The death of warehouse parties and much more...Could melbourne be next?

[~Sgt.Smiley~]

Did anyone go to PURE FLOW 4? - For those that didn't, the NATIONAL FLOWER CENTRE is a fucking wicked WAREHOUSE venue. & an event at the very same venue is happening in 2 weeks.
So instead of just complaining about the lack of warehouse venues, lets just really enjoy the ones that do come around. If we all rallied and thousands of us rock up to Pure Flow 5, then these so called 'profit driven promoters' will act on this and give us more. Which is what we want isnt it???

 

[PeterPoppa]

"Punks not dead, it's just not in the news anymore" Freaky; 2000 ...
Never has a truer word been spoken. Punk is not dead, however the public perception says otherwise. Whilst this example of the "degeneration of youth society" has continued unabated, since we no longer hear of our 'moral majority' or our 'watchdogs of public decency' denouncing the Punk movement, or calling for ammendments to various laws, we (rightwing/religious/conservative Australia)safely assum: "there is no problem:... Out of sight, out of mind.
So, perhaps if the rave scene does return underground, we might be left alone for awhile...
Hey Haste... You might be better off reading Che Guevara's book: "Guerilla Warfare"

Nothing better than a popularist insurrection to teach them politicians a lesson or two

Note PeterPoppa slowing sliding back into immaturity......
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"Revolution is the opiate of the intellectuals..."
Peace, Love and Empathy
Peter Poppa

 

[Sir Jon]

Sounds much like the CJB in the UK. No gatherings of more than ten people listening to music with a repetative beat were the rules but nothing really came of it apart from clubs took over as the main venues for 'dance' orientated music. It only gave police powers to act and rarely were they enforced, perhaps a few sound systems seized. You now get to dance in a club all night, which i reckon gives a much better atmosphere.
Only last month we had a Love Parade which coincided with the belgium one. 300,000 at an outdoor event, with rep beats (so pretty illegal), but it was licensed ie the govt get their money. In the event there were 10 arrests, pretty good for the amount of people.
The only problem i find now with the 'death' of the old style rave in a cave/field is you get the people stuck in their ways who can't move with the time moaning on about how its not what it used be back in '88 the pills aren't as strong etc. 'Quit fucking whinging and move on'

 

[[serotone]]

Hmm...Pure flow 5 yes well im there but by warehouse parties i don't necessarily mean just ones that cost 47 bux...I'm talking in general.
Personally I believe the only way to help the scene is to hide the scene, and parties like pure flow and hardware, while being all good and professionally done do not contribute anything to keeping the scene low key, especially when tv ads start coming around (like for welcome 2000) and the like. There is no changing peoples minds towards believeing the scene isn't full of drugs, because really, it is. IF we want to keep our precious scene, underground is probably the only option (thats not impossible) at present. I mean, yeah there will still be illegal/underground parties happening if it the law comes down on us, but that doesn't have to happen if we all stick it out and do the sensible thing.
So while its all good to say yeah lets support the big guys, the only REAL way to stick it up the medias ass is to go to PURE FLOW STRAIGHT. As with Two tribes, earthcore NYE and welcome, im expecting to see a big multi page feature on PURE FLOW 5 in the age and herald sun, outlining how many '16'year old kids were on god knows what and blabla. So the only way to win in this situation is to NOT be on drugs. But that is never going to happen, not that i can see.....or am i wrong?

 

[haste]

Seretone - I agree with you in many respects. However people turning up to these events not on drugs is not going to happen and therefore its not an option. As I have stated before, I really believe that downsizing the scene will be a good thing. At this present time we need to get to the point were we are not in the media's eye. Goevernments act upon the media, remember this is about votes in the end not people.
As mentioned earlier, the punk movement is not dead, it's just not in the media's eye. We really need to get to that point. Fuck these 10,000 plus parties where about 8,000 of them are dickheads. I'd much prefer to be in a room of 500 freindly people passionate about the scene and the music. Nothing beats a close and intimate party. Yes I understand that big commercial parties attract big names....but you must see that all this is at the same time killing our scene.
In the end it's a matter of where you want the rave scene to go. Increasing media reports of drug abuse and public pressure is only going to add pressure for governments to shut parties such as these down. Is it the answer to solving the drug problem....fuck no....but like I have said before....out of sight out of mind....don't have a problem if no-one knows about it. So lets use this to our advantage and turn into a scene we are proud of. I see it as progression, fine tuning the good points and discarding the crap. Lets use the downscaling of the scene into something positive and beat the bastards at their own game.
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"Never trust a man who, when left alone in a room with a tea cozy, doesn't try it on" - Billy Connolly

