Lotus Magazine Archives

Vegan Dance Music: Santa Cruz's DJ Lorin, aka Bassnectar
By Ariel Meadow Stallings

Exploding out of Santa Cruz with a driven bass beat, DJ Lorin (who also composes under the moniker of Bass Nectar) is one to watch. Emerging from a history of psytrance events, he's been throwing monthly full moon gatherings in Santa Cruz for two years with 13 Moontribe, and DJing frequently in SF for ((THUMP)) Radio and Yoga Tai Chi parties, among others. He's both a connoisseur DJ, playing the loveliest eclectic sets this jaded dancer has heard in years, and a producer, generating remixes and original work. Lorin describes his Bassnectar remixes as "vegan dance music," since he pulls out the "oh, yeahs," "take me highers," and other offensive cheesy vocals. After my tired sober ass danced for three hours to his amazing set at Burning Man, I decided I had to corner him and pick his brain.

You used to be a Goa trance DJ. What made you transition out of that, and how would you describe the music you play now?
The thing that I really found lacking in trance was the bass and the percussive funk. I played downtempo for a while, but then I started wanting more powerful dance energy and got into spinning eclectic sets. Because my CD turntables can change the speed so drastically, I can go from jungle into trance into downtempo into breakbeat. So, I would call what I do now eclectic funky—I want to say breakbeat, but some of it's house, a lot of it has ethnic overtones in it, traditional instruments and lots of chanting, but with fat beats and fat bass. It's a psycEclectic journey.

So, wait: you mix exclusively with CDs?
Yeah, I used to mix vinyl, but since I have a studio I can just burn my music directly onto CD instead of having a vinyl pressing. I can mix anything I make.

Do you miss vinyl at all?
Not at all. In my opinion, it's so traditionalist to say "a true DJ uses vinyl." It's all psychological. There's no difference in sound, except that vinyl has cracks and pops. But as far as ability to mix, there's so much more I can do with a CD player, adding effects and sampling. I'm more concerned with the musical ends than the means.

We hear a lot about the metaphor of "DJ as Shaman." What's your metaphor?
"DJ as Musical Connoisseur." When I'm listening to music and I hear a song that explodes my mind, my first thought is, "I can't wait to share this with someone." You're in front of hundreds of people, and you're like "Check out THIS song! I want to see what you think of it." And the dancers will show you EXACTLY what they think of it. But I really don't like putting DJs on a high shelf. I'm always wishing for a four-corner sound system and no reason to be staring at the DJ.

Certainly music can be powerful, but do you think it can heal?
My most powerful experiences with music as healing came the last year that I spent at UC Santa Cruz. I did an independent study, working for six months at the local juvenile hall and various group homes implementing music programs, doing creative recreation therapy. We would do drumming classes and beat boxing, and started recording certain kids who were doing conscious rap. We were doing poetry workshops, teaching DJ classes, and showing kids how to use synthesizers. And these were hardcore gang-affiliated, drug-addicted kids, and within a few months these kids were crying in front of me, hugging each other. The whole thing felt like a party.


What's on the horizon for you?
I'm the most focused on what I'm doing in my studio as Bassnectar. I've been working on original music, which is mostly between 90 and 120 bpm, deep funky big bassy breakbeat freak-beat. But I'm also doing two Bassnectar remixes for Spearhead's new album, Stay Human, and a couple remixes for Perry Farrell's new CD. Then there's also a remix CD in the works with Garth, Pollywog, and DJ Spooky. Next year I want to be doing remixes and working with bands, and I'm planning a West Coast tour.

For more information about Lorin and Bassnectar, go to www.bassnectar.net.

Posted by Ariel Meadow Stallings at 10:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Why is it that the ultimate raving mentors (dancers who are parents) aren't included in our celebrations? How can we make our community more inclusive?
By Alison Pugh
With Jennifer Ingram

Have you noticed how many ravers are having babies these days? Yep, you saw all those babies and toddlers at that last potluck you attended, or you noticed that pregnant mama groovin' out at that last party. Dancers are growing up and taking on new roles. The PLUR community is expanding, but does the community support this expansion? Will you see that groovy pregnant mama after the baby is born? If you don't, I'd bet it's not by her choice. All too often, mamas (and papas, but to a lesser extent) are relegated to the home, and those fun-filled nights of dance, sweat, and joy are history.

Raver parents lament the loss, believe me.

Parenting changes your life in ways you can't imagine unless you're experiencing it—I mean, when you are a breastfeeding mother, just taking a bath is a luxury! With the roles of Mom or Dad consuming their lives, parents struggle to retain identity and independence. Just when we need the dancing, the love, and the music the most, we are cut off by our community's refusal to come to terms with the growth that is needed to transform. Leaving the children at home while we go play is not always an option; nursing moms cannot leave their children for long periods of time, it can be hard to find babysitters willing to pull all-nighters, and we hate to leave our kids that long. Besides, do we want to foster separation or connection? As a member of the dance community, I do not want to tell my child that she has to stay home because she does not belong in this places I go. My daughter should belong, because she is an extremely important part of this cycle of life that we celebrate every time we gather. She deserves to experience the joy of these sacred events. And, she is my child! She belongs anywhere I am!

It is also important for parents to be able to get out and socialize; gathering with other parents and old friends is just the medicine parents need to alleviate everyday stress. Even with a young nursing babe in arms, raver mamas would love the opportunity just to listen to some good music. Babies also love the experience of meeting new people and checking out new environments; all the babies I know are natural-born groovers, rhythm-filled from day one of their lives.

Parties, at first glance, may not seem like the most appropriate place for a baby, but days and nights filled with rituals, drumming, dancing, and magic are. We need to transform our parties into environments conducive to children of all ages. Daytime or weekend-long events allow a more normal sleep-wake cycle, increasing the likelihood that families will feel comfortable participating. Cold winters lead to indoor parties that could be made family-friendly by simply bringing back the chill room. Set aside a space for babies and parents (and others needing some rest), that is clean, and has comfy seating like bean bags, big pillows, and such. Smoking should be kept outside—it is unhealthy for ravers to exert themselves by dancing and inhaling a bunch of smoke anyway (whether it's first or second-hand). Music can be quiet ambient tracks, or even just the sound of our own voices.

