This document should also serve as an introduction to alt.rave. Alt.rave has been alive since early 1992, and has an extremely wide distribution. At last count an est. 20,000 people read it. As is usual on USENET, people often have strong opinions which clash with others' strong opinions. If everyone accepted the view that reality is subjective, and that on matters of taste there is no dispute, then flame wars become a thing of the past. Posts like "Orbital sucks, and the Orb can kiss my butt" are probably inappropriate flamebait. Rewording it to say, "I am disappointed by the new Orbital because..." is a lot better. Many people also complain about too many posts about a particular subject, or group, or country, etc... to which the standard response is, start talking about what you want to hear. Finally, there was a big debate about whether to create alt.music.techno, to "distinguish" the music from the scene, and now that group exists.
There has also been a significant use of samples in techno songs, samples lifted in huge blocks and contributing a large share to a song's popularity. This can be both bad ("Theme to Sesame Street" in Smart E's "Sesame's Treet") or good (Star Trek transporters sampled in Eden Transmission's "I'm So High", giving YOU that transporting feeling) or great (Tears for Fears sampled in Orbital's "Moebius"). This sampling has generated much controversy, and it is the opinion of the author and many others that sampling is okay as long as the sample is not the whole song; "Seseme's Treet" might be an okay song, but if you take away the sample (which was lifted verbatim from the TV show), you don't have much of a song left.
Good Samplers:
Acid-house developed when the Roland 303 and similar drum machines/ synthesizers came out producing the "funky worm" - that VERY distinctive sound (see any "Acid Mix" of any song) that just *sounds* liquid (sorry, that's the best way I can describe it). The sound and the style is linked to use of LSD, but many people (myself included) claim to feel many of the same sensations while listening to acid-house music. Others claim this is wrong, that acid was a term derived in Chicago for stealing samples from other records, i.e. the "acid burn". Still others claim this was a rumor created by people defending the scene in Britain, trying to unlink the party scene from the drug scene.
james@sol1.east-london.ac.uk writes:
Idiotic musicians from a circa 86 uk go to the uk to tour. The uk at that point is in the grip of an 60s acid rock revival ( eg the shamen started off as a psyche-? band in this thang) and they GO TO DETRIOT! THeY buy records! Being a bit stupid and under the influence of vast quanities of LSD they just buy stuff at random out of the 'acid' section. When they get home they realise their mistake but think wow this is a bit nice.Good Samples:
Examples:
Eric Iverson
Where was house? Could it have had an affect on Detroit techno? Sure!
Was the affect as strong as late-70's Gary Numan or Ultravox's _Vienna_?
Probably not! Kraftwerk's _Computer World_? Never!
Cue 1987...House is happening in England and Derrick May arrives
with his record _Strings of Life_. The stuff catches on. The Techno
movement goes into full swing. Not only do the "Holy trinity" have
techno for UK consumption, but so do a bevy of others...Blake Baxter,
Eddie Fowlkes, Kenny Larkin, Carl Craig, and more. All from the Detroit
scene with roots that are clearly delineated. They didn't just pop up
from the house scene, though obviously they benefited from it.
Would they have existed without house? I think so. Would it sound
different? Well, it already does sound different!
Examples:
Examples:
Examples:
Eric Iverson
Jungle:
Good Samples:
Samples speak louder than words:
Good Examples:
Good samples:
mjbrown@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu:
Cuts to check out:
And to close this "definitions" section:
A file of collected net.wisdom w.r.t. mixing and such called
"2.b.a.dj" is available, as is a
"DJ Guide" (written by Laura La Gassa, laura@soda.berkeley.edu)
If you are interested, check out the BPM mailing list, by mailing to
listproc@dhp.com with the words
"subscribe bpm <your name>".
Preface:
The subject of drugs at raves is very controversial. One wonders
whether the rave scene would have been more easily accepted by the public
had the presence of drugs not been so high. Of course, many other wonder
how raves could have ever come about without them.
