this is a really good read, really thoughtful & well written

[Pistonsbeneath]

Discussing current communities fuelled by music, and the social and spiritual effects they have today.

a local of my town wrote this, she had to do it for university and its such a brilliant read...better than most things ive read tbh

jacey murrihy is her name if you wanna hit her up so say well done...

I am going to be looking at current counter culture, starting with raves and moving on to the dubstep scene, and exploring the social and spiritual effects these cultures have on our society today. I am arguing that these movements for some people in our society are bringing a new approach to spirituality and somewhat replacing the concept of religion. I think that people through history have followed religion to give them peace of mind and hope in their lives. Religion, churches and the community they bring with them have been a support system for many. In the modern day religion is rapidly decreasing, and I want to discuss the people ‘enlightened’ by cultures powered by music.
Rave exploded in the late 1980’s in the Margret Thatcher years, and is currently, during our coalition government, growing more than ever. Fuelled by the recession, this generation of young people are using sub-culture as a lifestyle choice reminiscent of the 60’s ‘hippie’ movement, and are currently getting involved in politics and protest, in favour over the ‘drop-out’ concept that has dominated the youth’s mind-set the past two decades. People are suddenly realising that the life expected of them is not what they have to accept. With the ‘Occupy’ protest at St Paul’s including DJ’s, mini rigs powered by car batteries, and a meditation tent. In ‘Ecstasy and dance culture’ Nicholas Saunders looks at how modern rave culture reminds him of the hippie movement: ‘I felt symptoms familiar from taking LSD in the sixties… a kind of uplifting religious experience of unity that I have only felt once before…I felt much younger, almost reborn.’ (Nicholas Saunders, 1995)
Moreover, rave culture is a counter culture to popular culture. The expected social scene for young people today is to go to commercial and popular clubs. The dress codes of these establishments create an emphasis on image, which put a barrier of self-consciousness for the party goer. Women particularly are made to feel out of place if they do not conform to the pressure to look sexually appealing. How rave culture counteracts this is by offering an environment which makes ravers feel more comfortable. As raves are often in warehouses, tunnels and woods, people wear casual clothing, like boots and a warm coat. It is about the internal happiness and experience rather than your external image.
Moving on, Dr Russell Newcombe looks at the social manifestations of coming solely to dance and enjoy yourself: ‘The central role of dancing at raves is underlined by the absence of other common social behaviours such as conversing and sexual contact besides the total absence of aggression or disordered behaviour.’ (Dr Russell Newcome, 1995) Fights often break out in night clubs, where alcohol is the available drug. Although raves rarely have security, people tend to co-operate with each other instead of fighting as drugs such as MDMA, ketamine and LSD are preferred; the effects helping ravers to feel euphoric, empathetic and connected to each other. Where alcohol clouds and slows the mind down, the drugs widely taken at raves take people’s minds to a place beyond their usual state. ‘Raving can be viewed as a transcendental mind altering experience providing psychic relief to alienated people in a secular repressive and materialistic society. Ecstasy and other drugs are the keys that unlock the doors to these desired states of consciousness... a deeply desired escape from the constraints of the self and normal behaviour.’ (Dr Russell Newcombe, 1995) Here rave is described as a form of escapism from our present-day lifestyles, suggesting that it is therapeutic to people, helping them to find freedom through connecting with a social group and finding and creating a community to which they feel they can genuinely ‘belong.’
This community of people can be understood by looking at the ideas on Emile Durkheim. ‘In reality, a cult is not a simple group of ritual precautions which a man is held to take in certain circumstances; it is a system of diverse rites, festivals and ceremonies which all have this characteristic; that they reappear periodically. They fulfil the need which the believer feels of strengthening and reaffirming, at regular intervals of time, the bond which unites him to the sacred beings upon which he depends.’ (Emile Durkheim, 1912) Celebrants feel that they have a ‘place’ when they are at raves. But what are they celebrating? Life. Some want to find group approval within the public from which they feel ‘different,’ some want to celebrate their difference. Some want get together with friends in a place where they aren’t being watched and judged for their appearance or their actions. They are just socially accepted. They want to feel free. They are coming together in defiance, and as a resistance to the popular places from which they feel alienated. The more people come, the bigger and better raves are. But the right people have to come. People that will be friendly and peaceful enough to encourage police to let the rave continue, rather than shutting it down and making arrests. Although ravers feel angry that something as positive as raves are illegal, they are at risk of getting expensive light and sound equipment seized, and they know that it is in their best interests if they are nice to police. To be welcomed into the rave community and therefore be invited to raves, you have to be the kind of person that won’t make a mess at the location that will help take care of people who have taken too many drugs, and that is generally a friendly and co-operative person.
There is a ‘Zen’ feeling which is born from the social electricity of being within a collective of like-minded people who you can trust. The atmosphere is unmistakable, and this makes for a soulful and spiritual experience. This spirituality is in its strongest form at woods parties. There is a wonderful feeling of being ‘at one’ not only with the people around you but with nature itself, sitting amongst the trees around the fire evokes a primitive feeling. Settings like this help people to relax and forget the stresses of modern life.
Likewise, the music at raves being mostly wordless and repetitive is to put the group into a trance-like state, reminiscent of chanting and tribal rituals. The lasers and lights are bright and enthralling, making a sensory encounter as people not only listen to the all-encompassing music but become mesmerised by the visuals, vibrations from the sound system, and the smoke. Enlivening fire shows often take place for entertainment, so there is lots going on to capture the imagination.