Another important way for the community to embrace raver families is to hold as many outdoor events as possible. When the weather is decent, have gatherings all the time, daytime, nighttime, in city parks, on the beach, in the mountains, and in the woods. Outdoor day events (like Sunset in San Francisco, Sundazed in Seattle, and Earthdance across the country) promote connection on another level, not only between people but also between the individual and nature. Urban children may have limited opportunities to connect with the beauty and majesty of nature; raves in mountain or desert locales supplemented by teaching a child about environmental principles can foster a lifelong appreciation of our Earth.

This is a call to action for promoters, organizers, and anyone interested in fostering growth and maturity within the dance community. Parents are among the busiest people I know; we would love to help bring about these needed changes, but we need your help. When planning your next gathering, ask a mama what she thinks. If you are planning a baby/parent chill room, get people to help clean the room, then ask the parents to help set it up. If we all work together, we can bring these parents out of hiding (sometimes these parents are the very same people who threw the parties that changed your life) and embrace their children into our circle of dance. And when you see a mama or papa with child at a party, smile and introduce yourself because in time, it may be you.


Negri Family, Los Angeles, CA
Lee (29), Silvia (28), and son Rylan Lee (3 ½). Raving since 1990-91.
"Music has always been important to us, so as a family we are always groovin' to something. Whether we are having a little get-together, or when I am making a new tape or trying to put a new track together, we are always dancing. It's so funny, when Rylan sees me spinning or making new music, he will come over and put the headphones on and start dancing or pushing the keys on the keyboard," Lee chuckles. When we asked if he had any ideas for how the community could better integrate parents, his answer was "MORE DAY EVENTS!"

Manahan/Short Family, Seattle, WA
Michael Manahan (33), Jennifer Short (30) and son Zendl (1). Raving since 1990.
"We dance at home at least every few days, Zendl loves to dance to beats…he's not really into ambient yet," laughs Seattle DJ Michael Manahan. "We have taken Zen to some parties but the party environment is not good for kids--especially babies, the music is way to loud for them and the smoke is pervasive and offensive even to non-babies. Outdoor parties are better."

Holtz Family, Gainseville, FL
Mark (22), Jessica (24), and son Isaac (Born 1/17/00). Mark's been raving since '94, Jessica since '98.
"Isaac seems to like electronic music," Jessica explains. "Mark has made the wonderful discovery that, if the baby gets fussy, a little bass will sometimes calm him down." When asked for ways to integrate parents back into the community, Jessica suggested opening "a techno-cafe that featured the latest electronica music publications, the music we love at a kid-safe level, and it might be a great place to meet other raving parents." Mark says that "I can't wait to teach my son to dance. I want him to know that life, just like this scene, is about family, friends, being yourself, and always staying high on the vibe!" Jessica agrees, explaining "I can't think of a better set of values to raise my son with than that of 'peace, love, unity, respect, and responsibility.'"

Ingram/Villagrana Family, Seattle, WA
Jennifer Ingram (23), Roman Villagrana (28), and daughter Naiya Ingram-Villagrana (2). Raving since the early '90s.
Jennifer and Roman feel that "dance is the celebration of life, all life--including children. If the dance community contradict the family vibe it will surely die, because children are the promise of tomorrow. Dance parties are a way to cleanse and meditate on relationships. When we close our eyes we realize we belong to the flow of our own individuality; when we open our eyes we can realize that we have others to share our flow with."

Pugh/Drake Family, Seattle, WA
Alison Pugh (28), David Drake (29), and daughter Ursula Drake (13 months). Involved with dance music since the early '90s.
"Ursula just loves a good beat. Babies dance as soon as they can hold their weight." Alison explains that "many things keep me from going out, including a dearth of parties that are intimate and family-centered (literally and figuratively) where the vibe flows free and the music moves the soul. I love parties that smell good, look good, and feel good - burn some incense, make an altar, make a circle, hold a hand."

Posted by Ariel Meadow Stallings at 10:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Deanna Morgan

Calling all dancers—Let's be realistic for a second. Why do we dance?

To forget? Because it's cathartic? Because we create our own world, and in that world, we are perfect? It's a world without words. We talk with our smiles and our bodies. We become the beat. We dance from night until sunrise, and our grins carry us from speaker to speaker, from friend to friend. We hug, we go crazy, we get fucked up, and sometimes we just chill.

We like to escape earth amongst our friends, but what happens when we're by ourselves?



Too Much People Time

When we're in a group dynamic, we feed off the Collective mass of energy that is created by every member of the group. The danger begins when we feed off collective energy more than we feed off our own. Then, by definition, we depend on the Collective rather than the Self, and over time, the Self becomes so obscured that we fail to be happy without constant doses from that Collective.

…And if we can't stand to be alone, if we are afraid of discovering our Self and are incapable of deriving happiness from within, then we are stifling our inner voice, and inhibiting the development of our Creative spirit. Inevitably, we will begin to decline into self-neglect and self-disrespect.

Signs of neglect begin with uncertainty. When you're alone, do you feel so confused that you can't ever make up your mind? Do you question your dreams and goals? Do you feel safer with friends than you do alone? Do you feel uncomfortable, fidgety and unhappy by yourself? Do you feel weak?



Inherent Problems Within A Collective

If we stifle our spirit, after time, our spirit ceases to talk back to us. We lose our vision of our own lives. And once devoid of life vision, it's no surprise that we seek group dynamics. We may say we just need the support, but the truth is that we can no longer function as a singular Self who derives pride and joy from within.

