Publication Title: Montreal Gazette
Publication Date: May 8, 1993
Section: NEWS
Page: A1/FRONT
Authors: Fair, Chris; Tarasofsky, Barry
A condom wrapper is the promotional handout for the party. The coat-check girl in the alluring mini-skirt and fishnet stockings is really a man. The walls vibrate from the pulsating techno music and the steamy, seductive dancing inside makes the lambada look tame.
The party is called a rave and it is the latest cultural phenomenon to hit North America.
Raves made news in Montreal last weekend when police shut one down at the Palais du Commerce on Berri St. and a melee ensued. [JPX says: See a picture here.]
But they've been in Europe since the late '80s and the rave scene hit the mainstream in Montreal this year.
A rave is not just a gathering with music. It's a scene, a fantasy land, a huge warehouse party where thousands of people under 30 get together, dress up in sexy, retro clothes from the '70s, take psychedelic drugs and dance until dawn to electronic dance music called techno.
"We've been trying to mix cultures at these parties by bringing together black people, gays, straight people, freaky people - the idea is togetherness and dancing together is a great way to achieve that," said Christian Pronovost, owner of InBeat Records, a store that deals exclusively in dance music.
Raves are a spinoff from the house-music dance scene that developed in Europe in the late '80s. House music is one type of electronic dance music, made with computers, drum machines, samplers and synthesizers rather than musicians and electricians.
Techno, which is played at raves, is also electronic music, but less melodic and with a much faster beat. Where house music has a definite melody and is similar to disco, techno uses industrial sounds on top of the quick drumbeat.
DJs pipe the thunderous recorded music through huge sound systems while surreal light shows and wild images dance across the walls and ceiling.
Stress on safe sex
A rave oozes sexuality and there is a strong gay presence. But unlike at the love-ins and rock festivals of the '60s, there is always an emphasis on safe sex. Condoms are readily available.
Black and white, gay and straight, man and woman dance wildly in the main rave chamber or go to an ambient room to "chill out."
A carnival-like promenade features virtual-reality computers, vitamin-enriched concoctions called "smart drinks" and temporary tattoos.
For the 10 to 15 promoters who organize and run the raves, this isn't just partying - it's a living.
Creating this stunning atmosphere takes not only weeks of preparation and planning, but big money as well. The organizers of last week's rave estimate they spent up to $30,000 for the party. But the rewards are considerable. With tickets selling for $15, organizers planned to make $15,000 to $30,000 in profits. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people showed up.
The term "rave" has no particular meaning but is believed to have been coined in Britain, playing on the idea that the partygoers were "raving lunatics."
Raves became popular in North America last summer when thousands of young people began to check out these huge, all-night dance-a- thons with hi-tech laser-light shows and psychedelic visual displays in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto.
"We definitely saw techno and house music and the whole rave culture reach out to a large new audience that had never been reached before," said DJ Keoki, music editor of the pop culture magazine Project X in New York City.
In Montreal, the rave scene took off this year. It evolved from underground warehouse dance parties in the late '80s that involved a few hundred people. After the house-music club Crisco opened in the fall of '91 at Sanguinet and Ste. Catherine Sts., underground dance music became more accessible and popular.
Crisco closed a few months later but the scene grew. Warehouse parties began attracting thousands of people and occurring more frequently - several a month - over the next year and a half. The larger techno parties were called raves.
The parties are promoted by word of mouth and with glossy color fliers that are circulated through record stores and cafes here and even as far as the U.S. Two days before the rave starts, partyers call a special phone number listed on the flier where a recorded message announces the exact location.
Most raves don't serve alcohol, but one in March had a bar. Psychedelic drugs, however, have played an important role in the rave movement.
While LSD is still popular, Ecstasy has been the drug of choice since raves caught on in Europe. Users say the drug gives them a sense of euphoria and keeps them going all night long - until 7 or 8 in the morning.
"Ecstasy allows me to let go of my inhibitions and feel everyone else's positive energy," says 25-year-old artist and rave-goer Jayson Rowat.
But local promoter and DJ Mark Anthony, 24, insists that drugs cannot be purchased at these parties.
"Raves and warehouse parties are not a front for drugs," he said. "People will get the drugs before they come to the parties."
"There's alcohol or drugs in every bar," said rave-goer Jennifer Browne, 24. "People are smoking pot or drinking or doing coke.
"Ecstasy is just a different drug in a different scene and I don't think it's any worse - in a lot of ways I think it's better." The rave experience comes from the music and dancing, not from drugs, says local rave DJ Tiga.
"A rave is not about drugs at all. I guarantee you that you would find a lower percentage of drugs among 3,000 people at a rave than at a lot of clubs," 19-year-old Tiga said.
Promoter Stephan Bouzaglou says a new generation of teenage rave-goers is drawn to the ideas behind the '60s counterculture. "A lot of young people who are ravers aren't into the drugs at all. They're into the hippie culture without really realizing what it is," he says.