Drugs, like anything else in the world, are dangerous when used
improperly. Please use caution if you do decide to use mind-altering
substances, both legal and illegal. You owe it to yourself to gather info
before making a choice regarding drugs. You have access to an incredible
amount of information on the networks here. USE IT!
The reason I am including drug info in the FAQ is not because I think
drugs are a necessary part of a rave nor even a significant part of
it, but because questions arise on the newsgroup frequently enough to
warrant its inclusion.
There is a whole newsgroup devoted to drugs - alt.drugs, and any and all questions about drugs
at raves are probably more appropriate there than at alt.rave. This
information is presented for informational purposes only. Please, if
you decide to dose, please read up on and know exactly what you are
taking and what the expected affects are.
Live visuals have been used since the 60's at concerts, using
overhead projectors and oil-and-water setups. Those are sometimes still
used - and rotating color wheels in front of the projection beam can really
add to the overall "trippyness".
Strobes - $19.99 at yer local Radio Shack. Cheap, but
effective. "Mind Machines" are seldom much more than small strobes
with varying speeds that you wear inside glasses - but the effect of
stroboscopic light near the refresh speed (or half your refresh speed,
or a quarter, etc) of your eye can be quite hallucinatory. You could
probably build your own Mind Machine for less than 10 dollars. For a
brain machine buyers guide check out the mind-l archives at asylum.sf.ca.us.
Computer graphics - there are a couple of programs available
as freeware over the net that would be right at home at a rave.
MSDOS machines:
For those not in the know, Cybotron released their first contributions
to Detroit Techno in 1981 - handily preceeding _Planet Rock_ and a host of
other Electro Funk. They were also an active part of Detroit's radio and
club scene. True, they didn't hit their stride until a couple years later
when they would produce _Clear_ which finally sounds less like technopop
and more like techno proper. By 1985, Atkins, May, and Saunderson had
all firmly established themselves as recording artists. They will always
credit Kraftwerk and Parliament as their inspiration. In fact Kraftwerk
and Clinton have both, at times, claimed responsibility for the Detroit
techno scene.
c.3. Hardcore Techno:
Where Detroit stuff is mainly a hybrid of European technopop and
funk, your average Hardcore song seems to be a speed-metal tune played on
Detroit-type instruments (although the TR-909 is the drum machine of
choice). Hardcore Techno is easier to get up and hyped to than its Detroit
counterpart. Hardcore has brought much of the metal crowd into dance music,
and reconciled dance parties with the industrial crowd as well.
c.4. Techno/Rave:
Techno as product. When people complain about "techno by the numbers,"
they usually mean Techno/Rave. This style is generally soft and
accessible. You are much more likely to have a rap or other vocal in a
Techno/Rave track than either a Detroit or Hardcore track. Examples
include 2 Unlimited, the Smart E's, and recent efforts by the Shamen.
What MC Hammer is to hip-hop, what Winger is to heavy metal,
Techno/Rave is to Hardcore.
Further Listening:
d. Breakbeat
Breakbeat is symbolized by the use of sped-up hip-hop beat samples.
Very often reggae tunes and influence are brought in, to good effect too
since most reggae is around 65-80bpm and most breakbeat techno about twice
that. Breakbeat is very effective at getting the crowd moving, but its
hypnotic effects are somewhat less.
If we were only going to rely upon sound as proof of descent then I
would be ever so quick as to trace all minimal breakbeat to a song
recorded in 1965 called _L.S.D_ by the Yardbirds ("Little Games
Sessions & More" E2-98214, EMI). And I would trace all 4-measure
repeating analog synth-riff rave tunes to an early '70s album, _The
Wozard of Iz_ by Bernard Krause (out of print). Listen to either one
and you'll hear the similarities. They will astound you! However,
simply sounding alike is not enough. In the case of the Yardbirds,
_L.S.D._ was not even released officially until 1992! It couldn't be
the parent of breakbeat, despite its age!