Also, there is something to be read within the common slang such as being ‘off your head,’ which translates as a state of mind where you do not worry, or even think at all. You take your-self out of your every-day mentality and simply use the moment to feel clarity. This strikes me as a form of meditation. By focusing on the simple pleasure and activity of dance, therefore actively not thinking, the crowd reach a near-meditative state.
Keeping in mind this meditation, the movements that are relevant to my discussion are the ones fuelled by a pure love of music, as music brings people together, and helps them to reach this transcendent condition. The most relevant up and coming movement this decade is dubstep. Being the only genre to have been created post-internet, dubstep has grown at an alarming rate. It is a microns of drum and bass, achieving the wide spread success in five years that drum and bass did within fifteen. However I want to put aside the more commercial and popular music, which has branded itself ‘dubstep’ and look at the roots sound of the genre, where it came from and what it stands for. Dubstep emerged from artists from south London wanting to create something different and new out of the dwindling UK garage scene. The only thing uniting most of these tracks is a speed of around 140bpm so they can mix together well in a DJ set, and a focus on sub bass. Since these tracks are experimental and unique a good place to start to explain the movement is DMZ, the most influential dubstep night.
Their slogan is ‘Meditate on bass weight.’ This sums up the movement as it is wholly about ‘losing yourself’ in the music. Mala, DMZ’s co-founder says: ‘That’s why I say meditate, because when it comes to our dance, that’s what I want people to do. I want it to be a positive meditation.’ (Mala, 2006) Anyone is welcome, and the crowd that you find at dubstep events is a variety of people, who bond together by being collectively moved and into the music, within a chilled and relaxed atmosphere. There is also a dubstep record label named Deep Medi Musik. The name says it all, it is music designed to induce deep meditation. References to meditation and spirituality seem to come up frequently within the genre.
As Dr Newcombe explains: ‘To stretch the religious metaphor, DJs are the high priests of the rave ceremony, responding to the mood of the crowd, with their mixing desks symbolising the altar, (the only direction in which the ravers consistently face). Dancing at raves may be construed as the method by which ravers 'worship' the God of altered consciousness.’ (Dr Russell Newcombe, 1995) This to me encapsulates the ambiance of all raves; people have come to unwind, have fun and relax. But on a deeper level, whether consciously or not, they have come looking for something, whether it is social acceptance, musical exploration, enlightenment of some kind or inner peace. This is especially relevant to the DMZ nights, as they are held in an actual church.
I can relate the literal DMZ church, which is still in use, and the metaphor of the congregation and spirituality we have been discussing to theories of Durkheim: ‘A society whose members are united by the fact that they think in the same way in regard to the sacred world and its relations with the profane world, and by the fact that they translate these common ideas to common practices, is what is called a Church. In all history, we do not find a single religion without a Church.’ (Emile Durkheim, 1912) DMZ is a kind of divine hub for its music fans.
Moreover, to experience dubstep fans have to go out and experience it live, together, which creates a brotherhood of people who see each other and get recognise one another through events. This is because to get the full effect of the sound you have to hear it on record, mixed on a good quality sound system. The music doesn’t sound the same on a poor quality sound system or on digital cd players or laptops, as there are so many subtle elements to it. Some dubstep is not even released digitally. ‘We make free parties in the street; we don’t charge people to enter the parties, because we really want to make the sounds free. I always say that dubstep is a very specific kind of music, because you have to feel the sub-bass, on the dance floor…you have to feel this music in life, you can construct tracks as being weapons that you use to make people feel alive on the dance floor.’ (Bruno Belloumini, 2011) The crowd move in unison in an honouring and celebration of music to the mastery of a full DJ set, and feels part of the community being able to meet producers, chat to them and thank them at events. As the DJ’s themselves are genuinely interested in what they do, and each other’s sets, as it is not an industry led by capital or commodity. Their task is to create a mutual union between a crowd of people. It is about sharing their music with people who are moved by it. As Mala puts it: ‘I love playing music live, I love that connection with humans, I love people being in a room together and being energised and giving and taking energy- that flow and that circulation of energy and vibes.’
To stretch the meditation idea even further, there is also a dubstep record label called Deep medi musik. The name says it all, it is music deigned to induce deep meditation.
So far dubstep is a movement that has not been deeply and widely discussed in theory books. Most of the sub-culture writings I can find do not exceed past the movements of punk, grunge and hip-hop. Yet what is emerging now is a different kind of movement as there is no characteristic way of dressing. Commonly people who attend dubstep events wear an array of clothes, mainly casual, but there are no new or distinctive styles. What is new within this movement is the music which is why I feel it seems like these people are making a genuine feeling for them-selves, rather than making a point to others. They just genuinely want to communally enjoy their music.
As Tunnidge, a producer and DJ explains: ‘We all do really believe in it, you know. This isn’t about you tube, or getting radio play. This is about playing the music that we believe in, and everyone comes together, pushing our sound. It’s about progression; it’s about moving forward together, it’s definitely a journey.’ (Tunnidge, 2011) People involved in dubstep are becoming more and more aware about using music to advance and build a community.
To sum up, we have looked at how rave has grown and the political and social factors driving it, and at the difference between rave and dubstep scenes, and the popular clubbing scene. We’ve referred back to ideas on cult and meditation that are present in what is happening now. We have also explored the sound itself that is the driving force of the collectives emerging in today’s society, and how fans feel so moved they almost ‘worship’ the music. Movements fuelled by music bring together collectives of people with similar values, which help them to escape from a restricting society, and find a place amongst like-minded people. The parallels between rave and dubstep cultures and religion show that people are finding new ways to connect with their spiritual selves, create alternative communities together and find inner peace.