Anthony says there's a big difference between the teenagers who have just discovered raves and the older people who experienced the warehouse scene.
"For kids coming from the suburbs, it's a trend to be at these parties, but for those of us who have been around for years, it's a lifestyle. We're going out to get f----- up and dance all night. It's a medium to do drugs in. For them it's a fad."
People in the older crowd insist they are not "ravers" - they reserve that term for the newcomers. Most have jobs in clubs or restaurants and build their lives around the partying. For them the parties are much more than just a night out, and they look down somewhat on the younger set who have brought their underground world into the mainstream.
Teens want in
Almost gone now are the secretive, small-scale parties. Raves are all the rage and every teenager wants in.
"There's a lot of people who really want to become a part of it. Anything that's big is trendy and younger people are always trying to make their place," said Jamie Lazaris, co-organizer of last weekend's rave.
The relationship between warehouse parties and the police has been rocky. Two years ago, one such party in Old Montreal was raided and several people were badly beaten by police.
Since then, police have managed to control parties by threatening organizers with shutdowns or jail. But things got out of hand last weekend when the organizers of the rave on Berri St. ignored police instructions to close at 3 a.m. and the riot squad moved in.
'Totally safe'
The organizers insist they had their permits in order and the police had no right to shut the party down.
"There was nothing that could go wrong. It was totally safe and there was nothing illegal about this party," said co-organizer Ben Waldman.
After several partyers were injured by police, Station 33 director Michel Beaudin announced that an internal investigation would be held into the conduct of officers at the scene.
"I decided it was necessary to hold an investigation to find the officer or officers who were particulary brutal in this event," he said.
Waldman and Lazaris said they want the police to realize raves are not about drugs and are not violent or unsafe.
"I'm hoping there'll be a little bit more of an understanding of what's going down at the next party," said Waldman.
Despite occasional trouble with the police, the movement continues to grow, the kids are still dancing, and the techno music still shakes the walls.
But Anthony thinks the rave scene "is going to hit its peak this summer for sure, but after that I think it's going to burn out."
Tiga doesn't see it that way. "Eventually raves will be the single biggest youth movement. And just like everywhere else, it's fairly unstoppable."
ILLUSTRATION: GAZETTE, DAVE SIDAWAY/ Rave-goers Plastik Patrick,
head in lap of Jennifer Browne, feet in hands of Jayson Rowat;
Stash (centre, with shades) leaned on by Marie-Claude McLemorie
with Louise Willis (top left) and Ingrid Short (top centre).
A condom wrapper is the promotional handout for the party. The coat-check girl in the alluring mini-skirt and fishnet stockings is really a man. The walls vibrate from the pulsating techno music and the steamy, seductive dancing inside makes the lambada look tame.
The party is called a rave and it is the latest cultural phenomenon to hit North America.
Raves made news in Montreal last weekend when police shut one down at the Palais du Commerce on Berri St. and a melee ensued. [JPX says: See a picture here.]
But they've been in Europe since the late '80s and the rave scene hit the mainstream in Montreal this year.
A rave is not just a gathering with music. It's a scene, a fantasy land, a huge warehouse party where thousands of people under 30 get together, dress up in sexy, retro clothes from the '70s, take psychedelic drugs and dance until dawn to electronic dance music called techno.
"We've been trying to mix cultures at these parties by bringing together black people, gays, straight people, freaky people - the idea is togetherness and dancing together is a great way to achieve that," said Christian Pronovost, owner of InBeat Records, a store that deals exclusively in dance music.
Raves are a spinoff from the house-music dance scene that developed in Europe in the late '80s. House music is one type of electronic dance music, made with computers, drum machines, samplers and synthesizers rather than musicians and electricians.
Techno, which is played at raves, is also electronic music, but less melodic and with a much faster beat. Where house music has a definite melody and is similar to disco, techno uses industrial sounds on top of the quick drumbeat.
DJs pipe the thunderous recorded music through huge sound systems while surreal light shows and wild images dance across the walls and ceiling.
Stress on safe sex
A rave oozes sexuality and there is a strong gay presence. But unlike at the love-ins and rock festivals of the '60s, there is always an emphasis on safe sex. Condoms are readily available.
Black and white, gay and straight, man and woman dance wildly in the main rave chamber or go to an ambient room to "chill out."
A carnival-like promenade features virtual-reality computers, vitamin-enriched concoctions called "smart drinks" and temporary tattoos.
For the 10 to 15 promoters who organize and run the raves, this isn't just partying - it's a living.
Creating this stunning atmosphere takes not only weeks of preparation and planning, but big money as well. The organizers of last week's rave estimate they spent up to $30,000 for the party. But the rewards are considerable. With tickets selling for $15, organizers planned to make $15,000 to $30,000 in profits. Between 2,000 and 3,000 people showed up.
The term "rave" has no particular meaning but is believed to have been coined in Britain, playing on the idea that the partygoers were "raving lunatics."