The irony continues—once this occurs, we become utterly useless to the Collective. We can't function as contributing members to any group because a group thrives on the collective energy of its individual members. If each of us fail to bring our personal energy back into the group, we become takers rather than givers, and this presents an unbalanced relationship. In extreme cases, groups of friends who have all become takers can barely make decisions together. Time spent in groups like this tends to de-evolve into merely using up time so that it fades from our conscious, so that we don't have to think about it anymore because we're too fucked up, too partied-out, or just too busy.



Every Dancer is An Artist

The label, Artist, seems to be the most difficult to swallow for people who aren't involved in the pursuit of traditional art, such as painting, sculpting, drawing, singing, etc.

Somehow, we forget that Art is creating. We're all capable of creativity, whether that includes the "look" we create when we get dressed, do our hair or decorate our apartments; or within the fluid freedom from which we dance. All human beings are Artists, and all dancers are especially Artists.

Some are more prolific artists, that's true, but it's through them that we can be inspired to include creativity in our lives, or to pursue creative dreams that we've allowed to lie dormant for years.

When we deny our creative abilities, we disrespect our potential as souls by not allowing our Self to grow. The problem with denying ourselves the freedom of creative expression and claiming that we're "just not creative," is that we are prohibiting our potential. And even more importantly, we are building our own spiritual jail cell.



Achieving Your Dreams

Without our individual Consciousness, we respond to situations habitually. The problem with habit is that it strips us of the potential to create—it's no wonder we can't even fathom the thought of being an Artist.

Remember Robert Frost's poem, The Road Less Traveled? The author took the path less traveled, and that made "all the difference." If we never stop to notice the road less traveled, we not only lose opportunities but we will eventually lose our ability to see a difference at all.

It all comes back to Consciousness. Once we begin to discover Self Consciousness, we begin to see the why behind our actions, and with this knowledge comes responsibility. And with responsibilitycomes awareness, love, and the power to create.



Feed the World Soul and Sparkle

When we re-discover those things that we love alone, and start doing them alone, we begin to act positively instead of negatively. People pick up on that. People will notice when you walk into the room. People will want to be around you. People will wonder why you're in such a good mood, when the answer is simply because you're learning about yourself and taking your life into your hands.

With the discovery of love comes the discovery of the World Soul within us all. By World Soul, I mean everything that ties us together. And the World Soul is fed every time we honor and respect our Self. And the more the World Soul is fed, the more we can take back from the World Soul and feed our Self. The more good we do, the more we exist in a circle of positive energy…and the brighter we sparkle, wherever we are.

We need to choose pursuits that spark the inner soul, that enable us to gain a sense of awareness and accountability and reason. We cannot contribute back to the Self until we are Conscious of the Self. And only when we are Self Conscious, can we give energy back to the Collective.



Too Busy for Yourself?

Becoming Self Aware doesn't mean you need to take off for a month of solid meditation or become a yoga queen. In fact, avoid anything that feels like "should." Instead, use those things that make you think, that make you lose your mind for a second and turn inwards.

As dancers, we all love music—so, next time you go out dancing, spend some time with your head. Next time you lose yourself in front of the speakers, next time you dance next to the DJ, your hands raised high, next time you go crazy with the glowsticks on top of a rocky cleft in the middle of the desert under a fool moon, next time you lose your conscious mind—Remember.

Remember that subtle shift in energy that made you feel so free, and try and hold onto that feeling. Try and become conscious of what exactly it is, so that you can recreate the energy in your everyday life. Be careful with substances. Substances enhance our experiences, but we must learn to consciously tap into that happiness. The more we tap into it, the easier it becomes to sparkle in happiness whenever we want to. Time is key. Most of us put in a tremendous amount of effort to get somewhere so we can dance all night. Some of us travel for hours, some of us, for days. If we're willing to put forth so much effort to dance and be with our friends, we should respect ourselves enough to expend at least a portion of that effort to be with our Self.

Obviously, we don't need to take eight-hour road trips to the desert to meditate alone all night—that probably isn't realistic. But we do need to respect the need for self-awareness with Time.

Easy solutions include using music to induce self-awareness while driving. A once-a-month visit to a museum. A walk on the beach. A good book. A massage. A class at your local city college. Begin a diary—you'll be amazed as the results of writing down your hopes and frustrations. Walk your friend's dog. Take your camera out of the closet. Join a theatre group. Bake a cake from scratch.

It doesn't matter what you do, as long as you do it for yourself, and by yourself. Remember, art can be as simple and as private as you want. The most beautiful thing about this process is that the seduction of becoming self-aware never fades. Refreshed and renewed, we can take our energy back into the Collective and create a balanced, healthier state of existence.

Most of us are afraid to change and are afraid of discovering who we really are and who we want to become. By taking small steps towards awareness, we gradually lose fear and replace it with love. And what group of friends doesn't treasure love over fear?

So, dancers, let's Sparkle. Everywhere. And all the time.



Simple ways to enhance the self: Yoga, Tai Chi, Meditation.

Suggested Reading: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron, The Tao Te Ching by by Lao Tzu

Posted by Ariel Meadow Stallings at 10:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Ariel Meadow Stallings

The stage is a well established institution of musical enjoyment. Its elevated presence implies that there's something you should really be watching while you're listening. Lights point at it. If you glance away you might miss something very important. The American Music Industry is quite familiar with the institution of the stage. The Standard Stage Format gives you something to look at ("Ooh, look at that wild lead singer!" "Wow, that guitarist can really jump around.") and music to nod your head or mosh to. The stage has helped make this industry successful. It preys on the "I pay $20 to go watch them do their stuff" attitude of fans.

Meanwhile, in our little separate dimension, all of us who rave are familiar the Rave Format: a DJ hunched behind the turntables, a few trainspotters standing around with their mouths hanging open and hundreds or thousands of people laughing, talking to God and each other, rubbing each others backs, sucking their pacifiers, having hand orgies, and, of course, dancing and dancing and dancing. You go to Dance and to communicate with one another through the unified enjoyment of music that resonates within each of us who manage to stay awake all night and limp home smiling with ringing ears. Not too many people stand around watching the DJ because that's not what the DJ is there for. She's been paid to make you Dance. If everyone is standing around as she twiddles and scratches then she's doing something wrong!

