Where do you dance if you missed the Electric Daisy Carnival?

July 17, 2009 11:03 PM

Is there a rave subculture, and how can I get in on it?

When I was in Holland, I met some people at my youth hostel who took me to some fantastic parties. Specifically, I remember a party held in a boat and each floor would have DJ's spinning a different kind of music. (So like, top floor was house, middle was drum n' bass, etc.) It was fantastic, and I've since become interested in everything electronic music.

Also bonus points for folks who know details of the rave scene in the bay area, because that's where I am for the summer. More general anecdotes and advice also welcome.

posted by theiconoclast31 to society & culture (12 answers total)

Join the list! Get out and meet people. Have a lot of fun. SF-Raves Mailing List
posted by Arbac at 11:07 PM on July 17, 2009

Oh, you gotta talk to Loquacious. He took me to my first rave, out in the southern California desert, and I'm pretty sure he's up in the bay area now.
posted by infinitywaltz at 11:11 PM on July 17, 2009

sunset parties, check dem
posted by jcruelty at 12:03 AM on July 18, 2009

I'd follow the dj's/music you are really into, i feel like thats a sure way to have a good time. A lot of these raves can be pretty cheezy/awful.
posted by mattsweaters at 12:11 AM on July 18, 2009

ravelinks! ravelinks! ravelinks! ravelinks!


generally, shows and DJs are talked about, flyers are posted, etc. don't get into the cattiness of the scene if you can help it. Just use it as in information resource and rave your face off.
posted by Jon_Evil at 2:39 AM on July 18, 2009

Hang out with the Burning Man crowd (the so-called "Burners"). There's a lot of overlap there.
posted by MrMoonPie at 8:37 AM on July 18, 2009 [2 favorites]

Purerave would be another resource, if they're still functional (the rave scene here largely imploded c. 2004, so I'm not sure what's going on anymore).
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 9:58 AM on July 18, 2009

Totally with MrMoonPie. Burners throw the best parties. Get on the Burning Man mailing list if there is one for your city. It's also a good way to get in touch with a community of generally cool individuals.
posted by Afroblanco at 10:10 AM on July 18, 2009

http://www.pacificsound.net/

I'd go to this if I could:
http://sanfrancisco.going.com/event-622761;dirtybird_at_Mezzanine_72409

seriously though, try the sanfranciscogoing.com site and search for events and places. I think this will help you a lot!

Look for parties with Galen, Solar, m3, Cle, that sort of thing if you want to meet a lot of friendly people.

You might also check out the Green Gorilla Lounge. Figure out who you like in town, then see where they're playing.

This might be outdated, but here's a DJ Directory for SF. You're too late for this weekend's campout, but yeah, the Sunset Parties are awesome.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 11:11 AM on July 18, 2009

You might also check out the Stompy guys, they're pretty great to hang with. Wish I knew more about either trance or dnb, but those aren't as much my genres as house, techno, IDM, minimal, ambient, industrial, etc.
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 11:21 AM on July 18, 2009

SFRaves still exists?

Well, you're sort of 10 (or more, depending on who you ask) years too late for the real heyday of SF raving. But there are still parties and they all sort of have their own subcultures, depending on the music and the people. The recommendation to go to Sunset parties is pretty good, because it is very easy to meet and talk to people while they are lounging around in the sun. Burning Man parties- I dunno, they listen to a lot of music that is totally random and you may find the general demographic older than you expect. I would classify Burning Man parties as "Burning Man Parties", and enjoy them for that particular brand of weirdness that is not really like raving. Besides, so many people are throwing "Burning Man parties"as benefits right now that you could end up at almost anything. Look for dj's you like and keep an open mind about what the thing you're going to might be like.

My recommendation is to look in SF Weekly for some club nights, go to that if it sounds interesting and the cover is small, and you'll get to know some dj's and their friends and be given fliers. People I know often play at Anu. Their calendar is useless, but Still Doin It is DnB, Faktion is techno, TRBL is breaks, dub, and electro...

I also recommend the rare parties at the Otherworld, Spaz, or 5lowershop warehouses, but they won't be like raves in Holland. Massives here are creepy and predatory, so if you go, stay on your toes and be wary of anything you might purchase.
posted by oneirodynia at 6:28 PM on July 18, 2009

Hey, welcome! I'll toss out some links to my favorite burning man sound camps & groups with a year-round San Franciso presence. Nobody really says 'rave' anymore, and if they do it's generally a younger crowd.
Space Cowboys, Opel / Opulent Temple, Acid Totem, an-ten-nae, False Profit, the Deep End. Sign up for mailing lists or RSS feeds.

Many DJs post their music online so you can listen and figure out what genres & artists get you going. A dubstep party will have a different vibe & audience than a trance event, or DnB, or house... so check out a variety & cultivate a taste. Definitely make it to some outdoor parties!

Event listings? A friend maintains SFSift, and there's going.com and the MML.

Oh! In SF, don't miss our epic street parties, lovevolution (formerly lovefest & loveparade) in October, and How Weird in May, and next weekend on the 25th is the Superhero Street Fair, all produced by the same collectives mentioned above. Seeya!
posted by Xelf at 11:28 AM on July 19, 2009