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Anti Vibe

The Religion of the 1990s Rave scene in Florida- A Memento By Sean Darkbloom

The Religion of the 1990s RAVE scene in Florida- A Memento

By Sean Darkbloom

Do you remember the fresh smell of the Florida air and the sweet sting of the wind through your hair while speeding down the interstate, windows down, blasting the baddess-ass Breakz track noone's ever heard at 1AM- your crew in the back seat rolling their asses off, while you all knew you were about to entirely "make" the vibe of the party?

 

Do you remember the feeling of the first dew drop of the morning at 5AM- while dancing with the hottest chick you'd never know her name- on a rooftop surrounded by palmtrees, overlooking the skyscape of the whole city that only you knew as it "really " was- listening to best damn downtempo DJ that you've ever seen?

 

I'm Sean Darkbloom- and I remember……….

 

It's not hard to piece together how or why it all started. Of course masses would come together just to "listen" to something so totally different from anything ever before. Sure there were elements of earlier genres-freestyle, b-boy, disco, etc…of course we imported the early House from Europe. But we transcended it somehow. What was created in Florida in the 90s was a movement- bonded together spiritually by a love of music- which we were creating as well as listening to. It could be said that the Florida Breakbeat scene in the 90s transformed itself somehow into an all-inclusive, self-sustaining organism. At some point the organism itself (the scene) began to morph on its on, eventually controlling even those instrumental in creating it.

 

Amazing…yes. So many of the anti-rave campaigns compared it to "the hippy" movement.

 

Others said it wasn't a movement at all, but simply a childish drug frenzy, while young America attempted to grasp the onslaught of new and improved designer drugs flooding the underground. So many believe that the spark went out overnight…without a fight. Others believe much like "video killed the radio star….Hip Hop killed the techno-star."

I hope to prove in this article that neither is true. In fact, the truth is we were fighting a battle…and won.

 

To compare the "Rave" scene in the 90s to the "Hippie" movement is a misnomer. First of all, the Hippie movement had a definite political motive…therefore it was easy to understand. The motive, of course…end the Vietnam War. In the meantime, of course...get as fucked up as you could, while having free-love sex with as many partners as you could physically handle.

 

The Rave scene, however, is much harder to pinpoint a motive to. Many have believed that is because there wasn't one- making it not even classifiable as a "movement" at all. This couldn't be further from the truth-it's just hard for anthropologists to understand that the motive was "SIMPLY MUSIC." This single fact puts the ‘Rave" movement closer to the early 20th century American Jazz movement- than the hippies. Folks had a hard time understanding jazz, too- provoking Louie Armstrong to his famous quote, "If you have to ask- you'll never know." Certainly, this is also true for the "Rave" scene.

 

So, if the movement's motive was music, what did we hope to accomplish? Simply, to make this new electronic music respected in the musical community. Artists in other musical genres disliked our love of "producers", the "unseen" guy in their circles. From early on rock bands and music "aficionados" accused our "techno" music as having "no integrity" and "no musical talent." We in the scene knew this couldn't be further from the truth. In fact, our music was much more complex than rock, hip-hop, or anything else. While these genres usually centered around 4 instruments –guitar, bass, drums, vocals- our music had no boundaries. We would often have an infinite number of multi-layered tracks, each winding through progressions of complex synth lines-often worthy of the great composers. Our music would often meld into beautiful soundscapes, incorporating traditional piano lines. So, while the world mocked electronica for having "no talent"- we knew the truth was "they" just didn't understand. In fact, we all felt like "champions for the underdog", demanding respect.

 

One of the problems with the scene, helping lead to its eventual demise, was that what we were fighting FOR, happened to be exactly what we were AGAINST. As we gathered by the thousands to fight for the respect of this new musical style, when it did morph into something mainstream- we hated it and turned our back on it. 20 years later, electronica is highly respected. Artists like Lady GaGa and 3OH3 have brought techno beats to the masses. Video games have put techno in the hands of 12 year-olds, and car commercials have created techno anthems. WOW- we won! 20 years later techno is still around, and more popular than ever. The problem is, it didn't happen exactly like we thought it would. Well, it never does.  Still, part of the reason the scene is over is that we have nothing to go back and prove.

