All the Rave: Ravers just wanna have fun Byline: By Gail Robertson Star Staff Reporter Credit: WINDSOR STAR Windsor Star (WIN) Edition: FINAL Section: LIFESTYLES Page: C1 Category: SERIES (Copyright The Windsor Star) --- All the Rave: Ravers just wanna have fun --- Pump up the techno music. Slip into some funky, loose clothing. Prepare to lose all inhibitions and presto: You're ready to rave. But brace yourself for what's ahead because a rave is no ordinary event. The key is to keep dancing to the non-stop hits of computer-generated music and never stop. Rave: It's a lifestyle of fun where everyone is accepted no matter what your race, religion or sexual preference and it's also an outlet for young people to ignore the problems around them. The movement is consciously apolitical and stems back to the acid-house parties of the 1980s in Britain. Although the music came from Detroit, it had to hit the headlines in Europe before it caught on here, more recently. If you haven't heard about the phenomenon known as raves, you're not alone. Raves aren't advertised in mainstream media nor are they talked about much by the general population. They just are . They are filled with young, sweaty bodies pumping their appendages to the techno, computer-generated music. They are often held in secret locations. They are the product of a lifestyle centred around having fun and throwing caution to the wind. Often, die-hard ravers take some form of drugs, either acid or Ecstasy. But some prefer the drug-free smart drinks laced with vitamins and amino acids to give them energy for all-night dancing. "IT'S A REAL big movement," says Rob Lenarduzzi, of Windsor, who travels in the United States and Canada to attend raves. "It's a big thrill when there's thousands of people doing the same thing as you are. They're friendly. You don't have to dress a certain way. Everyone is in the same mindset, grooving and being controlled by the deejay." Sound familiar? Isn't this what young people of previous decades said about their music? The beatniks, the rock 'n' rollers, the punkers. "People involved think they are creating something new and their parents forget," says Tim Sheurer, professor of humanities specializing in pop culture at Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio. "This has been a long time in coming. There is also a sense of reck- lessness. Society is saying no so they go ahead and do it." More and more the message getting to young people is to say no to drugs and sex and yes to fighting for a job and moving into a career. Many young people are fed up with society's rules. They want to let loose and rebel. They do it with the all-night dance fests and the option of sex and drugs. The rave movement is picking up steam in Detroit over the last year, after fizzling out in recent years in England. Next stop after Britain was New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Now it's weaving its way into the northern states and Canada. Locally, a rave is planned this summer in a closed building, following recent club raves at the Vertigo Club. In Toronto, raves happen weekly and have gone from secret underground locations to being advertised in glossy brochures and through hotline numbers. Music is a big drawing card for many but it has nothing to do with lyrics and the political, social or emotional statements. This is raw, techno music that stems from the house music of the 0s. At raves, you can't ignore the availability of drugs, but not everyone partakes, nor is there pressure to do so. It comes down to choice and even ravers point out that the music often is the only energizer eeded. But what is the definition of a rave? The basic snapshot definition is a large group of people usually in the hundreds who join together at a secret location to dance all night. It sounds simple enough but then you ask yourself, why? AT LEAST IN the '60s when hippies and Woodstock were all the rage, there was a war going on and people were making political statements. Ravers seem to just want to have fun and escape from the real world. To some degree that is true but they come back with, what's wrong with that? Richard Hawtin, a rave deejay known as Richie Rich, says people into raves aren't close-minded and are more accepting of many different people. "We're more aware of what is wrong with the world. But the whole scene is not as heavy as the scene in the '60s. In one way it's to escape all the crap going on." Valerie Scatemburlo, an instructor in the communications department at the University of Windsor, says events like raves and lollapalooza indicate the lack of political awareness by today's youth. "They point to the fact that alternative music and lifestyles have become 'fashionable'. Self-proclaimed ravers declare their music doesn't have any words so one does not spend time comtemplating meaning," says Scatemburlo. RHONDA HAMMER, a professor in the communications department at University of Windsor, says baby boomers have become the epitome of greed and hedonism so their distaste for raves is a credible vote of confidence for the ravers. "Rave parties, and more importantly the media attention they have received, have brought to the 'limelight' a People magazine testimonial and stamp of approval to this despotic and insignificant phenomenon." The big question now is just how insignificant raves will be. "It's here for a long time," says deejay Hawtin, who zips off to Europe and the United States for numerous raves. He's done raves in Milan where 7,000 dancers move to house or techno music, and he recently took off for a weekend to Germany. Earlier this year, he did a 30-day tour of 25 American cities. "I worry more about what will happen when it gets too big in North America." While drugs are often available in the "rave scene", there are many people who steer clear of such things and concentrate on the music and camaraderie of the rave. Take some members of the Candyland Gang, for example. They got their name by using candy as their pick-me-up during the wee hours of the morning as they rave on. "It's total dedication every weekend of your life," says Meg Sherman, 19, of Royal Oak. "We've been going now for eight months." DESPITE THE music originating from the house music out of Detroit and Chicago, raves first hit the big time in England around 1987, when crowds of more than 3,000 would descend on an open field to rave the night away. But the rave scene in Britain got too big, too commercial and too mainstream to keep those die-hard ravers interested. It had fizzled out with the help of government pressure. A law was enacted to forbid large gatherings and then a helicopter was enlisted to fly around looking for illegal raves. The next step was to move somewhere a little more open-minded to parties: San Francisco was the top pick, although raves have also been happening in New York and Los Angeles, too. A story in the San Francisco Examiner last year points out how the sexual liberation of this city has gone a long way in attracting ravers. If it sounds like sex and drugs and rock 'n, roll, that may be quite accurate with techno music replacing rock. "It's a slow progress," says 22-year-old Windsor raver Simon Bolley. "A lot of it is through word of mouth. We go for the music. There's really no other reason to be there and be with other people." Pop culture expert Tim Sheurer says it's just another cycle of young people wanting to be different. "There is spontaneity and that is such great youth stuff. You can see how someone young would love this." ILLUSTRATION: Star photo Scott Webster/ RAVERS Greg George and Sharla Evans at Club Vertigo/ RAVES & RAVERS; Star photo Ted Rhodes/ RAVER ROB LENARDUZZI attends raves around Canada and the U.S.: 'Everyone is in the same mindset.'/ RAVES & RAVERS; Star photo Scott Webster/ Unidentified ravers pose for the camera at Club Vertigo rave/ RAVES & RAVERS Notes: LIBRARY NOTE: This is one of three instalments in Part Two of the two-part series @Art: CP; CP; P @Art: Star photo Scott Webster/ RAVERS Greg George and Sharla Evans at Club Vertigo/ RAVES & RAVERS Star photo Ted Rhodes/ RAVER ROB LENARDUZZI attends raves around Canada and the U.S.: 'Everyone is in the same mindset.'/ RAVES & RAVERS Star photo Scott Webster/ Unidentified ravers pose for the camera at Club Vertigo rave/ RAVES & RAVERS