I have a feeling that the young generations of today and rebellion go hand in hand. Some would say that it is in the nature of teen age to rebel, but judging from what I hear from my own parents, a story which may be confirmed by many other parents, is that even if they did want to rebel, the voice of obedience was often much stronger. Their own parents must’ve been much more intimidating. 
Today, in the age in which rebellions thumping sounds are what we call mainstream music, from hip hop to trance and techno, it looks like the young generation is winning. Only a couple of decades ago this kind of music was frowned upon as mind washing, overly seductive and drug use inducing and people have and probably still are literally forbidding their kinds to listen to it, let alone go to one of those huge parties
Yet the number of these parties and the number of attendants seems to be growing! The once considered “hard” electronic music is becoming mainstream. This music very often invokes feelings of self power and thereby rebellion to anyone who says you can’t do what you really want.
There is only one problem. People who love this kind of music, and despite criticism from their elderly go to these parties, often go only to get themselves “wasted” or to “have a good time” or even to find a (sex) partner…
It could be more, however, if the mentality of rebellion is brought a step further. I could say that the rebels have the music, but still lack the determination and a target. The electronic music culture seems a little like the anti-globalist movement, but with a twist. They both love to make lots of noise wherever they go. They both come in great numbers and they both have a sense of rebellion in them. It’s just that anti-globalists, when they come to one of their “parties”, that is, protests, shout and scream and wave signs and flags and even sometimes do material damage in their agitation towards the perceived enemy, the target, the powers that be, like the G8 group or the Bilderbergs.
Their problem? What the hell is their solution? They have the target alright, but they seldom offer anything they fight FOR. Like, who would they replace the G8, the Bilderbergs and the worlds corrupt governments with??
The electronic music culture of rebellion is similar. They’ve got that kick (pun not intended), but it’s not channeled towards anything but “wasting” themselves. Many on those sensational trance parties talk about “energy”, “love” and “connectedness”, but where do they channel these things? Maybe this energy could be channeled towards a particular shared goal? Maybe the electronic music culture of rebellion needs to define a target and a goal of its own. We feel rebellious, but who are we rebelling against and what are we FOR?
Bottom line is, I’m essentially advocating a merger between what is essentially entertainment and activism. Both have enormous power within them. Entertainment, like electronic music in this instance, can get people incredibly energized, fired up and excited. Activism needs exactly these elements to fuel its campaign for a particular cause. Merging the two is an explosion waiting to be detonated.
I will, in fact, probably be working on this sort of thing. My last post was incredibly vague and impulsive, but it does have something to do with what I am talking about here. 
The culture of rebellion will be powered up. Ingredients are there. We just need to mix them up.
July 29th, 2008 at 7:23 am
>> often go only to get themselves “wasted” or to “have a good time” or even to find a (sex) partner
Although I have to agree that getting wasted should not be the goal of that party (after all, if you achieve this “goal” too soon you’ll miss out most of the party) I don’t see anything wrong with having a good time.
) and get through the night (which is hard enough without getting wasted).
I used to go to those mega-parties (and also smaller events and to clubs) to have a good time. This did not involve getting wasted, or looking for a pretty girl to share the night with, although I have to admit to have kissed one or two girls on parties over the years. But hey, I guess nobody would refuse that kind of spontaneous development, right? As said, I go there to have a good time, and that, in my opinion can, but doesn’t need to, involve meeting a girl (okay, now that I’m married that part is over anyway).
My “goal” on these parties always was to enjoy the music, see the acts I want to see (which sometimes can be hard, in terms of choice, but also in terms of how many people stand in your way from one area to the next
Okay, so much for that.
>>Many on those sensational trance parties talk about “energy”, “love” and “connectedness”, but where do they channel these things? Maybe this energy could be channeled towards a particular shared goal?
) to one place to celebrate their music and that this all can happen without people causing trouble and starting slaughtering each other already carries a huge message!
What about Love Parade? Just recently it was held again, this year in Dortmund, the home of the Mayday. Btw, in two years it’s going to be in my hometown (not the new one, the original one).
Love Parade started out as a demonstration for love, piece and unity. And it is only because of the politicians that it lost this status!
I personally think that an event that draws 1.5MP (MegaPeople->Million People
Over the years I have been to many techno-parties with more than 20000 people (Mayday usually get about 25KP, Nature One as far as I know more than 60KP and Love Parade usually over 1MP), and I’ve been also to smaller events and different clubs (my “home-base” used to be the Poison Club in Dusseldorf).