We are experiencing a major shift however. There is an increasingly large number of Electronica events which are stage-focused. Some feature a DJ along with some sort of crazy accompanying performer. Others have the actual musicians up on stage, perched behind their synthesizers and sequencers. However, regardless of what's going on up on stage, one thing is certain: When there's something to look at, less people are Dancing. Does this mark the death of raving as we know it or just a split in the road of musical enjoyment?

The American Music Industry relies on our own laziness to support itself. The people who are the easiest to make a buck off of are those who are willing to pay to be entertained. It's the people who say, "Here's my money, now I just want to sit back and it's your job to make me happy," which keep the Standard Stage Format alive and profitable. Now the American Music Industry is starting to wonder if "Electronica is the new Alternative" and they're just not quite sure how to deal with this horrifying musical evolution. (Is disco back? What are these "raves?") One thing is for sure: the Music Industry needs something new and, gosh, thousands of kids can't be wrong, can they? Raves and Electronica provide something charged with youth to fill the hole that Nirvana and Pearl Jam left. Music is a business and The Industry wants your money. So, they use a tool that's always helped make them money before: The Stage.

In August I went to "End Fest '97," a huge Rock music festival thrown by 107.7, Seattle's "Alternative" radio station. It featured bands like Offspring, Folk Implosion and The Dandy Warhols. There was the A Stage, the B Stage and then there was the E Stage. Yes, the E stage, with DJ Nasir, The Crystal Method, Lamb, BT, Cirrus, Gus Gus and local favorite Sky Cries Mary. It was exciting to think that 15,000 people would have the opportunity to be exposed to this amazing music that has touched myself and so many others so deeply. However, the music was presented in the format that The Industry was familiar with on The E Stage. Picture BT making his phenomenal crunchy music: Beats pulsed through the room like we were in the belly of some enormous animal, grooving to its heartbeat...and several thousand people just stood there watching. Just watching. The music was inspiring, but if you stopped dancing (which many never even started doing) and just watched, all you saw was one little guy with stringy blond hair, encapsulated by machines, dripping sweat and hopping over the synthesizers.

The experience was disappointing on many levels. To those who are used to The Rave Format, it was strange to have the music coming from someone so removed from the energy of the room. It was strange to have the speakers behind little gates and security guards. It was strange to be surrounded by people who weren't dancing at all. To those used to The Standard Stage Format, it was strange to have so little to watch. Here was a stage and nothing really to look at! What could have been an opportunity to show many people previously unexposed to raving what it's all about instead felt like it was a disappointment on both levels. It wasn't quite a good rave or a good show. The people who paid money to watch didn't get much to see. Those who wanted to hear the great music had to pay too much to be too removed from the source of the sounds.

I can't say it was all bad. Gus Gus was outrageous and Cirrus knocked me off my Nikes! The more intense acts like the Crystal Method actually did get a lot of people dancing and if even one person who'd never heard the music was touched by it then I'd say the event was a success.

I talked to Cirrus after their show and asked them how it felt to be making Dance music up on a stage. Stephen, who was in a wheelchair from too much jumping around with his guitar, explained to me that "If people weren't Dancing, we'd get up there and say, 'Fuckin' MOVE! Start Dancing! If you're just here to watch then you're here for the wrong reasons.' We make DANCE MUSIC, it's for Dancing! Nothing slower than 120 beats for minute. Nothing that has less energy than the future. We don't want to play for people standing there watching, nodding their heads." I asked Aaron, the bassist and DJ for the band, if it would bother him if everyone was completely ignoring the stage. He looked outraged and explained that, "as long as they were going off and jumping up and down and having a great time," he wouldn't care at all.

The members of Cirrus are aware that they're in some ways breaking an established Electronica mold. Renee, the vocalist and percussionist, told me that, "In the beginning of this show people weren't moving around too much and that's usually the reaction we get cause Steve breaks out a guitar, I get behind the drums, and they don't know what's going to happen." People seem to be wondering to themselves watch or Dance? "But then as the music goes and picks up momentum then they get into it." Stephen clarified, "We get on stage and people are like, 'What is this? A Rock band? What's up with the guitar and the drums?' and then as soon as we get going people are like, 'Okay, it's all good, it's all good.'"

Renee nodded and concluded, "People have never seen musicians with instruments with this kind of music. It's brand new." So, as I shared a smoke and thanked them for their time, I had to question some of my own assumptions.

These guys had good intentions. They want Dancers to do their thing and Dance. So why were they up on a stage separated from the crowd? Just because they had instruments? The separation of a few feet really knocks the exchange of energy that exists between the dancers and the performers, whether they be DJs or musicians. The stage acts as a dividing line between revelers and musicians.

When The Industry puts people on stage, it instead creates a situation where the talents of a few are provided to the appreciative masses at a cost, payable to The Man. This cost is not only monetary, but also an attitude. When people just stand and watch the performers, they also passively accept the belief that they themselves are not worth being watched. The performers become glorified, but only at the expense of the overall egalitarianism and unity of the event. You know those fans who stand at the base of the stage reaching for their favorite Rock star's ankles? What they're reaching for is that moment of the euphoria you experience every time you catch a hard groove in front of a speaker.

The danger of The Stage doesn't come from the artists performing on it, but rather the audience's reaction to it. Our own devout involvement is the base of our community. Raving is an interactive activity which necessitates engagement and participation. "Vibe" represents the cumulative efforts of each person in the room to add to the experience and create an environment which they enjoy. Ravers focus attention on each other (not a star up on a stage), thus giving everyone a sense of ownership and pride. A party can have all aspects of its production perfect, but if the vibe isn't present, then the event has failed.