 

[[serotone]]

Well at present myself and krew's I'm associated with are involved in such small intimate parties, those attending parties such as forbidenn and the frantic freelands will agree that these parties were pretty much successful. In the case of illegit parties, I'd expect that the key players in the melbourne scene would be against organisers of these, and have caught wind of previous cases where rocking, illegal or illegit (whatever word u prefer) have been shut down by police acting on a tip off from certain well known party organisers. Whether this is true or not, something must be realised. When you're at the stage that HArdware corporation or Agent Mad are at, you don't worry about little itsy bitsy things. Yes I commend them for doing what they do to a proffesional and high standard of quality, but in the end pretty much all revolves around the buck, and getting as many people in through the door as possible.
So in a way, perhaps the big 10000 people partys are those that will cause our scene to die more on its ass....
[This message has been edited by [serotone] (edited 13 September 2000).]

 

[[serotone]]

keepin the thread alive...

 

[djxlr8]

Guys, i guess ur about to go through what we went through here in Syd back in 93-96. What killed warehouse parties for sydney though was the large numbers of underage (as low as 12) kids that started to frequent the raves, that coupled with happy/hardcore music that they luved eventuated with events like Anna Wood & the guy that got shot @ Graffiti.
We were also up against the mayor from South Syd Council (where most warehouse parties were held) who was against ANY type of party, the police who would attempt to close any party as soon as they became aware of it (and not afraid of using force if necessary - like what happened at S11) and promoters calling the police on rival promoters parties.
Anyway the end reult was the formation of the "Dance Party Code of Practice" which basically outlawed any type of party which was not fully council & police approved. obviously this meant that only the largest promoters survived, the others either gave up & disappeared, went bush or club based.
Why am i telling you all this.....
because i don't want to see what happened to Sydney (having a mad party scene) to happen to Melbourne! If you want parties to survive, it WILL have to be a COLLECTIVE effort, just one or two groups will not be able to overcome govt/media/mainstream influences because you will not have the NUMBERS or POWER to defeat the mainstream. you need to NETWORK, not just people in the "scene" (promoters,dj's, party people) but with the record labels, equipment hire & production companies, media - written as well as internet, even real estate agents, venue owners & insurance companies. You need to make contact & explain to all these people HOW it will effect THEM if these parties aren't allowed to continue.
Don't let Melbourne die like Sydney!
Tim

 

[[serotone]]

Fucken wh0rd!
Thats what we need..however i can't see that happening man, as sad as it is......coz some peoples heads need to be brought down from the sky, and/or removed from their asses. Man, people are to comfortable with the weekly drug routine to give a shit till its too late....
or are they..

 

[Cowboy Mac]

my 2¢. where do these so called ravers come from when they attend 10,000+ parties at 2 and 4 etc, most of them arnt ravers, people just checking it out, there would be about 3000 party goers with proper attitudes towards the scene, whether that be music, drugs, treating fellow people at raves etc. the other 7,000 are those whom the commercialism of the scene is cashing in on.
After attending smaller warehouse parties such as hardware, belfast, etc. its clear that the same faces keep popping up and those are the real people behind the scene. One of the best parties this year for me was at forbidden freeland, with a few hundred real ravers with the best vibe and attitudes to match. With the warehouses becoming more rare means the scene becomes more low key, filters out the other fools ruining it for us, leaving the core of what we want, possibly to reimerge later at more warehouses.
In saying this though am i in no way saying the lack of warehouse parties at the moment is a good thing, however can be view also in a positive and negative light.

