"Raving" About America's Music Festival Scene

For everyone who loved this post back a year ago... Being RE-POSTED for all your reading pleasures!! ... Looking for a positive spin on this past year instead of the negativity some of the media has given this phenomenon? Read below for the REAL deal...

(December 2012)
By Jessica Sonabend

Shifts within the music industry have presented its followers with the 1970s disco movement, heavy metal era of the 1980s, boy band melodies of the 1990s, and transcendence of the hip-hop evolution of the 2000s. However, an upbeat and energetic sound has recently dominated the mainstream media in various ways. America is making a rapid transition into the electronic dance music scene, better known as EDM.

According to Forbes Magazine’s EDM series titled “House Music Has Become a Global Phenomenon”, contributor Dan Schawbel says music trio, Swedish House Mafia was able to sell out New York City’s Madison Square Garden within nine minutes in 2011. Ben Sisario of The New York Times writes that music festivals like Ultra and Electric Daisy Carnival draw crowds of 100,000 or more. Electronic dance music has perpetuated the influx of raves and music festivals worldwide.

Recently, electronic music has received a tremendous amount of radio airplay. Swedish House Mafia is a group of three Swedish music producers that have been active members of the electronic music era since the late 1990s. Their most recent hit “Save the World” has over 55 million views on YouTube and numerous plays on the radio.

The term “EDM” is a fairly new phenomenon. Ryan Mac, contributor for Forbes Magazine’s wealth team, says that electronic dance music has begun to exist in various inclinations.

“The phrase ‘EDM’ was born only a couple years ago, even though the roots of the dance music were there for decades,” Mac said. “In terms of how big it can be, coming from a strictly financial standpoint, some people are estimating that this whole industry could be worth about four billion dollars per year at some point in the next couple of years.”

But electronic music has been around for decades. Ben Sisario, writer for the New York Times, believes there was a pretty established electronic dance music sound and scene in the mid-eighties.
“In the US, there have been waves of popularity and there have always been raves but they have been fairly small by comparison to what is happening now,” Sisario said.

Large music festivals that strictly play electronic music, also known as raves, have become the center of the EDM movement. In the early 1990s, raves were typically kept underground and much of the public was unaware of its existence. Police officers would frequently break up the secret shows to scan the area for illegal substances. Raves are popularly known for its association with the drug, Ecstasy.

“Even when I started going seven years ago, there would be people that don’t really like this music but went because there are so many good drugs there,” said Jessica Sonabend, 23 year old blogger of The Ranting Raver. “At a rave, I have never seen so many people on drugs in one area before.”
Yet, drug use is common at almost every music festival event. Sisario believes drugs have had an impact on the music scene for many decades.

“Look at Woodstock! I think that drugs have been part of this music scene for a long time,” Sisario said. “On balance, I think it is no different than many kinds of pop music.”

Aside from its associated drug use, the electronic music industry is a big investment. The perpetuation of raves is only one of many sources of cash inflow. Mac says huge amounts of money are being tossed around to grow the industry in relation to venues and tours. Raves are drawing thousands of attendees with its headliner acts and special effects.

“Hundreds and thousands of people go and they have state-of-the-art speakers and lights,” Sonabend said. “You pay good money and you get the most bang for your buck.”

Sonabend has listened to electronic music and attended at least 300 raves since she was 16 years old. Her love for the music began before the existence of social media and Facebook updates.

“When I first started going to raves it was word-of-mouth,” Sonabend said. “There would be like an info line where somebody would turn their phone off and change the voice message on their phone to the location of the rave.”

After attending her first rave, Sonabend couldn’t get enough of it. She liked the thrill of sneaking out of her bedroom window of her parents’ house, feeling like she was up to no good.

However, unlike Sonabend, other attendees like to look at raves and electronic music as a time to relax. For MC Romano, junior at the University of Washington, raves act as mini vacations. After attending the Ultra music festival in Miami, FL, Romano associates the beach setting with her love for the music.

