imperceptibly, I gradually relaxed and melted into the
ambience, and knew I was part of it all I experienced a feeling of belonging to the group, a
kind of uplifting experience of unity It was as though I was surrounded by fellow members
of an exclusive tribe, bonded by some shared understanding (Wilson 37). Another raver even
reflected on his rave experience and related it to everyday life: When I go to raves and use
Ecstasy it breaks down barriers. It breaks down preconceptions, it makes it easier to meet people

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you think about how it changes you and how you feel while youre on it as opposed to how
you feel when youre not and you try and take the feeling that you get when youre high and
relate it to your own life. Do you really need social barriers, do we really need the defenses that
we have and would life be better off if we didnt have some of the defense that we have? Would
it be easier to meet people, easier to communicate? It all comes down to communication
(Wilson 37-8). Clearly there are many ravers who feel and believe in the positivity and unifying
power of raves.
Some may argue that the usage of ecstasy manipulates people and artificially induces the
feelings of unity experienced by them; thus, without the usage of ecstasy, many users
experiences would not be as the same. There are two reasons why this claim does not hold. For
one, EDM itself is a genre of music that is simple and meant to capture the audience
immediately; the complexities of music theory and composition are circumvented (Oertl,
Introduction). Therefore, each person more or less interprets and is affected by the songs in the
same way. Music and drugs are also similar in that they both facilitate the release of Dopamine, a
hormone that stimulates pleasure (Sachan); music can produce effects comparable to strong
stimulants or even hallucinogens (Oertl, Design). That being said, one does not need
ecstasy to bring them into a heightened state of euphoria and goodwill. EDM, musically and
lyrically, can do that. Swedish DJ Alesso, who is ranked #15 on DJ Mag Top 100, often reminds
fans: Stay safe, have fun, but you don't have to do drugs to have fun. I don't do drugs and I have
loads of fun. I get high off the music ... and I don't need drugs for that. Never tried, never will
(Ryan). With the nature of EDM and Alessos commitment to the power of the music itself,
ecstasy is clearly not a prerequisite for a fulfilling rave experience.

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Secondly, the music is arguably the most important thing about raves. One raver argues:
if you take away the drugs weird clothing flashy lights people would still go because
they love the music (Wilson 98). It is important to remember that the attendees of rave events
are fans of the music and its artists. So if ecstasy is removed as a variable at rave events, the
remaining variables are the music, the DJ, and other ravers and their knowledge of the ideals of
EDMC. These variables are clearly capable of dissolving social boundaries and facilitating an
uplifting and collective experience without ecstasy.

EDMCs commitment to its ideals of peace, love, unity, and respect is clearly shown by

the uniform spatial environment of a rave, Dash Berlins music and character, the results of
recreational ecstasy consumption, and the reflections of rave attendees. EDMCs successful
application of its ideals thus breaks down social barriers and provides a solidary experience for
its participants (with or without the use of ecstasy). The experiences evoked by EDMC raises an
important question: can people feel the solidarity they feel at raves in everyday life? Today, with
divisions of race, gender, religion, nationality, sexuality, and class permeating the world,
humanity as a whole is far from peace, love, unity and respect. But is it possible to superimpose
the effects of a rave on the reality of everyday life? What if everybody was aware of and
consciously upheld the ideals of PLUR? Perhaps humanity would then be one step closer to
union.

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Works Cited
Dash Berlin. "Dash Berlin: We Are All Connected." Interview by Kelly Alanbay. Insomniac.
N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
- - -. Telephone interview by Armin Van Buuren. 28 Aug. 2014.
- - -, prod. We Are (Part 1). 2014. CD.
Oertl, Stefan M. "The Design of an Optimal Music Experience: A Matter of Life and Death (Part
II)." Re-Compose. N.p., 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.
- - -. "Introduction to the Instant Effect of Electronic Dance Music (Part II)." Re-Compose. N.p.,
12 Dec. 2012. Web. 13 Dec. 2014.
"Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect: The Raver's Manifesto." Peace and Loveism. Peace and
Loveism, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Ryan, Patrick. "On the Verge: Alesso saves the day with EDM 'Heroes.'" USA Today. N.p., n.d.
Web. 13 Dec. 2014.
Sachan, Shreya. "Electronic Dance Music, Drugs and Audience Reception." Academia.edu. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014.
Wilson, Brian. Fight Flight or Chill: Subcultures, Youth, and Rave into the Twenty-First
Century. Montreal: McGill-Queen, 2006. Print.