 

[Decimal Dan]

Ok, after Pure Flow 5 this weekend, I am now convinced the death of BIG warehouse parties will be a good thing.
Yes, that's right. Here's why.
I was relatively straight at Pure Flow 5 this past weekend. My first impressions as I walked through the door were promising - it was set out quite well. I walked through the first room, and the sound in there was great. No reverb, bass, body feel. Then I walked into the main room - the sound was absolute garbage. Reverb, no bass, no feeling.
I met up with some Bluelighters (THANK GOD) and bopped along with them. But as we finished all our talking and starting dancing, I noticed that the atmosphere there REALLY SUCKED. No-one was smiling unless they were REALLY off their face. When I dance, I like to look around and dance with others - INTERACTION is what it's called. Tried doing this and what did I get? Nothing.
Now I'll admit that the Surgeon didn't exactly play banging music, but the sound system didn't do his minimal set ANY justice. And when Ruskin played his 3-deck mayhem, the only time the crowd went off was when they heard a track that Will-E-Tell always plays.
Summing up, the crowd sucked (apart from the Bluelighters of course - you guys made my night), the sound sucked and if you weren't off your face on at least one pill, it was extremely difficult to have a good time.
I compare this night to when I've been to a gig at The Palace to see The Advent, or Dave Angel. The sound is excellent, and the crowd - well fuck. They're great! When you dance, you actually get interaction with others, you get smiles, you get PEOPLE WHO APPRECIATE THE MUSIC NOT JUST THE FUCKING DRUGS!
Sorry everyone, but these big warehouse events attractive dickheads, kids who just want to get off their faces and people who want to go and have a laugh at "ravers".
Good riddance to the big warehouse party and all the crap associated with them. Small, intimate parties are the way to go. And they are so much cheaper as well!!!
A very enlightened and pissed off Dan.
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Two nuts walked past a bar - one was a beer nut.

 

[haste]

DecimalDan - I was also straight at Pure Flow at let me say that I seen and heard the same thing!
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Careful with that axe Eugene....

 

[[serotone]]

fucken wh0rd t0 u dan and mr.cowboy
I didn't end up going to pureflow, but i was at two tribes this year, and while I enjoyed the music and the lasers and all those nice expensive things that come with big parties, the crowd sucked.
Apart from being bumped up against by sweaty half naked guys with big egos, I don't appreciate spending 70 bux on a ticket to a party to see fights, attitude, and ppl i would expect to see at the local pool joint.
Man, the only way our scene can go that will benefit in future is DOWN DOWN DOWN UNDER THE GROUND WITH PIPEZ N WORMS...
pipeznworms...hmmm EEK
What a great idea...
I mite call my party that maybe...

hehe./...
cool
yeah well i hate commercialism...it reeks.
okay bye

 

[Anjele]

I think a lot fo the problem with raves and the rave scene these days is that being a 'raver' has become a fashion statement. People walk around wearing the raver gear, speaking the raver lingo and turning up at the rave events just because it's the thing to be doing now.
It's damn hard to find ravers that are the real thing: that are there for the music and the atmosphere, not just because all thier friends bought tickets, or the event was publicised everywhere and they thought it might be socially rewarding to announce to everyone that they are going.
I don't want to be biased or anything, but the "look at me" ravers seem to be the irresponsible ones.
And it's people like us - bluelighters - that are doing our best to help the scene stay alive as it used to be. We are helping by promoting responsible drug use through the site. We are helping by letting it be known that hearing "I can swallow 15 pills a nite" is not attractive. (And I did hear this sentence very recently). When the 'fashionable ravers' hear and see our disgusted reactions to these things hopefully they will have no choice but to alter themselves (purely because what they are doing is not as fashionable as they thought) and hopefully the problem will be addressed.
This board is a massive step in the right direction. Why don't we be the ones to make a stand and publically promote responsible drug use at raves.
It has been tossed around before (by Johnboy I believe) and I think it's a fantastic idea: that bluelight has a kind of a stall at raves that promotes responsible drug use by selling EZ testers and pamphlets for bluelight.
I think it's about time we fought back against anti-drug campaigning by having our say in a positive light.