“These shows can be up to two to three days long,” Romano said. “You can do other things such as getting a hotel or camp.”

Another reason many believe electronic music has received mainstream media attention is due to the recent collaborations between EDM producers and hip-hop artists. While some popstars are creating their own remixes of electronic music, DJs like David Guetta have collaborated with Akon and Kid Cudi to produce some of America’s Top 40 singles like “Sexy Chick” and “Memories”.

“Historically, DJs have not been very successful as pop stars and their own records don’t really sell too well to mainstream audiences and it’s still pretty much the case,” Sisario said. “David Guetta became a celebrity in his own right.”

Jensen Wong, junior at the University of Washington, agrees that EDM broke through to the mainstream audience through radio airplay.

“Five years ago you would only hear hip-hop or alternative on the radio,” Jensen said.
The electronic dance music scene has impacted America in a variety of ways that people still struggle to completely understand. Music festivals have given many fans the opportunity to experience a type of music whether or not drug abuse is established. However, its growing industry has helped EDM become a widespread phenomenon.

“People want to experience this thing and in a sense, the industry has to accommodate this growing influx of interest,” Mac said.

(http://festivalfuse.wordpress.com/2012/12/06/the-electronic-dance-music-phenomenon/)

PartySafe: Put the Safe Back in Your Partying

Please read and heed the below news-feed...

(September 2012)
By Kelly L.

Skrillex Full Flex Express Tour. A giant concert like event. Credit: Novus Photography

The electronic music community has experienced some explosive growth in the past few years. At the tender age of 16, I recall attending my first all night dance party at an outdoor skate park in my hometown of Calgary, Alberta. Let me set the stage. This was the late 90s. Y2K was looming, Buffy the Vampire Slayer was boss, and local authorities seemed intent on quashing our city’s burgeoning party scene by way of restrictive bylaws that made hosting larger parties all but impossible for the average promoter. The music and vibe had me hooked immediately.

My memories of this party are all good, despite the fact that police helicopters swooped in to shut the event down and send partiers packing only after about an hour after me and my crew had made it past the entry gate. This was fairly par for the course at the time. As a result, the scene shrunk drastically.

Fast forward to present day. Smaller intentional gatherings still exist, but have largely given way to huge concerts and massive festivals. Newcomers are flocking to the scene in droves, from all walks of life and a fairly wide age range. Bassnectar now draws crowds in the thousands. Skrillex has put dubstep on the map in North America and nabbed three Grammys in the process. Turn on the radio and even the likes of Katy Perry and Lady Gaga reek of electroclash.

Ladies and gentleman, the dance revolution has begun. While exciting, this growth and the mainstreaming of electronic dance music, comes with an increasing need for community-driven initiatives to help keep each other safe and healthy while we party.
Enter PartySafe, a reboot of a local harm-reduction organization that was a fixture at Calgary parties from the late 90s to 2004. The president of PartySafe was a volunteer recruiter for the now disbanded RaveSafe. She’s looking to bring an updated version back to the scene, in an effort to ensure members of our dance community have access to relevant information and resources.

“It’s not about condoning or condemning drug use or pushing ideologies,” she says. “It’s about keeping people safe.”

Harm reduction is a public health philosophy that recognizes people will engage in risky behaviours and accepts that complete abolition of harm is not possible or realistic. It therefore works to limit the negative consequences of certain activities.

A rash of deaths this past year across Canada, linked to a toxic ecstasy adulterant known as PMMA (paramethoxymethamphetamine), served as a significant motivator to re-form the group. While chemically similar to MDMA, this compound exerts delayed effects, often causing users to increase dosages, eliciting harmful, sometimes fatal, side effects.

The president of PartySafe says, that in addition to providing individuals with current information on drug and alcohol use, that PartySafe plans to educate people on other relevant issues, including the importance of proper hearing protection, avoiding heatstroke, and preventing sexually transmitted disease.