[DJSpekt]

wow... that's actually a really really good read.

[Pistonsbeneath]

wow... that's actually a really really good read.

it is...i hope more people have a read because its great

[Jacey]

Thanks mann!!

[cultural delete]

all good innocent stuff but your utopian scene is one obsessed with self image and hypnotised by stars and their wealth.

[scspkr99]

I kinda want to like this and I appreciate where the author is coming from but it's a tad naieve

[Pistonsbeneath]

all good innocent stuff but your utopian scene is one obsessed with self image and hypnotised by stars and their wealth.

it quite clearly says its not focusing on where it is now but where it came from and its roots, it's a wonderfully written article..what do you gain from trying to smash innocence anyway?

[scspkr99]

nvm

nice thoughts in the article irrespective of my own views so will applaud that instead

[Jacey]

all good innocent stuff but your utopian scene is one obsessed with self image and hypnotised by stars and their wealth.

It's not obsessed with self image stars and wealth , where did you get that? It actually talks about self exploration, and the lack of a focus on image within dubstep culture, and how it is a genuine movement, not powered by wealth. You got the complete wrong end of the stick there mate.

[Jacey]

I kinda want to like this and I appreciate where the author is coming from but it's a tad naieve

yeh your kind of spot on about the naivity in a way because I'm not writing about the movements as a whole, I'm writing about their relation to spirituality and religious practices, which makes it about 'utopian' ideals. Raves and stuff widely get covered in a negative way in the newspapers ect, I wanted to counteract this by writing only about the positives. The 'naivity' is pretty much a concious descision.

[scattybeanhead]

im guessing it's you that wrote it jacey, really good article. i was talking to someone just the other day about how music resembles religion more and more these days, have to wait and see what happens...

[scspkr99]

yeh your kind of spot on about the naivity in a way because I'm not writing about the movements as a whole, I'm writing about their relation to spirituality and religious practices, which makes it about 'utopian' ideals. Raves and stuff widely get covered in a negative way in the newspapers ect, I wanted to counteract this by writing only about the positives. The 'naivity' is pretty much a concious descision.

Which is understandable, is the audience academic?

Like a lot of what you wrote seems to have a resonance with how I want to remember raves and there are elements that I recall, it's been a while, but I'm not sure how accurate it is when viewed as a whole.

If the intent is to counter balance a lot of the negative press raves get then I get it, if it's an academic paper I think it's too one sided.

I like the way it's written though and applaud the sentiments

[dougriley]

this is an extremely embarrassing read imo

some things are best left unanalyzed... you either get it or you dont

[Staley]

On my social networking profiles I identify my religion as bassweight, and I know many others who do as well. This is a great read. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

[johnboy01]

this is an extremely embarrassing read imo

some things are best left unanalyzed... you either get it or you dont

that's a tad harsh, no? c'mon, be nice!

[dougriley]

I guess you're right... Nevermind the extremely, I'll keep it at embarrassing.

[didi]

I like the sentiment. It's reflecting on the dubstep vibes. The remedy to glamour clubbing.

[Jacey]

On my social networking profiles I identify my religion as bassweight, and I know many others who do as well. This is a great read. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.

Thanks alot and good idea i want to do that now haha

[4bstr4ck3r]

Nice read ! Big up to the writer !

[barber]

sick article, tells it all and makes me want to go out!! haah