 

[haste]

WOW I think this an awesome idea Anjele - a Bluelight stall at raves - do we know what the lagalities are to this sort of stall. I would love to get invlolved in this, how do we start the ball rolling?
p.s. Good to have you back Anjele, missed you heaps!!! Big Huggzz

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Careful with that axe Eugene....
[This message has been edited by haste (edited 24 September 2000).]

 

[[serotone]]

Yes i agree with you 100% anjele...i mean what is a raver? like...am i less of a raver than say someone else because i don't wear wonky wear or take drugs or stay till the end of every party i goto?
While i haven't actively been in the scene for too long as a pose to others, I can say i've loved the music for years before my first party and am dissapointed at the scene. Who the fuck am i to talk ppl might be asking, especially th0se fashionable ravers, but we are all free to speak our minds.

 

[MíkeySåmmy]

leslie st has been a good example of a fun, friendly warehouse underground vibe that is happening now. and i just hope there are more like this and less like the docks.
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Nine out of every ten munkE's recommend cocopops.

 

[GhOst]

the BL stall idea sounds excellent...
n guess wat? if we get it going, there will no longer be problems wif meetups n missing teepees anymore!
i think a gd place to start would be at MUD parties, where the organisers r more responsible than those of future n hardware...
>'.'<
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~littleHKlaserTriPPeR~

 

[Mr. Horse]

I dont want to offend anyone here but I dont agree with A LOT of the things said here.
Firstly, nexus and serotone (doesnt that name have a direct influence to serotonin, thus MDMA?) whether you like it or not, drugs play an absolutely monstrous part of the rave/club culture everywhere in the world, especially ours. Please dont preach about not using drugs at parties to a group of people whos sole aim is to learn about drugs and how to use them responsibly. Drugs with the "scene" is something that will never go away. Ecstacy and our "Culture" (I hate that para-phrase) go hand in hand. This board was originally started to educate people about the use and effects of MDMA and for about 98% of the people, this remains the case for the members of this board.
If you dont take drugs, then thats cool and I can respect that, but please dont come here and preach to us about not taking drugs at parties when this board is purely based around drugs. I think just about all of us on this board take drugs responsibly and we go to parties for "the right reasons" (as you put it)
I love the music. If a party has shit music, then I will leave even if I have great drugs for the night. If the music is absolutely rockin and I am straight, then hell yeah, I am gonna stay. But i'm not going to stop taking drugs because some little turd has gone and OD'd and "wrecked" the party scene.
As for the diminishing rave scene, I believe that was inevitable. It is now basically the most popular form of music and lifestyle for young kids (and adults) and the government has caught on.
I really like the comment about punk not being in the news anymore. But I have a thoery about that. The punk scene is probably really great now, with only the real punks in for it. Its all these flakey people that jumped on the band wagon when it was popular that made it the "big bad phenomenom" back in the 80's. Now, I reckon these people have scene this "new great thing" called the rave scene and have come and spoiled it for the people who were already enjoying the music 10 years ago. So, when the next big thing comes along, we will be left with a damaged, but repairable scene. Maybe i'm talking bullocks, but I reckon this will be the case. All I know is that you wont be able to force it underground, its simply way too big and popular now. You might be able to get small groups together for small, underground parties, but as for the scene, I think its impossible.
Anyway, this is a useless rant and ive lost the point, but yeah, keep it real!
oh, and as for the bluelight table, this idea was tossed around ages ago and nothing happened about it, so perhaps its time to REALLY make a go of it. Haste, you seem like the type of person to get things done! You should be out leader!! hehe

 

[haste]

Thanks for the vote of confidence Horse and yes I want to further explore the possiblity of a Bluelight Information table at parties. I will really need peoples help on this. If anyone is interested in exploring this please email me so we can get together (if you are in Melbourne of course). Baring some legal reasons I will make this a reality. Serotone if you are serious about your passion for the scene,(and through talks with you on icq, I know you are) here is a chance for you, and anyone else for that matter, to have an imput into our beloved scene. Are we playing games here or are we serious about what we say!!!!
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Careful with that axe Eugene....