{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-article-tsx","path":"/raveculture","result":{"data":{"primeArticle":{"slug":"raveculture","excerpt":"A community bonded by a shared love of music or pervasive drug use? Explore the reality of Los Angeles’ rave culture.","headline":"Peace, love, unity and recreational drugs","author":"Megan Fu","authorbio":"","authoremail":"","authortwitter":"","coverimg":"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/raveculture/1.prime.rave.courtesy.8-67718c7c6cfecb1083779f6556754ba7.png","covercred":"Megan Fu and Seth Van Matre","coveralt":"Photo of laser beam lights at a rave","articleType":"article","updated":"Editor’s note: The following article mentions instances of drug use and death that may be disturbing to some readers.","content":[{"type":"text","value":"Donning my Amazon LED cat ears, “Euphoria”-inspired blue eyeshadow and a white skirt of questionable length, I both look and feel unrecognizable from my normal self."},{"type":"text","value":"“What am I doing here?” I think as I weave through a sea of unmasked, sweaty and scantily clad bodies."},{"type":"text","value":"It’s Dec. 31, and I’m at one of the biggest raves of the year – Countdown NYE in San Bernardino, California."},{"type":"text","value":"Lit up by thousands of blue, pink and green neon lights, UFOs and alien decor transform the National Orange Show Event Center into an early 2000s sci-fi movie set. Thick clouds of sickly sweet vape juice and marijuana smoke fill the air. It’s almost 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but with everyone’s combined body heat making it feel closer to 80 degrees, guys are comfortably shirtless and girls can remove their jackets to show off their lingerie."},{"type":"text","value":"So how did I – someone who exclusively listens to soft indie pop and groans whenever EDM plays in the car – end up here?"},{"type":"text","value":"After months of resistance, my friends convinced me to attend my gateway rave in November. And to my own surprise, I bought tickets to another rave soon after."},{"type":"text","value":"Over the past few months, I’ve fluctuated between experiencing the thrilling highs of laser lights and synthesizers and the humiliating lows of catching COVID-19 at a rave and driving a total of 20 hours to and from San Francisco for a two-hour performance. But for better or for worse, these experiences have been two of the most memorable weekends of my college career."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"So how did I – someone who exclusively listens to soft indie pop and groans whenever EDM plays in the car – end up here?\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Kiara Tatsuno, a student at Pasadena City College, had a much younger start to the rave scene, attending her first rave at 16 years old. As a junior in high school, she was the youngest member of her group and was extremely nervous to go. But the rave community embraced her with open arms."},{"type":"text","value":"Tatsuno attributes this community atmosphere to rave culture’s philosophy of peace, love, unity and respect – commonly referred to as PLUR."},{"type":"text","value":"Peace means radiating positive energy, love means sharing a connection with others, unity means fostering a welcoming community and respect means treating others with compassion, Tatsuno said."},{"type":"text","value":"Raves provided the sense of community she lacked at community college, she added. In her application to USC, Tatsuno cited the newfound belonging she feels in the rave community as the reason for her desire to attend the school, which boasts its own rave community."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Photo of Tatsuno in pink outfit\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/raveculture/1.prime.ravenp.1-aac2235a8931d66d339c778cc13b3dca.png\",\"credit\":\"Megan Fu/Daily Bruin staff and Seth Van Matre/Daily Bruin\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"She recalled how at Countdown NYE, she spontaneously bumped into a rave circle she met months prior at a different rave. It felt like no time had passed between them, Tatsuno said, and she stayed with them the entire night, dancing and screaming song lyrics."},{"type":"text","value":"“The people you meet during these raves – it’s life changing,” she added."},{"type":"text","value":"In 2021, Tatsuno spent around $3,000 on raves, she said, including outfits, tickets and travel fees. She documents her rave adventures for an audience of almost 20,000 people on TikTok. Tatsuno also recently joined a Discord server for rave content creators called the House of PLUR. Describing it as a place where fellow EDM fans can meet each other, share song recommendations and bond over a love of the culture, Tatsuno said she finally feels like she has found the friends she was looking for in community college."},{"type":"text","value":"And Tatsuno is not alone in this feeling."},{"type":"text","value":"Student A, a fourth-year human biology and society student, said she has adopted the role of a “rave mom” in her constantly growing rave circle. According to Urban Dictionary, a rave mom is tasked with making sure everyone is enjoying themselves, staying hydrated and staying safe – especially if members are doing drugs. Because raving is inherently a group activity, she said her group is always expanding as she meets “second-degree” and “third-degree” friends at every rave."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"The people you meet during these raves – it’s life changing.”