 

The 10 year "scene" from 1990-2000 in Florida certainly went through a decisive change in its course. In 1993 when I was introduced to the whole thing as a definitive "culture" (not just sitting around listening to music), you would get off work at your construction job or whatever, still be wearing your work uniform, and show up at these late night parties, eat an ecstasy pill, and enjoy some good company. Conversation and the "personal journey" seemed more important than anything else.

 

I remember people who had been in the scene longer always looking out for those new to it. They would seek the new out, and ask important questions- like- "How many pills have you eaten?", or "Do you need a water?" The prevailing idea was that we were flirting with dangerous drugs, and it was the responsibility of those who had been in it longer to school those new to it. One thing that really struck me about the early scene, was the over-abundance of literature circulating about. Ravers had even created their own 10 commandments, including "never eat more than 2 pills a night", and "always know who you buy drugs from." By end of the scene- culminating with the US Government's "Operation Heat-Rave" campaign in December 1999- these early "commandments" had been long forgotten. We had become "heathens" to our own "religion."

 

I remember the popular slogan, "One Drug, One love"- which summed up in a nutshell that only ecstasy could help you hear this music correctly, and any other drug was not only unnecessary- but shunned. Other slogans began to turn up in later years, as more dangerous drugs creeped into the underground. "Together we stand- Divided we fall OUT"- explained that if we didn't watch each other, the scene would not only collapse, but you may end up in the hospital.

 

The "vibe", as we later described it, hadn't come into existence yet at these early parties.

Most of the "clubs" were just one room warehouses with a couple pool tables-but ALWAYS- had the best damn DJ you ever heard, spinning this "new" music. There were always couches available, for when you fell to your "personal journey." The dancing style we think of today hadn't evolved yet- you just closed your eyes and did whatever the music made you do. Noone judged you. It was your "journey." We all had our own to deal with.

 

By 1996, those same 1room warehouses had transformed into huge multi-floored complexes- with their owners proud to have come this far for the "music." Soon after, the "vibe" began to appear. The scene had seemingly gained a "spirit" which could be felt when we all came together to celebrate the music. But how long before that innocent spirit would sour? These massive temples which we had erected to this religion required massive funds to operate. Perhaps therein lies the beginning of the corruption and deceit- all done to help build something we all believed in-something we all "lived."

 

It didn't take long before the scene developed it's own "work uniform." Designer sweat pants, visors, and T-Shirts hit the late scene in swarms. By 2005, Ravers were creating their own clothing lines-many going on to gain national markets. You still wore your "work uniform" to the parties, but now it was your "SCENE uniform." Gone were the days of getting off work at the convenience store and coming straight in to the club. NOW, you went out of your way to look the part, covering yourself in Raver gear like Split, Alien Workshop, and even some national brands that had gotten involved (Puma, Adidas, etc).Those who didn't have the gear would become "shunned." The scene that originated as welcoming all, where everyone could be themselves, had changed. And the people changed- to FIT the scene.

 

What began as something everyone could be a part of- became something you had to "prove yourself" in to be apart of. And if you did "fit" in- you became part of the ever-building "vibe." I remember a conversation in the mid 90s with my friend Billy, a popular breakdancer in North Florida at the time. He said, as were driving to a party in Orlando, "You see- everyone's got a job- the dancer- the DJ- the drug-dealer. And if we all do our job right- the end result is a good "vibe." Good god, had we made drug-dealer a "respectable profession?" The scene had become both beautiful and dangerous.

 

In the midst of it all, it had also become a fashion show. Not so bad, right? We saw it as a good thing. Ravers were making the clothes, so buying them was supporting "us." The idea that the scene could support itself soon came to the forefront, quickly enticing fashion designers and promoters to invest even more. Was the scene becoming "respectable?" Was it becoming a self-supporting movement- or big business?

 

Some even believed it was becoming a real "religion." Perhaps it was the visions of too much acid and ecstasy- "candy-flippin", when you mixed the two together. Perhaps it was simply the power of thousands of vast oceans of ravers, coming together at huge weekend festivals-but yes…..

 

In the extreme underground there was some sort of unspoken religion beginning- which would only be talked about in confidence during the deepest of trips with trusted friends. And what that religion based itself on, was an "alien" element. At its core was the idea that something like George Clinton's "mothership" had placed the seed of life here, and that the formula for life, the universe, and everything (ala Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy) was embedded deep in our brains-only to be brought forward by (what luck) the massive amounts of hallucinogenic drugs we were putting in our systems. The slogan "Alien Vs Vampire", symbolized a separation of our spiritual movement from the previous electronic culture- "Goth."