Credit: Glenn McLelland / Super Sharp Shooter

PartySafe are also hoping to re-establish a number of positive working relationships that once existed with the local paramedics and police. In the past, harm reduction volunteers would help patrol events and served as an important link between party-goers and medical personnel.

Pill testing kits are available online and indeed this service is offered on site at events from some harm reduction groups across the globe. However, this may not be the case with PartySafe due to local laws surrounding the issue. Critics suggest that while drug-testing kits can be useful tools, they are by no means infallible and can create a veneer of safety around drug use.

MacDonald asserts that it is irresponsible to deny users access to this type of information and may result in more unnecessary harm. If PartySafe is not allowed to test pills on site, they will provide information to people on where to get test kits themselves.

Some things they do hope to have available at their booths – earplugs, condoms, gum, and electrolyte-replacing beverages- a virtual smorgasbord of goodies for safe partying.

Here are some tips and tricks to keep you and yours healthy and alive to dance another day:

Take care of your body:

Eat a good meal the day of the party and make sure you get a solid snooze the night before. Above all, stay hydrated, but don’t overdo it. While not as common as dehydration, water toxicity from too much H20 can cause an imbalance in your body’s electrolytes, leading to sometimes fatal disturbances in brain function. And let’s be honest, how embarrassing would it be too die from a water overdose?  A good rule of thumb – drink one bottle of water per DJ set.

Save the mixing for the DJs:

If you chose to partake in party favours, avoid mixing. Alcohol + Drugs = Bad News. Taking stimulants and depressants together sends drastically conflicting messages to the body and the results can be both unpredictable and devastating. Think acute heart failure, or at the very least sticking the lit end of a cigarette in your mouth. Boooooooo.  Also, ecstasy use in individuals undergoing anti-depressant therapy is ill advised as this puts the individual at increased risk for serotonin-syndrome. I’ll spare you the details, suffice to say it is probably no fun and is potentially life threatening.

A note for you hippie-types:

Artwork by Alex Grey

Before you go play in the stars and discover all the secrets of the universe, which of course you will either forget entirely or realize you don’t have the language to articulate the following day, please make sure you are in a positive headspace and safe physical realm before blast-off. 

Engage the buddy system or designate a sober facilitator to make sure no interdimensional explorer gets lost in the process. This is especially important at large festivals where getting trapped in a tent or porta potty can be easily avoided by having someone there you can rely on to fish you out of these complex hippie black holes.

Earplugs, earplugs, earplugs!

EarBuddies.ca are affordable earplugs that offer great hearing protection along with perfect sound clarity. Use DISCOUNT CODE AYNIB to get 15% off your next order!

 

This one is self-explanatory. Protect your ears. Apart from your legs they are the most important partying assets you have. DJ’s and producers are amping up their tours, and the sound that goes with them is getting bigger and bigger. We all want to feel the music and the rumble of that amazing bass line. Wearing proper hearing protection will ensure you can still hear your favorite music for many years to come!

(http://allyouneedisbass.com/partysafe-interviewpartysafe-put-the-safe-back-in-your-partying/)

Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide for Bass Culture Lovers & Festival Goers

Thank our friends at AllYouNeedIsBass.com (aka AYNiB) for the following compilation of great gift ideas for those in your life involved in the electronic dance music and music festival scene. Now, this is not to leave out your super-Heady friends...that super-Heady-gifts-ONLY gift list will be posted too..at a later time...when someone sends a link to a good one to us **hint! hint!** ... Anyway, read below to find out what we're talking about -- and HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM PPLB =) 

(December 2012)
By Dee (of AllYouNeedIsBass.com, aka AYNiB)

Your search is over! As our gift to you, we’ve scoured the web in search of fun, unique, and amazing items you can give to any of your bass music festival buddies this year. In this list you’ll be sure to find that perfect item. From cheap & practical to classy & impressive with a nice splash of unique handmade items! We found it all, so you spend less time in the malls this holiday season and more time getting merry on the dance floor.
Please note pricing categories do not include shipping costs.  