\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Student A, who requested anonymity out of concern that attending raves might impact her professional opportunities, also impressed me with her academic prowess. She said people are often surprised that she’s both a raver and a pre-med student, but she added that it’s common at UCLA to be both academically competitive and a frequent raver."},{"type":"text","value":"Before joining the rave scene, I’ll admit I would have been surprised to hear ravers could be such strong students. I saw ravers as nothing more than partiers seeking cheap thrills. This misconception was quickly proven wrong as I grew more involved in the culture and met countless people with a better work ethic than myself studying diligently to make time for raves."},{"type":"text","value":"Tatsuno said that despite the image she puts forth on social media, much of her time is dedicated to studying and maintaining her near-perfect GPA. She prioritizes time management and adopts a “work hard, play harder” mentality, she said, allowing her to attend raves as often as every weekend."},{"type":"text","value":"But raves are not solely places of peace, love, unity and respect – they are also rife with illicit drug use. <a href=\"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4458153/\">A 2016 study</a> found that high school rave attendees were five times more likely to use hallucinogens and 11.5 times more likely to use heroin annually than high school students who did not attend raves."},{"type":"text","value":"According to the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse and Violence Prevention, MDMA, more commonly known as molly or ecstasy, has gained prevalence among college students. Because MDMA affects serotonin and dopamine levels, recreational usage, known as rolling, amplifies senory aspects of the rave experience. The strobing laser lights become brighter and more psychedelic while the intense EDM beats and bass create louder and richer sounds."},{"type":"text","value":"Not only does MDMA enhance users’ vision and hearing, it also increases users’ emotional empathy and sociability, according to a study from the National Library of Medicine. This allows strangers to quickly bond and feel exceptionally friendly toward those around them, said Charles Grob, a psychiatry and behavioral sciences professor who researches the psychopharmacology of hallucinogens and MDMA. Grob offered an alternative explanation to the tightknit atmosphere described by Tatsuno and Student A."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Photo of rave with the illustration of a heartbeat over it\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/raveculture/1.prime.ra.pain.9-7f4f69fedcfe900b57de5d2af492b103.png\",\"credit\":\"Megan Fu/Daily Bruin staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"“One facet of the MDMA experience is this sense of connectedness,” he said. “(Individuals) feel their defenses are lowered. They feel very open and feel that even complete strangers are known to them (in) a very close, if not physically intimate, but emotionally intimate manner.”"},{"type":"text","value":"However, these euphoric effects come at a severe cost."},{"type":"text","value":"Grob said in a setting where there is vigorous exertion, frequent loss of body fluids and poor airflow, raves are the perfect breeding ground for a potentially fatal outcome."},{"type":"text","value":"“There’s a clear-cut medical risk involved with taking MDMA at a dance event,” Grob said. “And that has to do with the risk of overheating and individuals experiencing a malignant hyperthermia, which could eventuate in death.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Users can also experience significant depletions in serotonin in the days following a roll, Grob said. In his research, he said he came across a phenomenon known as “Blue Monday” or “Suicide Tuesday” after a weekend rave. Individuals, especially those more susceptible to mood dysregulation, will likely experience severe bouts of depression in the days after rolling. He added that these detrimental consequences are amplified as users build tolerance to MDMA and have to increase the dosage to experience the same effects."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"Raves are the perfect breeding ground for a potentially fatal outcome.\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Moreover, due to lack of regulation, there is a significant risk that the MDMA student ravers consume is impure and laced with other lethal substances, Grob said."},{"type":"text","value":"“Some of these drug substitutes can be fairly innocuous, like aspirin or Benadryl,” he said. “But sometimes very dangerous drugs are substituted, like methamphetamine.”"},{"type":"text","value":"As a result, Grob said many of the rave-related overheating deaths attributed to ecstasy are actually caused by a fatal substitute."},{"type":"text","value":"One of the most notable cases was a 15-year-old who died of an ecstasy overdose a few days after sneaking into Los Angeles’ Electric Daisy Carnival in 2010. Her death led to the development of Los Angeles County’s Electronic Music Task Force, which dedicated itself to ensuring the safety of raves by establishing guidelines such as a minimum age requirement of 18 and free water stations to counter hyperthermia."},{"type":"text","value":"But years later, raves are still fatal hotspots."