gsc1@Lehigh.EDU (geoffE) wrote:
In regard to the heading on breakbeat...Two styles to breakbeat
are emerging under the names, "Jungle" and "Darkside". Jungle
breakbeat uses reggae samples on the tracks. Darkside is the brand
new style of breakbeat that recently emerged out of the streets of
London. It uses minor keys to create an erie feeling and horror/sci-fi
samples or female vocal samples to add to its melodic feel. And now
from London, Gus Lawrence, President of Reinforced Records, the most
fluent and respected breakbeat label on the planet says, there is now
the "breakbeat ballad". Again, it is dark sounding, but this time it
uses vocals and is aimed at the audience around 3 or 4 o'clock in the
morning, "when you start getting tired from all that dancing," said
Lawrence.
Now for some genre samples:
DarK:
e. Ambient
The genre is very well described in Mike Brown's Ambient FAQ available
from the web site. Basically ambient (or ambient house) is designed
to lull your mind through more soothing rhythms and samples.
f. Trance
Very similar to both ambient and acid-house, trance is softer on the
ears and body than most techno, but still keeps you dancing (unlike
most ambient, where the effects are more profound if you SIT DOWN and
listen). It's designed to try and take you, literally, into another
world.
A variant (or sub-genre) of this is hardtrance, which is currently very
popular in the underground all over Europe. Characteristics, higher beat
(c. 150 bpm), compulsory 303 sounds and string layers.
g. Tribal
Tribal is denoted by exactly that - rhythm patterns and sounds which
closely mimic Third-World and Native American and other "World Music"
styles. The connection between modern-day raving and ancient musical
and cultural rituals is thus established, and the dancer can be
transported to a more primal self (in theory).
h. Progressive
This is the newest and least-well-defined genre; it's based less on
sampling, less on wailing divas, and less on hip-hop culture, and more
on authentic instruments, haunting melodies, and always around
120-125bpm. There's always a strong beat, and at times it resembles
acid jazz. The appelation of "progressive" was given by a music
magazine, so many people wouldn't call it that, but so far no other
name has come to replace it, and it is fairly different from straight
house. This is the most popular music at raves in San Francisco right
now.
One could also say progressive house is "progressive" in
that those who make it are trying to bring back more interesting musical
arrangements with either more complex percussion or melody or both, whereas
the trend in the last few years was to strip down the sound to a raw, minimal
form.
Good examples:
Labels: Guerilla, Limbo, Soma, Hubba Hubba
h. Deep House
dit@sybase.com:
Deep house is a style of house most prominently influenced by a
combination of gospel and old chicago strictly house beats. Look for
wailing divas (I love them!) spooky organs and that old chord
progression that we know and love. Deep house never nods in techno's
direction..ever..
"My main point is that techno comes from somewhere. It was not invented in
this scene, nor is it particularly new. One can easily get the impression
from the omission of this fact that the contrary is true. Not only is it
responsible to acknowledge origins/sources, but other people may want to
explore the related types of music that they might not otherwise ever
hear about." - Tahl Milburn, tahl@tfs.com
You can get on the Twitch remix company mailing list - send mail to
twitch@casa.stanford.edu.