Courtney Reimer's intelligently written article "Knob Fiddling and Trainspotting" which appeared in Seattle's The Stranger addressed this issue. In her discussion of the "awkward state" of Electronica, she spoke to Marco Collins, "One of Seattle's most notorious radio personalities." Marco explained that part of the joy of Electronica is that, "the show isn't on the stage, the show is in the audience. Dance music makes the audience the star." Reimer concluded, "This would explain the inversion of the typical concert paradigm, in which the Rock stars are dressed to the nines while their adoring fans adorned in yesterday's T-shirt and jeans. With Dance culture, the crowds are often better dressed than the performers. This shining-star-less structure is not accidental... the anonymity [of the performers] is representative of the philosophy which buttresses the genre."

In this age of mass media, where the convictions of the few are conveyed to the believing many, it is imperative that ravers think for themselves and protect what is ours: Our ability to entertain ourselves and each other. How many times have you been to a party that gets busted, only to find the evening more than salvaged by an impromptu celebration in the parking lot? All you need is one good stereo and the joy and enthusiasm of a few people who truly love the music. Doubtless someone will have glowsticks to do a light show, someone else has their pockets stuffed with candy to provide the condiments, and dancers who get tired have each other to watch and talk to. Marco Collins said it right: We are the stars!

Ravers are unlike music enthusiasts anywhere because our own enthusiasm is an intrinsic piece of the experience. We don't just applaud, we Dance for hours, scream at the tops of our lungs, pile up on speakers, encourage each other, learn from one another and create a whole community of support, creativity, and, yes, entertainment. We should celebrate the evolution of Electronica and understand that the stage allows a crossover, a format of comfort for some to access music that they are unfamiliar with.

But watch out! MTV's "Amp" and the major record labels' sudden interest in Electronica is Uncle Capitalism pointing his finger and saying: "I want YOU, little raver." It is imperative that not a single one of us forget our own power to be the star. If we forget, then we fall into the trap of buying someone else's vision of our own dreams. So turn your back to the stage, close your eyes, and Dance.

Posted by Ariel Meadow Stallings at 09:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On the morning of August 29^th, on their way home from the ski area where Jujubeats was held, five high school-aged dancers drove off the side of the twisty Angels Crest highway. Their deaths stunned Los Angeles, and the tragedy was featured in front page newspaper articles denouncing "rave parties." Amidst the ensuing sensationalism, the LA Times printed one quietly honest article titled "Raves Are a Rite of Passage." The staff of Lotus Magazine had the opportunity to interview the writer of the piece, Reverend James Conn, a former mayor of Santa Monica. Here, we present his original article as printed in the LA Times, and our interview. We found the Reverend both enlightened and enlightening, and we hope that readers are able to use his words and ideas to move our community forward.

Raves Are a Rite of Passage

By James Conn

LA Times, 9/1/99

Raves appear to be Gen Y's version of the '60s love-ins. Several thousand young people gather for an all-night concert of music that has not yet found its way into a mainstream venue. Raves feature loud music spun together in an original way by disc jockeys.

I attended a rave in San Bernadino last year because my son performs this music style. And as a United Methodist minister, I have worked with youth all my life and am intrigued by the culture they create without us--or in spite of us.

The night we attended a rave, 10,000 people were there. We were clearly the only ones over 40. These kids hadn't learned about the rave via the mainstream or even the underground media. They knew about it because they are a part of a musical scene that doesn't even register on the adult public's screen.

No one was selling these kids alcohol. It wasn't a bar or club scene. Yes, like any Rose Bowl event, there were empty beer cans in the parking lot. But the security at this rave was so strict, you couldn't smuggle in a shot, much less a joint. No unopened packs of cigarettes were allowed. Some of the kids appeared to be on some sort of drug high, but I've smelled more marijuana and seen more people out of control at the Hollywood Bowl.

I was reminded of the clergy who shoed up in collars at those '60s events, passing out loaves of bread or reminding the revelers that someone else had taught the message of love centuries earlier. I would caution adults that we cannot eliminate or even contain every avenue of youthful self-expression. Nor should we try. On the contrary, it would make better policy and achieve better social results to participate in helping it evolve.

So why do raves occur in the remote areas? Because more accessible venues are not available to the promoters of these events. A few New Year's ago, a rave near downtown LA was closed down by police, and a mini-riot ensued. Some venue operators won't even talk to promoters. Other venues aren't appropriate for all-night, multi-staged, high volume performance because they are too close to residences. But the more inaccessible the mainstream venues, the more the events are pushed into marginal areas with risky accessibility. The stricter the rules, the farther the drives, and the more likely the tragedy.

Apparently, the road that leads into the ski areas where last Saturday's [9/27/99] rave occurred is a recognized problem whether the event is an all-night concert or an all-weekend ski crowd. At such places and for such events, the California Highway Patrol or the Forest Service could lead a convoy of cars at a safe speed down the narrow road ways. Why not participate in the safety of such events, rather than push them father from where kids live?

At the rave I attended, I was surprised that with 10,000 captive young people, there was not health booth. No one was giving away condoms or talking about safe sex, much less there in case of an overdose. No one was signing up kids to vote. No one was extolling the forest environment where the kids had come to hear music and dance.

As far as I can determine, a rave is simply a way for young people to tell their parents one thing and then do another. They must find a time and a place to prove themselves, to get themselves across some mystical barrier that prevents them from feeling fully adult. Sometimes its dancing all night. Sometimes it's drinking oneself sick. Sometimes it's trying drugs.

Every time a young person dies--regardless of the connection to any activity--it's tragic. But it is also tragic for society if the energy, enthusiasm, and visionary exploration of our young people becomes so contained and repressed that it cannot be expressed.

Lotus: Reverend Conn, do you have any suggestions for how the dance community can better work with the civic community?

Rev. James Conn: Great question. The thing that amazed me about my experience [at a rave,] was the absence of a medical team or a booth where people hand out condoms, talk about legal rights, or try to sign people up to vote. I don’t know if that's the social-service political-folks' problem or if it’s the promoters' problem, but that connection hasn’t happened. In the '60s, the whole free clinic movement was just forming, so frequently at events there were couple nurses for people who overdosed, or fell down and broke an arm or something. [Rave promoters should try] going to free clinics and saying, “Can you spare a nurse? Can you see that this would be in your interest to have some public health education like brochures, condoms, whatever, there for kids? Can you see that that would make sense?” Somebody would respond.