},{"type":"text","value":"Since 2006, there have been at least <a href=\"https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-rave-deaths-snap-htmlstory.html\">29 drug-related deaths</a> among people who attended raves staged by LA-based organizers, according to the LA Times. One of these fatalities was a UCLA student who reportedly died from an ecstasy overdose at the 2015 HARD Summer music festival in Pomona, California."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Photo of rave with the illustration of a rave bae bracelet over top\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/raveculture/pain.prime.raveculture.courtesy.7-7ea916153aa80290340aeb0fc32e1e0d.jpg\",\"credit\":\"Megan Fu/Daily Bruin staff\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"Yet students continue to try and navigate the risk, with many partaking in “harm reduction” to try and limit the repercussions, Student A said."},{"type":"text","value":"A seven-page Google document innocuously titled “Rolling for Dummies” details a wealth of information about MDMA use – the physical and mental side effects and an intense supplement regimen to try to soften its effects and the long-term dangers of rolling. The document advises users to take 12 different supplements, most of which I have never heard of, such as 5-HTP, Na-R-ALA and CoQ10, in the days leading up to and following a roll. This comprehensive list is supposed to combat the repercussions of MDMA use by raising serotonin levels, protecting cells from damage and reducing the risk of heart failure."},{"type":"text","value":"Commonly circulated within USC and UCLA rave chats, the document casually switches between describing the exhilaration felt during a roll and the risk of death afterward. The first time I encountered the guide was when my close friend wanted me to look over the effects of rolling to decide if it was worth trying. But the more I read, the less I was convinced."},{"type":"text","value":"Despite rave venues’ strict anti-drug policy, there are multiple online threads dedicated to giving advice on how to sneak in illegal substances. These forums offer suggestions such as taping pills to the lining of socks, tucking them into underwear waistbands or stuffing them into bras. I know of students who even resorted to taping their molly to the interior lining of their masks during the pandemic."},{"type":"text","value":"After reading countless articles detailing the lethal risk of raves and seeing how commonplace drug use is firsthand, I questioned how I should responsibly portray the culture. On one hand, I did not want to gloss over the dangers involved. But on the other hand, after hearing Tatsuno and Student A’s overwhelmingly positive – and sober – experiences, I wanted to demystify the stigma surrounding raves and highlight the unexpectedly warm atmosphere I felt welcomed into."},{"type":"text","value":"“I feel like raves aren’t only about drugs,” Tatsuno said. “It’s about the music – it’s about the community.”"},{"type":"text","value":"For Tatsuno, who said she prides herself on her ability to enjoy raves sober, the culture contains many meaningful practices often overshadowed by its reputation for illicit activity. One of her favorite traditions is exchanging Kandi bracelets with people she befriends at raves to symbolize their newfound connection. The jewelry is made of colorful lettered beads reminiscent of childhood friendship bracelets but often with a twist of drugs or profanity."},{"type":"pull","value":"{\"caption\":\"I feel like raves aren’t only about drugs. It’s about the music – it’s about the community.”\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"My rave friends even taught me a specific ritual for this exchange following the four aspects of PLUR. First, each person must make a peace sign before touching their index and middle fingers together. Then, they form half a heart before interlocking their fingers and moving the bracelets from one person’s wrist to the other."},{"type":"image","value":"{\"alt\":\"Photo of Tatsuno in blue outfit\",\"url\":\"https://assets3.dailybruin.com/images/raveculture/1.prime.raveculture.notasmuchpain.2-55e53a11b6f0b4fe3c6ca5706c6891c8.png\",\"credit\":\"Megan Fu/Daily Bruin staff and Seth Van Matre/Daily Bruin\",\"caption\":\"\"}"},{"type":"text","value":"“The biggest part of my experience is just the social cohesion I feel with my friends when I go,” Student A said. “To be someone that they can trust and lean on if they feel like they’re anxious at raves, … I love being that person for my friends.”"},{"type":"text","value":"Following my conversations with Tatsuno and Student A, I began to reflect on my own whirlwind experience with raves this past year."},{"type":"text","value":"If you had asked me six months ago what I thought about raves, I would have scoffed. In my eyes, EDM was not real music – I often likened it to the sound of an MRI machine – and raves were just a place for college students to swallow pills and grind on strangers."},{"type":"text","value":"But with two upcoming raves on my calendar, including one all the way in Chicago, and an entirely new set of friends to go with, I find myself slowly joining a community unlike any other – one in which a single shared interest lowers all other social boundaries and allows people to instantaneously connect and care for one another."},{"type":"text","value":"And on the trip to my next rave, there will definitely be some EDM infiltrating my indie pop playlists."}]}},"pageContext":{"term":"winter22","slug":"raveculture"}},"staticQueryHashes":[]}