i. Sources
You can also get DJ mix tapes from the following places:
UK: Yaman Productions, PO Box 393 , Watford, Herts WD1 7JZ England
USA: Ameba - 1732 Haight St. - 415-750-9368
Street Sounds - 7751 Melrose Ave. - (213) 651-0630
D.M.C. - 7621 1/2 Melrose Ave. - (213) 651-3520
Beat Non Stop - 7262 Melrose Ave. - (213) 930-2121
Prime Cuts - 7758 Santa Monica Blvd. - (213) 654-8251
Here are some addresses for record labels (more complete lists are
available at the web site):
Boy's Own Productions PO Box 1422, Chancellors House, Chancellors Road
London W6 9SG, UK fax: + 44 81 968 8459
Djax Up records Po Box 2408, 5600 CK Eindhoven The Netherlands
fax: 31 (0) 40 445 057
Eye Q Records / Harthouse Strahlenberger Str 125A, 6050 Offenbach/Main Germany
fax: 069/800 33 36
Guerilla Records 130a Plough Road, London W10 6BL UK
tel: + 44 81 964 1199
Hard Hands 32 Pall Mall Deposit, 124/128 Barblby Rd London W10 6BL
Limbo / 23rd Precinct 23 Bath Street, Glasgow G2 1HU UK fax: + 44 41 353 3039
MFS Reichstagufer 4-5, 1080 Berlin Germany
fax: 030 220 9218
Overdrive fax: frg (0) 6162 84918
Rephlex Records PO Box 2676 London N11 1AZ UK tel: + 44 81 361 0529
Rising High fax: +44 71 229 4061
Wonka St. Jacobsmarkt 75, 2000 Antwerpen Belgium
fax: 03/226 20 30
DJing
The art of DJing has come full swing in the world of the rave,
where the DJ has replaced the live musician as the focal point for an
event. The DJ is now regarded at the "conductor" of their "orchestra" of
two turntables and a mixer (and maybe a sampler, but that's not necessary).
The orchestra's "instruments" are the slabs of vinyl (or aluminum &
plastic, in Pete Ashdown's case) that carry the basic grooves and melodies,
and it's up to the DJ to ensure that the orchestra plays all their
instruments in perfect sync and with a measure of continuity. The DJ must
*know* their music, know where the breaks are, know the keys, know the
BPM's, to make his/her set come out as perfect as possible. Anyone who
says DJ'ing is just spinning records has never tried to do so. DJs often
develop a following, and the level of devotion among some is something
unseen since the Beatles. (Basically, if you have Garth playing at your
event in San Francisco, you can ensure 2000 people will be there, even with
VERY minimal flyering - the same holds for Barry Weaver or Doc Martin in
LA, or Adam X on the East Coast)
Drugs/Smart drinks
Please Note: the authors of this FAQ bear no responsibility for any
possible harm or injury arising from the use of chemicals mentioned
below.
Smart drinks
Smart Drinks are drinks made with nutrients that supply needed
precursors and cofactors that your body uses to manufacture
neurotransmitters, the chemical messengers that carry impulses in the
brain. These neurotransmitters can frequently be depleted by heavy
excercise, stress, stimulant drugs, or lack of sleep, and many people
report that amino acid/vitamin combo "smart drinks" seem to help.
For more info see the
"smartdrinks" file on the web site.
Ecstasy
There is a LOT of worthwhile info to be gleaned from the web site at
hyperreal.com,
and alt.drugs. Go get it. But to
breifly talk about Ecstasy:
There is LOTS more to be said so go read those files NOW before you even
think of trying it.
LSD:
Many of the same precautions for MDMA (Ecstasy) hold for LSD. In
addition:
Other drugs currently talked about
Ketamine, 2CB (also referred to as "Cloud 9" or "Nexxus" or "Zenith"),
and GHB. Again, PLEASE do research on something before you pop it
into your mouth.
The visuals
Visual effects are one of the most important parts of the rave, but
not always essential. Sometimes the best parties have only a strobe light,
if even that much. On the other end of the spectrum are the 200-ft wide,
screens drenched with projection, the 10-watt green lasers bouncing off the
disco balls giving the effect of laser rain, the miles of fluorescent
tubing, the computer graphics which can blow your mind away... it's a very
large part of the "mindfuck" factor of raves.
Macintosh:
Available via anonymous FTP at the site sumex-aim.stanford.edu in
pub/info-mac/app
size filename
---- --------
99525 fractal-wizard-16.hqx
169237 ifs-fractal-movie.hqx (animated, apparently not very configurable)
78126 julias-dream-107.hqx (Julia sets only)
159806