 

I guess at the forefront of the underground "religious" movement, was the band "Rabbit in The Moon." Even in the two, very short conversations I had with Monk in the 90s, it was obvious that they knew they were doing something completely different. Somehow, Rabbit were able to meld the chainsaws and death/destruction of the previous Goth scene with the late-night Rave scene. Their dark/ethereal show, combined with dark/trancy breaks-seemed to tell a story- and in that story- seemed to be hidden references to this "Raver religion." Once, at a 4AM outdoor show, during a 3 day festival in Gainesville- Confucius even spoke of a hidden religion of some sort.

 

Looking back, I guess the funniest thing about Ravers creating their own religion-was that even those at the forefront of it, couldn't explain it. Go figure, half the time we could barely talk (lol). My opinion on the religious aspect?- There definitely was…"something." Was it the drugs which created this awe-inspiring feeling of "togetherness?" Or again, was it the shear power of the masses coming together? Certainly history shows us that when large crowds come together; there will be some sort of mutual feeling shared. Look at the flock to Mecca, the ability of Hitler to brainwash, Jonestown, or even just local churches. There are hundreds of examples.

 

There were occasions of "mass hallucinations"- things felt and seen by multitudes of different folks on different drugs- some even sober (granted, not many). The music itself seemed to have a hallucinogenic power- and if you could create a beautiful painting with your music- you would literally become a "God" in the scene.

 

I remember the Zen festival when BT came to Florida for the first time. It was beautiful. In fact, there were three tents with artists playing at the time, and oceans of kids everywhere. Within minutes of BT beginning to play, every tent cleared and thousands of Ravers jam-packed themselves like sardines- just to hear a glimpse of something they had never heard before. Something- beautiful. That night BT gained the nickname, "Mozart 2000." That night he became a "God."

 

Eventually, the idea of the "vibe" became more widespread, encompassing everything- the music, the people, the overall feeling of the party. Almost everyone believed in it now. Ravers believed that this entity could appear out of nowhere, much like the "Holy Spirit", coming down upon the party and blessing it with good times.

 

DJs themselves began to respect the enigmatic "vibe", feeling both responsible for it, as well as under its influence. DJ Keoki once told me, "The Vibe is out there (points upward), I just pull it down and put it on wax."

 

In the later years we began to feel something we had never felt before- a "BAD vibe." Had our spirit left us? Our religion was dying, right alongside our scene. Looking back on it, we should have seen the change from good to bad-the cops teargassing us, SWAT teams shielding us in to our doom, a friend shitting his pants on GHB and waking up in ICU, those in jail becoming fallen soldiers. Gone were the days of the 10 Commandments. Now you could eat 20 pills in a night and be a hero. I guess we could see the scene had become a black hole. I remember one night in 1998 my friend Colin simply asking me, "Whatever happened to the personal journey?"

 

So why did we keep fighting? We wanted to believe.

 

Hey, in the end….we won.

 

10 Years after "Drop The Breakz", I'm still doing it…just differently. Believe me, I Was, AM, and Always Will BE….Sunrise Society. I can just do it on my own terms now. The "vibe" is still out there. I think it's in all of us. As long as we're aware of it, it'll never die. Call me cheesy, but I feel better for feeling that way. Looking back on the Florida scene in the 90s…

 

sometimes I cry…..

But I always smile…….

 

I'm Sean Darkbloom….

And I Remember…..

 

Myspace/darkbloom

seandarkbloom@yahoo.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

About the Author

Sean Darkbloom is a self-proclaimed witch, and singer for the Goth-Metal band, Darkbloom, in Atlanta, GA.

KNOC launches hostile bid for UK oil firm
State-owned Korea National Oil Corporation (KNOC) announced a 1.87 billion pound (2.91 billion US dollars, 2.39 billion euro) hostile bid for British oil exploration firm Dana Petroleum.