The Original Travel Stick S.O.A.P.
100% natural vegetable glycerin with added coconut oil for moisture. No chemicals, harsh lathering agents or synthetic fragrances. Infused with therapeutic essential oils. Twist up the soap and lather up! Replace cover and it is ready to go! Guaranteed not to leak. Great for public showers or camping.
$4.95 

Retro Arcade Poncho
Have a friend that likes to sport a cheap poncho (or even worse a garbage bag) at rainy festivals? Now they can up their cool factor by running around looking like a Pac-Man ghost.
$7.99

Festival Feet Shoe Covers
Avoid the run back to the tent need for rubberboots by carrying these covers in your bag. Keep rocking out in the mud while keeping shoes nice and clean.
$8.95

Fresh Slice Record Player Pizza Cutter
Cut your pizza with a stainless steel blade that looks like a turntable platter. Complete with tone arm shaped handle. Case of the munchies? Your fingers will stay safe with the finger guard!
$11.95


Plush Headphone Earmuffs 
Fuzzy and comfy earmuffs shaped like headphones. Keeps their ears warm and in style.
$5.95 

Hello Kitty Skrillex Bottlecap Necklace
Is there a Skrillex lover on your list who also loves Hello Kitty? Well, here is the perfect gift for them that is even handmade.
$6.99 

Spin Now! The DJ Handbook with Dj Shortee
Give a gift of knowledge to your budding DJ. Book with accompanying DVD-ROM, Los Angeles DJ, world-class turntablist, producer, and classroom instructor DJ Shortee teaches everything needed to know to start mixing tunes like the pros!
$12 

DJ Heaven Large Moleskin Journal
Handstamped teal tunrtables on 5.25 X 8.25 inches 80 paged (lined) mokeskin. Other great designs and sizes available through Blackbird and Peacock’s etsy store. 
$14 

Tag Your Own Box Truck (Marker Included)
Must-have item for all the graf heads out there. Features flat plastic sides that are easily customized and even work with dry-erase markers. The back of truck actually opens up to  store markers, stickers, etc. inside so it can also be used as a rolling desktop organizer.
$16 


Records On Walls – Vinyl Record Frame
Easily decorate a studio space with their favorite vinyl record cover art that allows them easy access to still be able to play the track again or swap it out with something else.
2 frames for $18 CDN (plus shipping).

Bass Clef Cufflinks
Every guy needs some good looking cufflinks in his life. Now he can look stylish and show off his love of bass at the same time. Handmade from brass with a smooth chrome finish, and is attached to a solid swivel backing.
$19 

Keep Calm and Drop Bass T-Shirt
This shirt is sure to be a hit on any dance floor and keeps in trend with the current “Keep Calm and _” meme going around. Available in all sizes.
$19.99 

Coleman Auto-On LED Cooler Light
Light up your drinks & snacks and make them that easier to find in the middle of the night when the festival starts to get super crazy.
$20 

DJ Hummingbird Poly Cotton T-Shirt
This is a great printed tee for any bass lover on your list, even moreso if their favorite Dj happens to be Bassnectar! Available in a variety of colors and styles for both men and woman, including throw pillows at Linthound etsy store.
$20

The Art Of Storytelling - Under The Influence Graf Book
Contains interviews, stories and pieces from some of the most influential names in subculture. Among the captivating stories are tons of full color photos of graf, art, and general debauchery. Recommended reading for fans of the underground.
$24 

Coleman Zephyr™ Tent Ceiling Fan with Light
It’s a known fact that tents get super hot at festivals making it impossible to sleep during the day. Also, getting dressed at night in your tent is way easier with a light that isn’t strapped to your head or in your hands. Here we solve both these problems with a battery operated fan and light that magnetically attaches to the tent.
$25 