Raves became popular in North America last summer when thousands of young people began to check out these huge, all-night dance-a- thons with hi-tech laser-light shows and psychedelic visual displays in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Toronto.
"We definitely saw techno and house music and the whole rave culture reach out to a large new audience that had never been reached before," said DJ Keoki, music editor of the pop culture magazine Project X in New York City.
In Montreal, the rave scene took off this year. It evolved from underground warehouse dance parties in the late '80s that involved a few hundred people. After the house-music club Crisco opened in the fall of '91 at Sanguinet and Ste. Catherine Sts., underground dance music became more accessible and popular.
Crisco closed a few months later but the scene grew. Warehouse parties began attracting thousands of people and occurring more frequently - several a month - over the next year and a half. The larger techno parties were called raves.
The parties are promoted by word of mouth and with glossy color fliers that are circulated through record stores and cafes here and even as far as the U.S. Two days before the rave starts, partyers call a special phone number listed on the flier where a recorded message announces the exact location.
Most raves don't serve alcohol, but one in March had a bar. Psychedelic drugs, however, have played an important role in the rave movement.
While LSD is still popular, Ecstasy has been the drug of choice since raves caught on in Europe. Users say the drug gives them a sense of euphoria and keeps them going all night long - until 7 or 8 in the morning.
"Ecstasy allows me to let go of my inhibitions and feel everyone else's positive energy," says 25-year-old artist and rave-goer Jayson Rowat.
But local promoter and DJ Mark Anthony, 24, insists that drugs cannot be purchased at these parties.
"Raves and warehouse parties are not a front for drugs," he said. "People will get the drugs before they come to the parties."
"There's alcohol or drugs in every bar," said rave-goer Jennifer Browne, 24. "People are smoking pot or drinking or doing coke.
"Ecstasy is just a different drug in a different scene and I don't think it's any worse - in a lot of ways I think it's better." The rave experience comes from the music and dancing, not from drugs, says local rave DJ Tiga.
"A rave is not about drugs at all. I guarantee you that you would find a lower percentage of drugs among 3,000 people at a rave than at a lot of clubs," 19-year-old Tiga said.
Promoter Stephan Bouzaglou says a new generation of teenage rave-goers is drawn to the ideas behind the '60s counterculture. "A lot of young people who are ravers aren't into the drugs at all. They're into the hippie culture without really realizing what it is," he says.
Anthony says there's a big difference between the teenagers who have just discovered raves and the older people who experienced the warehouse scene.
"For kids coming from the suburbs, it's a trend to be at these parties, but for those of us who have been around for years, it's a lifestyle. We're going out to get f----- up and dance all night. It's a medium to do drugs in. For them it's a fad."
People in the older crowd insist they are not "ravers" - they reserve that term for the newcomers. Most have jobs in clubs or restaurants and build their lives around the partying. For them the parties are much more than just a night out, and they look down somewhat on the younger set who have brought their underground world into the mainstream.
Teens want in
Almost gone now are the secretive, small-scale parties. Raves are all the rage and every teenager wants in.
"There's a lot of people who really want to become a part of it. Anything that's big is trendy and younger people are always trying to make their place," said Jamie Lazaris, co-organizer of last weekend's rave.
The relationship between warehouse parties and the police has been rocky. Two years ago, one such party in Old Montreal was raided and several people were badly beaten by police.
Since then, police have managed to control parties by threatening organizers with shutdowns or jail. But things got out of hand last weekend when the organizers of the rave on Berri St. ignored police instructions to close at 3 a.m. and the riot squad moved in.
'Totally safe'
The organizers insist they had their permits in order and the police had no right to shut the party down.
"There was nothing that could go wrong. It was totally safe and there was nothing illegal about this party," said co-organizer Ben Waldman.
After several partyers were injured by police, Station 33 director Michel Beaudin announced that an internal investigation would be held into the conduct of officers at the scene.
"I decided it was necessary to hold an investigation to find the officer or officers who were particulary brutal in this event," he said.
Waldman and Lazaris said they want the police to realize raves are not about drugs and are not violent or unsafe.
"I'm hoping there'll be a little bit more of an understanding of what's going down at the next party," said Waldman.
Despite occasional trouble with the police, the movement continues to grow, the kids are still dancing, and the techno music still shakes the walls.
But Anthony thinks the rave scene "is going to hit its peak this summer for sure, but after that I think it's going to burn out."
Tiga doesn't see it that way. "Eventually raves will be the single biggest youth movement. And just like everywhere else, it's fairly unstoppable."
ILLUSTRATION: GAZETTE, DAVE SIDAWAY/ Rave-goers Plastik Patrick,
head in lap of Jennifer Browne, feet in hands of Jayson Rowat;
Stash (centre, with shades) leaned on by Marie-Claude McLemorie
with Louise Willis (top left) and Ingrid Short (top centre).
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