Lotus: What event did you attend?

Rev. James Conn: My son Ethan played at a rave a year ago--Narnia? He’s been DJing in New York for the last four years.

Lotus: So, did lot of the problems that exist at raves now exist in the '60s?

Rev. James Conn: Oh yeah.

Lotus: Everybody makes it seem that because of this generation and raves, suddenly people are overdosing.

Rev. James Conn: [interrupting] No, no, no, no. It goes…forever, you know. I know the '60s because that was my own youth. The parallel is so deep and so strong. Not the same music, not the same event, totally different kind of thing and yet, so much the same. Ten thousand kids meeting each other, talking, having a good time, dancing, grooving on the music. It’s like, where have I been? Deja vu all over again.

Lotus: Is there more police harassment now?

Rev. James Conn: Actually, it seems like there's less police harassment now in the sense that once you're [inside the event] there’s security…and it’s only if there’s some problem outside that the police get involved. [When I went to Narnia,] we were there for six hours and I didn’t see anything that looked like people were doing hard drugs, everybody was really mellow. Nobody was looking like they were going to punch anybody out. It was a very nice event for kids to be part of. But people get upset when you have a whole bunch of kids having a good time. That can be scary [to] adults. Love and peace, these aren’t scary ideas. They have been scary ideas to some people for, as far as I can tell, forever…but I really support kids doing whatever it is they've got to do. They’re going to do it somehow, so there needs to be places where it’s OK.

Lotus: Because cities try to push raves away, some dancers are driving to events 2_ or 3 hours away.

Rev. James Conn: Yeah, Ethan played at Narnia this year, and it was in Northern San Diego County? That’s a long drive! [Events are] further and further out because there are no local venues. The further kids have to drive, the more likely it is that something is going to happen, that they're going to fall asleep or whatever. You stay up all night, then drive three hours? Not a good combination.

Lotus: Isn’t there a way that cities could help?

Rev. James Conn: Well, you would think that something like that would be possible, but it’s really hard. There are so many calls on city money, and [elected officials] are going to back away from anything controversial. I spent eight years on the city council in Santa Monica in the '80s, and we were trying to get a skateboard park, right? Oh man, you would a thought that we had asked them to do something obscene in public! The city didn’t want to have anything to do with it because of the liability, the Boys and Girls Club didn’t want to have anything to do with it because of insurance, and so we couldn’t figure out how to do it because it was twenty years before its time. Now the Boys and Girls Club in Santa Monica has a skateboard park, and it’s their hottest item--everybody wants to do it! Why didn’t we do this right in the first place? Anything that is controversial, anything that looks like it’s new and untried, people are very reluctant to participate.

Lotus: What advice do you have for young dancers dealing with their parents' concerns about raving? How can younger members of our community best express their experiences to their parents?

Rev. James Conn: I think that it’s very difficult for kids and parents to talk to each other. The hardest thing is that adults forget their own youth. They have kids and it’s like their own youth never happened, and they are appalled by what their kids are doing. You would think that [parents'] experiences would be like a reference point to say, “Oh well, we did this, and they’re doing this, and that’s pretty much the same,” right? But no, that’s not the way many parents look at it, and I think that’s really too bad. Perhaps it says something about how unconscious we are, as people, as adults, we are unconscious about our own experience. It seems to me that as a society we are pretty unconscious. So we forget, we sort of have social amnesia about what we did, and we then don’t support what kids need to do in the next generation.

Lotus: Is there a better way for kids to approach their parents? What seems to happen is that kids want to be open with their parents, but then parents get upset, and so kids are just like, “OK, I won’t tell the truth anymore.”

Rev. James Conn: That’s exactly what happens. Kids learn to dissemble, they learn to flat out lie. That’s too bad…that’s too bad. What kids need to try is talking to their parents about the least controversial aspects of what goes on: people are getting together, playing music, dancing and having a good time, and there’s no violence.

I think that [parents] have to walk through life with kids, we have to walk through the passageways together, and then there are passageways that kids have to go through on their own. That is the only way that any of us get from childhood to adulthood is that we go through those places. If kids have to go through passageways alone, there should be an adult there on the other side to hear what the passage was like.

That’s how we move from childhood to adulthood: there are adults who are mentors, guides, and helpers. If the parents are going to freak out, then there needs to be other people in the society who are going to mentor, like ministers, priests, teachers, and youth workers. In the old days, when we lived in tribes or extended families, the uncle or the aunt were like the surrogate parents, so that when things got too tight, kids had somebody else that they could turn to.

Maybe if kids talk with their parents about the safe things, talking about how they need help and support, [kids could explain that] “We go we have fun, but stuff happens, and I’d like to be able to talk to you about it.” If I had a magic wand, parents would have parenting classes and could figure out how to help their kids channel things and figure life out, but that’s not what we do. That’s really unfortunate.

Lotus: Many dancers find their experiences at rave events very spiritual. As a minister, how do think dancers can best learn from these feelings and grow in their understanding of their own spirituality?

Rev. James Conn: I get the sense from talking with kids that [raving] is a very spiritual experience, that there is some way that the music and the movement gets them into someplace that is deeper inside themselves. There’s also the connection kids have with each other that's really interesting to me. There’s a level at which the kids are connecting that is deeper than just sitting around talking, because of the music and the movement and the whole thing--it’s like the whole is bigger than the sum of its parts. This experience that the kids are having with each other is really quite remarkable. Kids have a connection as a group, as a crew, or as a tribe, and they have a bond with each other that's hard to find other places in this society.

I think that’s why people go to church: they’re looking for that kind of experience, they’re looking for community. That’s what people are looking for, but I think that there’s something particularly powerful about the combination of music and movement. It's very spiritual.

NOTE: James Conn went on to become a regular contributor to Lotus, writing a column called irREVerence. I'll be posting those columns in the weeks ahead.

