You might hear the term “rave” and wonder what people actually mean when they say partake: raving involves music genres such as house, techno and EDM. House music came about in the ‘70s in New York and Chicago after disco had started going out of style. Frankie Knuckles was a prominent DJ and record producer in the ‘70s, a gay Black man who is largely credited with creating the basis for house music as we know it.

The terminology for “house music” is believed to have come from record stores shortening music from "The Warehouse" to the simpler, “house.” The Warehouse — where Knuckles was well-known as the resident DJ — was a members-only dance club where many of the attendees were Black and gay men. Knuckles' career flourished here, along with other key players who were instrumental in the development of house mixing techniques. Other prominent people include Larry Levan and DJ Ron Hardy. Black women also played a pivotal role in establishing house music, but are largely left out of mainstream house history. Some notable female artists include Stacey "Hotwaxx" Hale, Ultra Naté, and CeCe Peniston. One woman worth noting is DJ Sharon White, a bisexual woman who played several clubs in New York City. She noted how the gay scene supported her and her work, recognizing the first club she played at as the Number 1 Club, a historically gay venue in Manchester (Jaguar). Techno, on the other hand, was created in Belleville, Detroit by young Black men. Some influential figures in this genre’s development include Kevin Saunderson, Derrick May, Juan Atkin and more.

To delve further into rave culture and what it’s like today, I interviewed an anonymous Emerson College student about their experiences raving.

A: [In the US], raving started in the late ‘80s to early ‘90s with underground parties. [...] We use this thing called P.L.U.R. which [stands for peace, love, unity and respect. And, you know, you can symbolize it with a handshake that a lot of ravers do — if you partake in that — but the whole reason why I like raves is because of the American terminology of P.L.U.R. [It] just is safer for me, as an individual. It's safer for someone with disabilities [and] it's safer for someone who's neurodivergent.

Tara Byrne: When you say raves are safer, do you mean safer than clubs and concerts or just parties?

A: Raves, in particular, are very safe because of P.L.U.R. and because of them [historically being meant for outcasts], whereas clubs and parties are for people who were often included. Raves were specifically for people who were excluded from those scenarios, like people [with neurodivergence], people who were bullied and a lot of nerds. It's really interesting that there's a place for everyone at raves – like, the entire foundation of rave culture in America is to just come as you are.

A lot of people may go with groups to stay safe. A lot of people rave solo – I don't personally choose to because that's just not my journey. But, for some people, they rave solo and sober. It's all up to the individual and how they want to approach that kind of event, versus in a club, where you're constantly on guard. People are constantly coming up to talk to you, whereas with raves, you can only [speak to or approach] someone with [their] consent. If someone denies that consent, you are not allowed to talk to them. Just be respectful as possible,that’s the baseline of rave culture [and etiquette].

Raves are very inclusive to all historically oppressed communities, which is why I like them the most – especially as someone who's autistic, you would think I’d have sensory issues, that I would not like to socialize, I have a large, space bubble that I don't want people to intrude. So, that's what I like about raving: people there actually respect that boundary. Not only do they respect it, but they also experience the same [or similar] things. With my space level, you're not allowed to cross that border without my consent. With socializing, you're not allowed to talk to me without my consent. You're not allowed to touch me without my consent. If you want to exchange gifts — which is what people do with the P.L.U.R. handshake — you exchange a bracelet or a gift. You don't have to know the person's name, you don't have to get their number or their contact information. You don't have to know anything about them. It's just a symbol of “I see you. I love you and you should love yourself and I'm happy that you're here.” [Gifting] is just a symbol for that, it's very positive. There are some negative connotations to it, but I like [gifting] for the positive aspects.

TB: How do you communicate that you don't want to consent to something?

A: Usually — this is the best case scenario with an experienced raver — there's different ways to signal [consent or lack thereof] to someone, kind of like in ASL. So, you wave hi. [...] What I do, because I usually have a fan on me, is I fan them and say "Hi!" Let's say I am approaching you at a rave and I have my fan and say "Hi." Then, you say something nice about them. You say, "Hi, I love your hair,” or “I love your outfit." If that person responds, great. If they don't and they just nod and say "thank you" and turn around, that's a sign not to talk to them. You can always say "Have a nice day, stay safe" or something. Someone [can] respond, “Thank you, you too," and then you [could] respond by asking], "Do you want to exchange bracelets?" You can exchange bracelets using the P.L.U.R. handshake. Once you complete the handshake, some people like to end [it] with a hug, but it [would be] very obvious. Some people, especially those with autism, don't want to be hugged. You can, of course, say "Thank you, I'm not ready to be hugged right now, but I do appreciate your presence and I hope that you have a nice time." You then walk away.

TB: How does exchanging kandi bracelets work?

A: Yeah, so the thing about the handshake is it's a symbol. What you can do is if you have friends with bracelets you can exchange with them if you feel okay with it, or if someone exchanges a bracelet with that friend, they can give it to you. The whole meaning behind the handshake is for the bracelets. Some people pass out little hair clips that have little sprouts on them or they have little rubber duckies they pass out to people. Usually someone [asks], "Hey, do you want [a rubber duckie]?" You can always say yes or no. [...] Kandi is such a large piece of the culture. [Ravers] are gonna give you some other stuff for free, so yeah, you don't have to always give a handshake. It's just a good welcome signal.

TB: Do you have a favorite rave you’ve been to?

A: My favorite one was when I went to a rave for a very specific DJ, Sullivan King, my favorite – favorite DJ of all time. He [does] a mix of metal and dubstep and he also collabs with [some of] my other favorite artists, [like Exogen] – he is my absolute favorite DJ]. I went with three amazing friends who were all “rave babies.” For me, that was when I was a little rave mommy, [so] I was like, "Does anyone need water?" Then, "Does anyone need shots because everyone is a little tense,” because the opener was too long. That was my absolute favorite [rave] because I also had a moment where I was able to solo-rave a little bit. I had my scarf — in rave culture, some people call it a pashmina, some call it a scarf — you put it over your head and it signals to people, “Do not talk to me. Do not approach me. I'm just here for myself.” Then, I gave it to a friend who was having some really bad anxiety at the time and that really helped them: then they were off to go hang out, calm down, just enjoy themself. I [later] went up to the front with the large handlebars. I just was head-banging, enjoying myself in the music. I had never been to a rave yet with one of my favorite EDM artists, so I was like, “This is amazing.” Even though we left early, it was still one of my favorite raves I have ever been to, solely because I was with people I love [and] people I trust.

The Roots of Rave Culture