Clamp Drum

Popular Brands of Drums

Drums can be divided into many types. Some of the common types of drums which are most frequently used are bass drums, acoustic drums, electronic drums and many more. The basic drum kit consists of a bass drum, floor toms, cymbals, tambourines, woodblocks, cowbells, electronic drum pads that trigger sampled sounds, and other accessory instruments.
Since there are many different drum manufacturers on the market, choosing a new drum set can be a little challenging. So, the best way to solve this problem is to get more and more information about the different kinds of drums and its components available in the market. It also helps a lot to get as much information about the various manufacturers and their respective brands of drums as well. Some of the well known brands of drums are being discussed in this article.

Different brands of drums

Yamaha- Yamaha first manufactured drums in 1968. In 1993 Yamaha came out with the Yamaha Enhanced Sustain System, known as YESS, for mounting drums. Early Yamaha drum equipment borrowed concepts from Ludwig drum set models. But it soon acquired a place among the top drum manufacturers and led the industry with its unique and innovative shell construction and finished techniques. YESS hardware minimizes shell to mount contact, allowing maximum drum resonance. In addition to making acoustic drum kits and hardware, Yamaha is also a major manufacturer of best selling electronic drums in the world. Popular Yamaha electronic drums are the Yamaha DTXpress, Yamaha DTXpress Special, and Yamaha DTXreme.

Tama- Tama made the first multi-clamp hardware, letting drummers easily extend their drum sets. Tama manufacture first focused on drum hardware, whose demand was increasing due to the rise of rock music, which required sturdy equipment for loud playing. Tama introduced the first boom cymbal stand in production and led the industry with rugged double braced 36 inch tripods.

DW- Drum Workshop or DW in short, is the leading new American drum company that offers a large variety of snare drum shell materials including aluminum, copper, steel, brass, brass and maple combination, a great selection of lacquered finishes, and various types of rims. In 1980, DW patented the chain and sprocket bass drum pedal drive system, which is the industry standard today. 1980s Drum Workshop also led the industry in manufacturing of double bass pedals based on their 5000 series. Today, DW is a leading custom drum manufacturer.

Ludwig- The Ludwig Company was established in America by two German-born brothers, the older William F. and the younger Theobald Ludwig. William F. designed pedals capable of fast tempos and high power, and had them made out of wood by a cabinet maker. The Ludwig & Ludwig Company started out by mass producing durable metal versions of pedals of William's. Ludwig drums were selling strong throughout the 1920s, but the invention of the talking movie, which decreased demand for live percussion, and the US market crash in 1929 severely curtailed Ludwig sales.

Pearl- Pearl drums, manufactured by the Pearl Instrument Company, are the most widely used drum kits today. In 1966 Pearl introduced the first professional drums kit under the Pearl name, the Pearl President. Pearl then became the first Japanese drum brand to make it in the United States and UK. Today pearl drums are manufactured in the United States, Taiwan, and Japan, with a corporate headquarters in Chiba, Japan.

About the Author

Victor Epand is an expert consultant for guitars, drums, and synthesizers. You can find the best marketplace for guitars, drums, and synthesizers at these 3 sites: guitars, bass guitar gears , drums, drum sets, pop drums, and synthesizers, keyboards.

can i convert my pearl eliminator double into two singles?

i have just bought a second bass drum and have heard you can change a pearl eliminator double pedal into two singles and there is a space for the spring and a bass clamp on the left pedal.
i have just bought a second bass drum and have heard you can change a pearl eliminator double pedal into two singles and if so how? (links to websites that show you how to do it would be usfull as well).

my friend has the same thing and yes you can change it into 2 singles..but u must have 2 different pedals in it..

Clear Batter

Nokia N95 8gb Pay as You Go: Option of Batter Dealing With the New Kid of the Mobile Phones

Mobile phones are useless without a good connectivity and dealing. there are many dealings availing in UK mobile market. Pay As You Go mobile phones deal is batter dealing for the users. Pay As You Go dealing would be the right choice for you. the advantage of the Pay As You Go deal is that you are free from all the hassles about the mobile dealings. You are free from all the contract dealings with the help of the Pay As You go dealings. In other words, If you have a tight budget and you want to remain aware about the usage of your mobile phone, then Pay As you Go mobile phones would be the right choice for you. With Pay As you Go mobile phones deals, you are not bounded by a contract.

