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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Commercialisation of the dance drug scene

when i started rockin it was about the floor and finding your own groove and/or style and sharing the whole experience with your mates and newfound friends. as the scene supposedly "grew" i couldnt help but notice the dj become a superstar, the rockers get younger and the drugs more available- not a good mix in my book. yes i do belive the scene has "souled-out" and there aint nothin anyone can do about it. i still love old-school hardhouse, progressive hardtrance and a little psy, but only in the comfort home or someone elses and the park sometimes. goodbye dance scene you let me down or maybe drugs dont work anymore or maybe im just drug-fucked and washed-out? but i aint going back to find out. too many teeni-boppers and lables on everything just makes me sick. P.S.--- "THE HOME OF MELBOURNE'S UNDERGROUND" when its printed on hoodies and sold to hundreds of tryhards sitting in the carpark and the ample seating in the club when they should be on the floor?

[edit] off topic venue details removed.
 
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see, i find all these points extremely pertinant, but fail to see how they relate to the first post (i'm not being nazi, i just can't understand the first post =/ ).
people have always taken drugs.. they probably will, and as for trends relating to numbers taking at one point in time, they're just speculation. how do we know if more people are taking more drugs now? because we see more? is that really a satisfactory indicator?
 
when was it ever JUST about the music? I also think people got just as fucked up in 92 as they do now.

people always want it to be like it used to be and that will never change.. they were saying that in 95 then in 98 and again in 2000 and shall be forever.
 
Tsunami1
I'm not saying it was ever JUST SOLEY about the music because it wasn't, for me and for most on the scene around about 4 years ago it was about the music, the people, the drugs, having fun. Now for a lot of people its just about drugs. I'm not just another jaded raver who laments how things are and constantly complain about the way things are. Its human nature that we want things to be like they were in a good part of our life, so its only natural that people want the scene to be like it once was. By the same token if there was to be some revolution in the dance culture scene and everything was to change for the better then most would be happy for the change and wouldn't want things to be like they used to.

Dont get me wrong I don't dislike how things are at the moment, sure things could be better but I'm still happy to be apart of the scene. There are a lot worse scenes to be involved in that what we are ie. sleezy nightclub and angry pub scenes (not saying all pubs and clubs are angry and sleezy but thats is a culture in some pubs and clubs).

Beech out
 
again, i've had too much australian wine to do more than read a cursory amount of the above comments.. however, i'd like to say that here in north america, the increasing commercialisation of club drug usage and it's affiliation with electronic-dance music peaked by at latest 2001.. more probably by 1999... since then the drugs have persisted but the major growth sectors for their penetration has been within hip-hop and to a lesser extent indie-rock(!) culture.. our media here is constantly trying to characterize rave and dance music as dead.. and while this might mean artists within those genres have to try a lot harder, it also means that the drug culture associated with those scenes has become a lot more underground.. the negative aspect is that drug users involved with the scene have to try harder to get their drugs.. the positive aspect is that you have older partiers who are more interested in using drugs to enhance the music and environment as opposed to very young users who are using the music and environment to enhance their drug experiences..
 
For me one of the best parts about going out, was chatting to new people and hearing what they have to say about nothing or everything. It was such a friendly atmosphere and you would meet some really great people. It just isn't like that anymore. No one seems eager for a chat and sometimes the 'unfriendliness' reminds me of a 'drinkers atmosphere' not a ravers.

Lets all try to be that bit friendlier next time?;)
 
bah,
but how is the drug scene becoming more commercialised
am i missing something basic here?
to me, the drug scene has never really been that commercial. People have always taken drugs.. they've been illegal (or in restricted form) for a long time now.. how has it been commercialised? its not like there's some new fancy distribution system put in at 7-11s is there? (god am i really missing out on something?!)
dealers have always been there, and they've almost always acted in a heirarchial manner! how is this being commercialised?!
 
^^^ I think this thread is about it becoming more 'socially acceptable' by the masses... where the mass flow, they leave a trail of destruction in their wake........
 
Commercialised, you mean like One Perfect Day? If so, then yes. Apart from the producers, I don't think that film helped anyone in (or out) of the scene at all...

Or, commercialised as in $35 mix CDs, $55 E-testers, $65 dance events, and $100+ "rave" fashion stores? Some are worth the price, others are calling cards of the trend-cutters... and some are both ;)
 
Speaking from the perspective of a complete noob (in this community anyway), I want to stress that people finding the scene is not a bad thing, nor is it something that you should seek to discourage.

Everyone wants to try new things. It doesnt matter how long you have been in the scene for - at one point, you were new too.

At * on Sunday night I had my first proper pilling experience. It was by far the most amazing few hours I have ever had. I had the pleasure of peaking during BT's set, and it was wonderful. I had love for everyone, and I just can't stop thinking about how good it felt, how good the music sounded, and how happy i was to be there with my friends.

Maybe you shouldn't look down on newcomers to the scene, because perhaps they are coming in with a fresher and less jaded perspective.

Maybe.