Shmangle Festival Blanket
Large, lightweight, multi-purpose, hooded blanket with a waterproof outer layer and a cosy fleece lining that packs away into a small drawstring bag makes this the ultimate Rave Blanket. Used as a groundsheet for sitting on damp grass, sheltering under from the rain, keeping warm, or even use as a costume piece.
$25 

DJ Vinyl Record Bowl – “Berlin Tables”
Melted vinyl record hand formed into a bowl shape featuring an image of turntables in the center. Great art piece / fruit bowl for any music lovers home.
$25 

White Circle Scarf – Cassette Tapes
Give them something fun & unique with some old school flair with this handmade fleece circle scarf that can be worn long as one loop or looped 2 or 3 times around the neck for a different look.
$25


Mix Tape USB Stick
If you miss making mix tapes this product will inspire you again! Stores up to 1GB  of your chosen tracks. Place inside the included Mix Tape gift packaging, write the track list and personal message and give it to someone you love.
$28 

Record Player Dry Erase Art Board
Handmade erase board that hangs well in an office, dorm, apartment, kitchen or studio! Original photograph underneath a plastic sheet bound by screws. Looks damn better than any old plain whiteboard!
$29 


SlipmatShop.com – Custom DJ Slipmats 
Give a personalized gift they can see each time they put another record on. Upload your own artwork or pick one of their stock designs to add their DJ name.
2 slipmats for $30

Lumadot LED Umbrella
Glows with fiber optic lights covering the canopy with 3 modes: Off, Solid, Blinking. A light in the handle illuminates the ground under you. Fun accessory to keep any festival lover dry on the dance floor and you get to be the highlight of the party!
$30 

EarBuddies.ca Ear Plugs
Ensure they don’t loose their hearing by giving the gift of ear plugs that don’t muffle sound. Calibrated filters are designed for listening to music whilst providing optimum hearing protection without loss of clarity for an affordable price.
$30 – $45 (15% off with discount code AYNIB)

Everyday Backpack Cooler
Just right to take some cold ones and keep them cold for festival adventures in the sun. Has a dry storage section on top for items like sunscreen, towel, clothing, camera. Insulated cooler section with leak proof lining and then a quick access front pocket.
$32.99 

Cat Scratch DJ
Have a crazy cat person in your life that also shares your passion for bass culture? Get them (their cat) this cat scratcher with spinning deck and posable tone arm. Fun for the whole family!
$34.99


Vinyl Record Tie
High-fidelity fashion accessory that is just perfect for DJs, producers, musicians, and audiophiles of all sorts. High-quality, water-based inks are hand-silkscreened onto polyester microfiber with a fine-weave microfiber that is rich, sturdy, yet soft fabric.
$40 

DJ Kitty Messenger Bag
It’s a kitty looking bad ass wearing a pimping gold chain and spinning some tunes on a messenger bag. Instant Win! Other great items like shirts, bottles openers, etc this same image can be found at Loft 45 etsy store.
$48 

Deluxe Holiday Knotty Boy Gift Combo
Chances are one of your festival friends rocks some awesome dreadlocks. Here is the perfect assortment of amazing products from Knotty Boy they are sure to enjoy. Fully customizable gift combo selections of delicious dread products, head gear, stickers & more.
$49 

Tribal Revival Book – West Coast Festival Culture
There is a cultural revolution / evolution exploding at West Coast music festivals where mythic and urban fantasy fuses with dramatic, iconic lifestyle fueled by music and unbounded imagination. For the first time, TRIBAL REVIVAL reveals and vividly documents this burgeoning phenomenon, depicting the pantheon of extraordinary characters and living avatars who inhabit these events.
$49.97 

Vinyl record Throw Pillow Set 
These 14×14 inch silk throw pillows are embroidered with a supercool vinyl record design and grooves that almost make them look like the real thing! You can even customize the artist title and colors to make this a gift to impress.
$50 

