Rave On

High school student organizing giant rave featuring international DJs

Publication title: Edmonton Journal
Pages: B1/ FRONT
Publication date: May 29, 1999
Dateline: Edmonton Section: City
Copyright: Copyright Southam Publications Inc. May 29, 1999
Author: Sandra Sperounes, Journal Music Writer

Mike Orban is in the middle of the wildest two days of his young life.

On Friday night, the Grade 12 Strathcona high school student attended his graduation banquet. Then he was host at an after-grad party. The fun is to continue tonight, when the young entrepreneur will throw a rave party at the South Side Sports Arena.

Orban has hired 14 DJs, including four from London and Los Angeles, and is expecting hundreds, possibly more than a thousand, people to attend. Tickets start at $17, the same as his age. No drugs or alcohol are allowed. His mom will help him work the door while his sister, a registered nurse, will be on hand to take care of any possible emergencies.

Orban won't divulge the cost of the shindig. But ask for a ballpark figure and he's more than happy to oblige. "Between $10,000 and $30,000," he says blandly, while fielding questions, answering his cell phone and pager and trying to stuff a sandwich into his mouth.

Orban is paying one of the DJs, MC Fearless from London, as much as $2,500. "Plus flights, feeding him, taking him to West Ed," says Orban. "It's not cheap."

The young entrepreneur has been working since he was 13, when he and a friend started a computer company. The two serviced computer networks and assembled and sold hardware. Orban gave it up in 1998 to concentrate on his final year of high school. He plans to study commerce at university this fall.

First, though, he hopes to make a bit of cash on Saturday night.

"There's a potential to make a lot of money, but there's an equal potential to lose just as much. It's a high-risk, high-stress investment," he concedes.

Orban is taking several chances. It's his first attempt at organizing an event in Edmonton, although he has worked for a Calgary rave company, Rype Productions, over the past few years. This effort will feature jungle music, or fast, continuous drum and bass beats -- a style big in Calgary's clubs, but one which hasn't caught on in Edmonton.

"I thought I'd introduce Edmonton to a really big jungle act and see what they thought," Orban says.

If all goes well, he plans to organize another this summer. He has spent hundreds of hours organizing the event -- hiring security, booking flights, printing and handing out flyers, getting sponsors and renting sound, light and visual equipment.

His efforts don't win praise from his teachers. He says he was once suspended from school for using his cell phone in the hallway - - he was talking business at the time. And Orban's parents, particularly his dad, worry his line of work is not particularly the safest, since raves are often thought to be synonymous with drugs.

"But (my parents) know I'm responsible enough to stay away from drugs. I get a lot of support from them," says Orban.

As for his friends, they don't share his enthusiasm.

"Most of my friends don't go to raves," he says. "They don't like the music as much as I do."

"Young promoter Mike Orban was once suspended from class for using his cell phone."
Photo credit: Chris Schwartz, The Journal

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RAVE ON

What: Chain Reaction
Featuring: Fourteen DJs, including MC Fearless from London, and DJ Rectangle, DJ Ty and MC Kmax from Los Angeles.
When: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. to Sunday 8 a.m.
Where: South Side Sports Arena, 10525 72nd Ave.
Tickets: Available at Divine, Colourblind, F/X Audio, Glam Slam (Hub Mall), Farside (W.E.M.)

Music: Predominantly jungle. Translation? "Continuous drum and bass beats," says rave organizer Mike Orban. "There's a lot of different branches of jungle. There's ambient drum and bass, which you can just sit back and listen to, or there's crazy congo stuff where you think you're in the middle of the Korean War."

Restrictions: No drugs, alcohol, weapons, felt markers or pens.

Illustration

Chris Schwarz, The Journal/ Young promoter Mike Orban was once suspended from class for using his cell phone/ 990520.SWZ ;