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The two-way sliding opening mechanism makes the device even more stunning. Nokia N95 8GB Pay As you Go is an advance dealing because you are getting Nokia N95 8GB with 5 megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss Optics Tessar lens. Camera result is brilliant - even videos are so bright, so clear. Heavily cladode with features like autofocus and flash, the camera delivers brilliant results under any light condition. The Nokia N95 8GB houses a high performance music player which supports formats like MP3/AAC/AAC+ /eAAC+/WMA. Stereo FM radio with superb sound clarity is another cool feature in the phone. With built-in GPS Navigation, the Nokia N95 8GB turns into your guide throughout your journey. In terms of connectivity also, the Nokia N95 8GB satisfies everyone - thanks to Bluetooth, Infrared, 3G, WLAN Wi-Fi, EDGE, GPRS and USB. Other noticeable features include push-to-talk, TV Output, Office document viewer, CIF videocall camera, WAP 2.0/xHTML, HTML, SMS, MMS, Email, Instant Messaging, voice dial/memo etc.

About the Author

John-Daniel is expert about mobile technology and now working with contract orange mobile phones. He has written a lot of articles about mobile such as Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson and Motorola. He is doing research about new topics about mobiles. For more information about mobiles visit at http://www.contractorangemobilephones.net

Strong Armed
LOS ANGELES — Vicente Padilla took a no-hitter into the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday night. That was not a big story, not this year.

Carved Drum

Drum Sanders

Have you ever heard about drum sanders? Here's a bit of information about drum sanders.

Did you know the secret of ideal woodworking? The secret behind this is the drum sanders! Different woodworking job requires the need of drum sanders that offer wide applications. A drum sander is considered as a very aggressive appliance. A drum sander can be well used to sand off old bonding agent or paint, or if the flooring are slightly cupped or warped. These drum sanders can outstand the other types of sanders because the drum sanders allow you to sand much deeper. A powerful machine demands total attention, like these drum sanders.

Drum sander can cause and leave channels in your flooring if it is not used correctly. When removing only old floor finish and the floor is not that badly scratched, damaged or dented it is recommended that you don't use the drum sander. With the strength and power of the drum sander, it is therefore important to make sure that the job requires it.

There are many producers of the drum sanders. While you decide to buy one, make sure that it fits your budget. Look for drum sanders that come with service contract and lesser maintenance.

Drum Sanders are very expensive and you could start by checking for a used drum sander. Used Drum Sanders can be had from sales of used wood working mechanism. The may be presented on the internet or in trade magazines. Some times machines are out of corporation liquidation and priced for quick retailing. It is vital to look for experienced hands to aid you in selecting used woodworking machinery like drum sanders to allow you to purchase used woodworking machinery that is in good condition.

You could get in touch with known agencies on the internet or stores specializing in the sales of used woodworking equipment. It could be that not all of the machines may be listed on the web. And very often extraordinary sales by woodwork machinery producers may offer quite a selection of used and reconditioned piece of equipments like drum sanders. It would be significant here to look for brand names.

Testing the drum sander is always a great idea to check if it is finely tuned before you go in for the agreement. Through the planer and jointer you could operate a piece of scrap to see if it is good and square and flat. Under the drum try to place the plank and raise the table until it barely touches the board. Slide it across the table checking the dissimilarity from the bottom of the drum to the top of the board. A skillful craftsman should be able to see the workability of a second hand drum sander.

Floor Drum Sanders are the real workhorses for hardwood floor sanding. This enormous piece of equipment is so important that it requires two full grown adults to move it around. The drum sander composes of the sander itself, a large dust bag, and a drum on which you fasten large sheets of sanding paper.

Floor drum sanders are used to polish the floors down to the bare wood. The floor drum sander clears off the wax finish on top of the polyurethane even if the finish has worn through or if the floor has been stained or dented. It would be a good thing to purchase sanding paper at the device rental yard itself as you may not locate it your local Home Depot or hardware store. The rental yard workers will suggest at least three gradations of coarse, medium, and fine sanding paper. Be sure to acquire extra sanding paper, as most rental yards do buy back unused paper. But you may need to verify this first with them.

The floor drum sander cleans off the bad spots, the high spots, stained spots, blemishes, paint splotches in fact everything from the flooring. It really takes the floor down to bare wood. Unluckily, if you're not cautious, you can carve unsightly, stable grooves in the wood. It's easy to strip off a quarter inch of wood without even observing it. So the job involves careful concentration all the time.

About the Author

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Drum Sanders
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Round and round
Whirl of memories is all that remains of carousel that spun at Akron park Ride's fate after park closed remains unclear