Posted by Ariel Meadow Stallings at 02:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By Sergio DiazGranados In the last five years, the San Francisco underground has undergone some serious reconstruction. Along with Chicago and New York, San Francisco was once held as a national house capitol. But, like Chicago and New York, the San Francisco community was ready for something new and different. Michael Robbins and Eric Newman (MARS and Mystrë) have spent the past five years working to accomplish their goal of bringing trance to San Francisco (an uphill battle for sure). Opening their Haight Street record store, Frequency 8, and throwing events under the same name, MARS and Mystrë have been paving the way for a whole new generation of San Francisco dancers. Promoting the cybertrance sound that they love so much has not only proved to be successful in opening people's minds, now MARS and Mystrë have founded a record label as well. With singles from Oliver Lieb , Commander Tom, Nostrum, and the dynamic duo themselves, there is no telling how far these guys are going.

I wanted to do this interview for Lotus not only to introduce our reader into their lives, but also because I have known both MARS and Mystrë since I was a kid. MARS and Mystrë have grown up together since they were on skateboards. Living through each other's ups and downs, it's interesting to see how these two men relate with one another--it's almost as if they are one entity. Throughout the interview you will notice that either frequently speaks for the both of them.

Lotus: What is the message behind Frequency 8?
MARS: This is a very complex network of teachings from the spirit world, the Tao te Ching and true faith. To give a small introduction, part of Frequency 8 is a sound, often times not even audible. It is an innate sound energy that gathers people who are tuned in around the world. To best explain this sound, you would have to imagine yourself out alone in the desert. It's nighttime, and the air is warm and electric. Suddenly you look up, and the Mothership is hovering 50 feet above your head. The "sound" that the ship makes is the eighth frequency. The frequency is the sound, and eight is the number of enlightenment and the metaphysical, according to the Torah and Eastern philosophies. F is the first initial and 8 is the last, this spells F-8. This is the catalyst of enlightenment. These initials were not planned, it was random, or as we say, fate.

Lotus: How did you guys come up with the names MARS and Mystrë?
Mystrë: A long time ago we threw a small break-in warehouse underground. I wanted to play an old school techno set for it. I had never played at a "rave" type event before, even though I had been going to them. I had been DJing for quite some time, but never playing techno. I played my first set and didn't care about trying to be "someone." I also didn't want anybody to know who I was, so I decided to wear a clear plastic facemask. I just wanted to be a mystery. Later on I started working at a pizza restaurant and the main kitchen staff were Cambodians who had strong accents. They could not pronounce my name, so they called me Mr. E. From that point on Mystrë was who I became in life and as a DJ.
MARS: As long as I've known Eric, he has always been a person who would rather be unseen, living in the shadows of life and mysterious in his ways, closest in personality to the octopus. Originally Mystrë was spelled Mystr-E, but because of the strong drug connotation not realized when the name first came into use, and because Eric has never used ecstasy, he changed it.
Lotus: And how about your name MARS?
MARS: When I first started DJing I was playing music that was like the New Age music I had been listening to since I was a child, except you could dance to it. It was very meditative and trance-like; it was "Mars music." I met someone at a party and she was into astrology. She told me that because I was an Aries, Mars is my ruling planet. At that point I felt as though this was my name, since I always had a lot of fire in me and I felt so close to this particular planet. About one year later I was driving back from a party and I was randomly thinking about the name Mars, and my personal connection with it. I was thinking about the initials of my birth name and putting it all together, I realized that M-A-R-S were also my initials. It was pretty crazy when it all happened. I feel as though I now truly understand my name and who I am. So when people ask what my "real" name is I say MARS. This is another example of what we call F-8.

Lotus: You have recently started Frequency 8 Records. What was your motivation and how do you feel it will help the trance movement?
MARS and Mystrë: F-8 is working hard to bring a European sound to America through San Francisco. We started the record label because the particular style of music we play is sometimes difficult to find, even with our store. A lot of old-school artists from the days of '94-'96 Frankfurt, Germany, have moved on to other sounds. Our label is bringing these artists back and it is helping them to re-experiment with this cybertrance sound. It is exciting for them as well as ourselves.

Lotus: Any thoughts on the future state of trance?
MARS and Mystrë: It would be nice if somehow trance could incorporate a more direct message of awareness. Sometimes we feel it's hard to get our message across to people. Unlike rap or reggae, trance rarely has any spoken words and so communicating a direct message can be difficult. We have to do it through sounds, similar to how whales and dolphins communicate. Perhaps trance is powerful because there isn't anyone telling you how to feel and therefore your mind is free to go wherever it wants to. But we need more music with the right sounds for communicating this awareness to people. In terms of the future of the scene, it would be nice if people starting tuning into their higher selves, using dance events as a meditation. We feel it is happening and that this awareness will continue.

Lotus: With all the negative hoopla that has been going between "raves" and city officials, especially in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Florida, if the promoters in the U.S. wanted to better the politics that exist within the culture, what would be a good way to go about that?
MARS and Mystrë: It's hard to say. A few years ago there were lots of meetings in SF to create some kind of unification between promoters. In the end, it all seemed to end up the same way; people in disagreement. Politics are politics no matter where you are. People think perhaps it's different because we are in the "rave scene," but from the movie industry, to the music industry and to the rave scene, it's all the same. Do it yourself, become a good person, try to stay righteous and set an example.

Lotus: The community in the US, for the most part, is younger. Do you feel that this helps or hurts the community?
MARS and Mystrë: It's just all the facets that make up this scene. Each dancer helps in their unique way. We feel that there is a very strong sense of community, respect, and love for each other that is predominate in the rave scene.

Lotus: We need moderation in this community. Any suggestions?
MARS and Mystrë: Love the music, not the drugs, and stay tuned into yourself.