Shure M44-7-H Turntablist Record Needle Mounted on Technics Headshell (White)
Legendary battle needle offers ultra-high skip resistance and ultra-high output. The needle of choice for many champion DJ’s worldwide.  Engineered for scratch DJ’s and turntablists, the M44-7 is designed not to skip under even the most demanding circumstances. Even living-room DJ’s love these cartridges.
$65 

Numark RED PHONE Professional Stick Headphone With a cushioned, ergonomically designed handle and swiveling protein-leather padded ear cup, Redphone allows them to monitor and cue effortlessly without being tethered to the rig. Pick it up, hear what they need and get back to performing.
$69.95


Your Dad is a DJ Wooden Box
Who doesn’t like cool looking boxes to keep small treasures in?  This Red Mahogany Stained box with a burned image of headphones is guaranteed to impress any music lover on your list. Complete with removable tray dividers. Customization options are also available.
$70 

Ableton Live Intro Full Version Audio Software
Whether they are a talented newcomer or a seasoned professional, Intro has got what they need for writing songs, making beats, recording, remixing, DJing and performing music live on stage.
$62

Electric MVMT Delaware St Hoodie
Form fitting zip-up hoodie with an electric rope running the seam of the zipper, up one side, around the edge of the hood, then back down the other zipper seam. Great for any El-Wire lover.
$90 

Boli Bears Hoods by Boli ImportsMany would agree that these furry hoods are the #1 festival fashion accessory choice. Available in a rainbow of colors and tons of different styles making it easy to please anyone on your list.
$70 – $100 

JENSEN JTA-220 Stereo 3-Speed Turntable with AM/FM Receiver & 2 Built-in Speaker
Put a classic spin on things with this modern 3-speed record turntable, with a wooden cabinet and sleek silver-toned front. Frosted dust cover; 33/45/78 RPM speeds; AM/FM stereo receiver; external stereo speaker output jacks and stereo headphone jack; built-in speakers.
$56

Two Person Folding Chair
It’s not easy to snuggle with a loved one in regular camping chairs at a festival. Now here is the solution. Show the one you love you want to get even closer to them while chilling at your campsite.
$89.99

Leggings “Dj Setup”Females Dj’s might get a kick out of these fun leggings inspired by the Stanton M 207 Battle Mixer and the Technics Turntables. Available in all sizes
$98 

Sandusky Folding Wagon
Solve the “I can’t camp with my car woes” by giving them a folding wagon to carry all their gear to that perfect camp spot. Polyester fabric with solid steel frame. Swivel handle for easy steering. Conveniently folds for easy storage. Cover included. 150 lb. capacity.
$99 

Medium Weight 32 LED Hoop – Rainbod 38″
Give a premium LED hoop with all fast-fade Rainbow LEDs at an affordable price without reducing quality, brightness or performance through superior engineering.
$99 

• Warm Accessories:
  Hats, Toques, Scarves, Headbands, Arm Warmers, and Leg Warmers
• Handy Accessories:
  Pocket belts and Holsters
• Stylish Accessories:
  Handmade necklaces/Bracelets/Anklets, Headbands,  Feather Earrings & Hair Extensions
• Useful Stuff:
  Reusable Water Bottles,  Travel Coffee Mugs, Beer Coozies, Solar Power Party Lights
• Camping Gear:
  Cooler with wheels, Carabiners
• Music Related:
  Music albums, special edition vinyl, Soundcloud Membership, gift certificates to favorite stores or sites
• Fun Stuff:
  Stickers, Vinyl Toys
• Awesome Sauce:
  Hammock, Tickets to your festival

We hope this list will make your holiday shopping this year be stress free!

(http://allyouneedisbass.com/ultimate-christmas-gift-guide-for-bass-culture-lovers-and-festival-goers/)