Where I live the first few experimental parties happened in the late 80s.. Didn't really happen enough to be considered a scene or a movement until the early nineties..
Continuously throughout the nineties it evolved in various forms. It came in waves sorta throughout the nineties with the arrival of different distinct genres. From what I understand and what is logical the whole mindset of the scene had to be different then. It was something new, something undefined, attracting experimental and open minded people. Once the whole scene is discovered and you can almost buy the lifestyle in a store, something is lost. However, to me the essence of it is just a movement of people who are into the music and trying to have a good time away from the mainstream.
Definitely existed an underground scene in one form or another all the way to the turn of the millennium. I had a blast as late as in 99 when i came into the scene, tho I was told it was nothing "real" like before. People claimed the scene was mainly just posers, easier digestible variations of EDM and drug-users compared to the early 90s. However it all really started to explode around 99 and peaked in popularity in 2001.. Drugs almost seemed mainstream and alot of people were in it for the wrong reasons obivously, attracting tons of destructive attention from the media..
Since then it is slowly dying out. Mainly due to police and authorities shutting down clubs and persecuting clubbers so intensively at these events that the whole idea of an underground and experimental and open minded atmosphere ceases to exist.
I'd declare the "ravescene" both as a club-oriented and a underground oriented scene as DEAD in Norway for the past 2-3 years.. Not enough consistancy in it to really involve, attract and recruit enough people over time.
What's left is mainly 25 year old + crowds at clubs spinning various forms of superficial house, on liqueour and coke looking for sex.
Occationally there's a party, but theres not really a scene or a movement thats possible to track down. There's just not enough happening due to a shift in trends it seems. A scene/movement needs recruitment and recruitment is non existant for the time being it seems. Kids are into bling bling, rap and hip-hop rather than going to raves and worshipping smileys.
Seems alot of the younger hard partyheads have moved onto the r'n'b/hiphop lifestyle these days.
Someone once said to me that the whole "ravescene" was the nineties. That what's left is only what used to be a huge movement, now slowly decaying and adding itself to history.
I was never quite able to forget that comment and it still bothers me a bit though I dont really believe it. Frightening thought, though I'm heavily involved in trying to promote quality events back on the agenda here. Once in a while some promoter throws a succesful event and it seems the same as it has always been, I can see the spark, the magical atmosphere and so on. It definitely helps inspire. Hard to maintain consistant and explosive clubnights here though, with the police acting like nazis.
Somehow I think its all a matter of recruitment and managing to market the scene correctly and to the right people. You need a certain amount of mainstream appeal even for an underground scene to live.
Wandered a bit off here maybe, but this is Norway as i see it anyway..
peace
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