Posted by Ariel Meadow Stallings at 01:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By David Center

In an ideal world, all parties would be perfectly safe environments, free of dangerous pills, violent activity, and those out to take advantage of others. (Heck, in an ideal world the entire planet would be that way, but I digress...) However, anyone who has been a part of our global community for very long knows these real world problems can and do seep into our private utopias. But don't panic! Danger is not lurking around every corner, and with a little effort and common sense dancers can work together to minimize these threats to our health, safety, and property, and help create a more positive dance experience for everyone. Many of these suggestions are n common sense, but it is amazing how uncommon common sense can be at times.

To begin with, park in a well-lit area, remove any valuables from your vehicle, and be sure all your doors are locked. Nothing can ruin an otherwise wonderful night like finding your car has been broken into when you return to it in the morning. Some promoters in Seattle have hired security to patrol the parking areas at their events and this has virtually eliminated car break-ins and vandalism.

For safety reasons, nearly every large event these days has security searching dancers for weapons, drugs, markers, etc., as they enter the venue. Wait patiently in line and be respectful of the folks doing the searching. Remember, security's main reason for being there is your safety, not to give you a hard time.

Once inside, establish the locations of the emergency exits. Check your coats and bags in at the coat check if one has been provided. If this service isn't available at parties in your area, consider organizing a group to provide this service and contact your local promoters about working at their events. If there is no coat check available, get together with your friends and find a place to keep your belongings where one of you can keep an eye on them.

By far the most important thing required for safe raving is WATER, and plenty of it. Water is especially important if you choose to take any drugs. Keep it with you on the dance floor and drink some periodically even if you are not thirsty. Dancers should insist that promoters provide some source of FREE drinking water at every event. With the majority of ecstasy related deaths worldwide caused by heat exhaustion, it is at the very least irresponsible to throw an event where the only water available must be purchased. A drinking fountain or bathroom sink are all that are required. Dancers should be especially careful if the venue is unusually hot, or lacks ventilation. Take breaks from grooving to cool down and be sure to drink extra water.

If you get tired while at an event, find a place to sit down and relax, but take a friend with you. The good vibes that drugs like ecstasy create can unfortunately open the door for those who might want to take advantage of or manipulate others into doing things they don't want to do. Use good judgment and trust your instincts about the people you meet. If at any time someone at an event is making you uncomfortable, notify security. Remember, security is there to ensure your safety. If security refuses to help, inform the promoter of the situation. If the promoter will not assist you, seriously consider leaving the event. Why support someone who does not make the safety of the dancers at their party their top priority?

Drug use is the largest safety issue facing dancers at parties. Here, information is your best weapon. Groups like DanceSafe in the Bay Area (http://www.harmreduction.net/dancesafe), Mind, Body Love in Vancouver, and Ravesafe in South Africa (http://www.pcb.co.za/users/ravesafe) distribute "harm reduction" information at parties in their areas. "Harm reduction" refers to programs which accept the reality of drug use in our society and attempt to minimize the damage associated with it through the distribution of truthful information about these substances to those who have chosen to use them. If a similar organization does not operate in your city, go to these web sites and read the information they provide. Knowledge is power!

The most dangerous aspect of drug use at parties is that one never knows exactly what they are taking when they ingest a black market pill. This problem can be countered at least slightly by buying from someone you know and trust, and by always being cautious with new pills. Test kits which can determine the presence of ecstasy and ecstasy-like substances, as well as amphetamines like speed can be purchased on-line from companies like Pro-Test (http://www.protest.force9.c0.uk/homepage.html). These kits are legal to purchase and possess, and though they cannot determine the amount of a substance in a given pill or what contaminants may be present, they can at least prevent users from ingesting mystery pills which contain no ecstasy whatsoever. DanceSafe’s website also includes the Laboratory Pill Analysis Project, where US residents can send ecstasy pills anonymously to a licensed lab for ingredient analysis and adulterant screening.

Always avoid mixing different pills. When you ingest two or more different types of black market ecstasy, you are essentially turning your body into a test-tube! You have no way of knowing exactly what substances each pill contains or how they will react together. You just have no way of knowing what substances the drugs you purchase on the black market might contain. Let the DJ do the mixing! Avoid alcohol as well. Not only does it cause dehydration, which can hasten heat exhaustion, but certain drugs, like ketamine or GHB, can be lethal when combined with alcohol.

In order to avoid the possibility of overdosing, know your limits. Parties are NOT the place to push them to the breaking point. Not only are you risking everyone's good time by giving the police an excellent reason to shut the event down, but you are risking your life! Make sure your friends know if have taken any drugs in case a medical emergency arises. One of the clearest signs that someone is overdosing is that their face will turn blue. They may look pale and collapse, be unable to breathe, or complain of chest pains. Vomiting or seizures may result. If someone has stopped breathing or has no pulse, notify security and have them call the paramedics IMMEDIATELY. Ravesafe recommends that every event have at least one staff member trained in first aid and CPR, and additionally, that events over 500 people have a fully trained and equipped paramedic on duty who is experienced in the effects of drugs. While waiting for the paramedics to arrive, lay the victim on the ground and perform CPR, but ONLY if you know how. When help arrives, let them know if the person has taken any drugs that night.

At the end of the night, please be safe when driving home. There is nothing wrong with being too tired or messed up to drive--unless you get behind the wheel anyway. Find a sober friend to drive your car for you or take a nap first. Don’t risk the lives of your passengers or others on the road by trying to drive when you are not able to do so.

The most valuable thing that dancers can do to make these parties safer is to watch out for each other. If you see someone doing something unsafe, speak up! Check up on people who look like they aren’t feeling well. Offer water to those who need it. If someone looks like they are in a situation they can’t handle, or are being taken advantage of because they are too high, don’t turn away--get involved! We are all members of this community and should take our responsibility to that community seriously. You can make a difference. Start a group to provide a coat check at events in your area, or contact DanceSafe and put together an organization to distribute harm reduction information at parties. Be a part of the solution. We have to work together to demonstrate that we can police ourselves and make these events as safe as possible for everyone, or else the government may step in to do it for us. And more than likely, their cure will be worse than the disease--no more parties at all.

Posted by Ariel Meadow Stallings at 01:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)