[Edit: Venue details removed. Please read the Posting Guidelines. BigTrancer]
 
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^^^^ I agree totally. If it weren't for newcomers the culture would simply die when everyone became too old to go raving and clubbing (not saying what age that might be though!!). Most reasonable people do not look down on those who are new to the scene, they just hope that newcomers to the scene are there for the right reasons and are introduced through safe and appropriate channels.


beech out
 
:) :) :) :) :) :)

the psyscene is prodomintly underground !!!

and i think the more underground the better ... the parties i go to are 100% good vibes, good times, no big ego coming from DJ's ) ... there is absolutely no negative vibes, no egotistical assholes passing judgement left right and centre ... an interzone where you can be YOU and discover more about yourself without all the expectations of society

and doofs have a somewhat more spiritual/magical aspect then a rave.. I think maybe it is the communing with nature that puts everyone on such a similar wave length .... (possibly the acid?)

... and to whoever said underground was dodgey .. well how is it ?, I think dodgey is a scene that attracts heartless people who sell dodgey drugs, put out dodgey vibes .. and where you have to pay dodgey tax ... .. so the dodgey goverment can fight there dodgey wars!!! ...

.but seriously, I think there is a link between a scene's distance from mainstream society and how "true" the scene is ..... commercialisation of anything is not a good thing ... it cultivates GREED ... !!!!!

well thats my 2 cents

peece
 
Hi,

sorry to have not responded to your great discussions or to try to clarify my first post. I shall do the latter first: Yes your are right illicit substances have alway and will always have a role in nightlife. The paper I am writing however will look at the detrimantal impact that the commercialisation has had on party drug culture. As has been said here, the scene has changed. I was part of the UK scene in London for many years and have lived here for 4 years. What I observe is that the scene has been changed due to the public profile it now has as a result of it being commercialised. Our culture is being used by those outside of it to sell products such as cars and companies are even making products targeted at as. Red Bull for example has made a fortune off our backs and does nothing for us. People have seen $ potential and have set up nights that are just about making money. Nights that are too hot, not enought water, hot water coming out of taps etc... The evolution of the super club and Djs becoming god have taken away the core values that club culture is about. Comments here such as we now have to wear the right clothes, dance in a particular way scare me. It is not the sort of scene that I wish to be part of. Alcohol plays a key role too, mixing drugs and alcohol is ugly yet young clubbers are being intiated into such a scene. Gone are the days of feeling safe dosing friends and looking after each other openly without fear of law enforcement. It is not about numbers of people involved in the scene, it is how the scene has changed and the health harms that result from this. Commercialisation has in my view stripped us of our ownership of our culture. Someone I spoke to a few weeks ago said we used to have a culture and now it is just common. Commercialisation has put dance drugs in the media etc... this has demonised us and the drugs that are used on the scene, what used to be seen in the eariler days as a culture that was peaceful etc...is now being labled as young people being deviant and taking bad drugs. Well how can we protect this? How can we recalim what is ours? I know more and more people who are not going out and partying in their back yards. Mixmag for example used to be a great magazine. Over the past years it looks more and more like a soft porn magazine, the objectification of women stuns me. Is commercialisation responsible? I think it has powerful role to play. You are right to that it is not all bad...but, I think we need to do something about recaliming what is our, protecting and fighting for our human and health rights and ensuring that we have a role as consumers in our scenes. Well there are just some more of my thoughts for now...Look forward to more discussions with you all and thanks so much for this its great!!!!
 
i like your comments beech. im not sure if its just me, but I sort of feel self-concious about dancing in clubs now. I can remeber the days where I would go to {house club in potts point} or {house club in the city} and go off like a mother fucker. and event at Gatecrashers, Slinkies Utopias - it was all about going crazy, not caring. But nowadays, i sort of think, shit what is that person going to think of me?

I think that train of thought runs from the perspective that I tend to sit back and relax a little more, rather than being caught up in the moment of the new experiences.

I think that the fact that I have grown more older has taken away some of the unbridled innocence that you have when you enter the drug/dance scene. Beech and sweet tooth, i used to think like you did, but consider that your perspective has just changed.

Still i think that most people who come to the clubs or the events are just there to have a good time. .

Although i realise this is a particulary racist and generalised comment -

I do get really frustrated when i see a bunch of lebanese wankers at a club or event. They obviously have heard the promotion as the result of commercialism or word or mouth, and I dont think they are there for the right reasons some times. This is when i feel that commercialism has hurt the dance/drug scene. Because it takes away that certain sense of security that you had, because you belonged to a group that advocated PLUR. A group that had a common love for either getting completely fucked, or loveing the music more than anything else for that moment.


The conversations overheard by them in the toilets at times and their behaviour out on the dance areas shows that they arent there for the music, the vibe or the people.

Fortunately I've met some lebanese individuals there who are there for the ''right'' reasons, and i'm even sure there are a few other nationalities that are at clubs and events for the ''wrong'' reasons.
 
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mate just because their reason for being there isnt the same as yours doesnt mean they arent doing their thing and enjoying themselves. look peace love and all that shit but remember it is all about YOU and how you feel. personally i couldnt care if there are groups of ppl passing judgement. ive pilled off my face on a dance floor with 0 ppl, like 50 ppl sitting down watching and the lights were on. did i care, no i was peaking.... i personally like it more when there are cockforeheads there, they get to see what its like for a real piller to go off. bah ranting.
 
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