I also visited discos of other musical styles, and I can tell you first hand that the mentality is totally different.
On Mayday/Nature One/Love Parade/… you step on somebody’s foot (and it happens a couple of times, it’s unavoidable) and both wave, shout “Sorry” and that’s it!
But there are also scenes (I won’t point fingers here) outside the world of Techno that handle this differently, there you have to be careful on who’s foot you step; it can get you in trouble.
I’m not saying that Techno-folks in general are the friendlier people and the others are all assholes, as I always say, you can find assholes everywhere, but in my experience techno-parties are just a much more friendly and happy environment.
I actually could go on like this a lot longer, giving examples for energy, love and connectedness, like the Irish guy I met at Koblenz train-station on his way to Nature One, because way over there in Ireland he heard there’s this great party in the beautiful, little town of Kastellaun (~8000 people, the town, not the party) and decided to travel all the way all alone by himself to get this experience.
These parties may be based in Germany, but they draw international attention. Love Parade is held in cities all over the world, there are international Maydays and the original parties draw people from all over Europe (and partially even from all over the world).
Being part of the crowd lifts you up, while still being an individual, and not just part of “the mob”.
You get to know people, often only for the time of the party, but real friendships can form through just “running into somebody”.
One of my best friends is a guy who simply happened to have his tent right beside mine on Nature One ‘97.
I suggest that if you get the chance to go to one of those mega-parties you absolutely should take it. It is so much different than going to your favorite club.
Then you may experience the energy, love and connectedness of the raving society.
July 29th, 2008 at 7:57 am
> Although I have to agree that getting wasted should not be the goal of that party (after all, if you achieve this “goal” too soon you’ll miss out most of the party) I don’t see anything wrong with having a good time.
I don’t see anything wrong with that either. I meant those as the *only* reasons for going. Perhaps it could be something more.
Besides having a good time is about actually feeling good and that’s what entertainment is all about alot of the times. When a rational dimension is added, like combining in a message of some sort, like a message of freedom and personal independence and personal power, the good feelings may be channeled towards that cause in a rather powerful way.
So I don’t see anything wrong with any of it. I’m just suggesting additional purposes.
> Love Parade started out as a demonstration for love, piece and unity. And it is only because of the politicians that it lost this status!
Well, that’s certainly good, but in all honesty “Love, peace and unity” are kind of vague. I mean, I could right this moment hear Scooter (yes, Scooter
) shouting these words in his otherwise pretty silly dance tracks, but somehow it doesn’t seem to have any meaning to it. I guess these terms are too washed out for their use alone to be enough.
While it’s true that love, peace and unity is what events like Love Parade largely involve, which may be sending a particular message (that it is possible for huge masses of people to come together without violence even to such energizing music), it doesn’t really get any deeper point across, not at least one most people would notice.
OK, I’m biased. My message personally is aligned with my voluntaryist and therefore anti-government views, but these views are at the core “individualism” which is common to both anti and pro-government perspectives. Classic capitalists are also individualists, believers in the power of an individual and his personal liberty, and what we have today in the world in fact violates capitalism as it was supposed to be. It does allow the state, but not the kind of regulation and intrusion in people’s lives that we see today literally across the whole world, with very few exceptions.
So speaking of rebellion, maybe a message young party goers who may also like to think about these issues, should be a little more explicit and a little less vague than that. My personal message would be that no law and no government governs me. I govern myself, and yes I’d jump and scream in that name, and I’d make music with those overtones.
> I’m not saying that Techno-folks in general are the friendlier people and the others are all assholes, as I always say, you can find assholes everywhere, but in my experience techno-parties are just a much more friendly and happy environment.
I gotta agree. I didn’t go to many hip hop or rock parties, so I may be a little off, but somehow the hip hop crowd doesn’t strike me as “friendly”. Most violence and gangstery that I hear about seems to come from the hip hop culture. Rockers on the other hand like to shout REALLY loud, but otherwise seem pretty introverted.
But yes, so far it’s been hard to notice much unfriendliness in whatever trance/techno/house party I’ve been at, and I’ve experienced that same thing about people apologizing to each other for even the smallest of accidental “offenses”.
I probably will attend a bigger party at some point, but right now I’m still rather conservative financially so I’m not spending much on those sorts of things.
However, I’m occasionally going to some local parties and there’s going to be a probably good one on August 29 here. 
Cheers!