РефератыИностранный языкElElectronic Music Essay Research Paper ELECTRONIC MUSIC

Electronic Music Essay Research Paper ELECTRONIC MUSIC

Electronic Music Essay, Research Paper


ELECTRONIC MUSIC & RAVES


On the phone, with flier in hand, you listen anxiously to the pre-recorded


directions on the Mission Control rave hotline. This valuable information can


only be accessed on the day of the event, but now that this is out of the way,


it?s time to prepare. People of all ages, but mostly between the ages of 17


and 26, madly attack appropriate stores to purchase their necessary ?rave


gear.? They buy glow-sticks, glitter, dark glasses, sealed water, vicks vapo-rub,


other trinkets and outrageous, often striped clothing. True ravers would drive


for hours or fly to attend these worldwide conventions, and all share the same


drive. You finally arrive at your destination to find a warehouse located on the


outskirts of its respective city, with a large mob of people desperately trying


to get in. It?s about 12:00 midnight and all are mentally and physically


prepared to party for the next 9 or 10 hours straight, to finally emerge from


the doors to see daylight and non-ravers half way through their day.


The Webster dictionary defines ?rave? and ?techno? as?


?.RAVE8217?ra-v


: To move or advance violently: STORM: to utter in madness or frenzy


: To talk with extreme enthusiasm


: To declaim wildly


: An extravagantly favorable criticism?


?.TECH*NO-pop


: pop music featuring extensive use of synthesizers


In general practice, a ?rave? usually refers to a party, usually all


night long, open to the public, where loud ?techno? music is played and many


people partake in a number of different chemicals. The number of people at the


event is unimportant; it can range from 50 to 25000 people. The cost varies, but


is often 25 to 30 dollars and is usually held in a remote, and secluded part of


town. The ages of those who attend are concentrated between 17 and 26 but truly


range from 14 to 40 or 50 years old. It?s common to have several different


rooms playing different types of techno simultaneously. ?Techno? or


electronic music can be distinguished by its often lack of vocals, creation by


synthesizers or other electronic means and it?s unusually fast beat; ranging


from 115-170 BPM (Beats Per Minute), while commercial ?dance? music is


usually a maximum of 70 or 80 BPM. The first substantial piece of music composed


electronically was the Illiac Suite (1956) by the avant-garde composer Lejaren


Hiller (1925?94). Each room is equipped with a Dj, a set of two or more


turntables, walls of speakers located offset from the corners and impressive


visual effects: such as lasers and light shows.


The people that attend are dressed ultra alternatively. This consists of


comfortable yet creative attire. You would often see ravers wearing extremely


baggy pants, glow in the dark body suits, and ultimately any visually entising


clothing with similar accessories. Heads of hair are often dyed with unique


colors and faces are covered strategically with glitter and an assortment of


black make-up for a somewhat gothic look. All of these various forms of


expression, visual effects, the barrage of audio only compliment the few


chemicals used. Most members of the congregation use ecstasy in the form of


tablet or capsule and/or acid. The light display and outrageous costumes are


geared to act as a stimulus for the hallucinogen of the acid, but the music and


overall environment is geared to the ?mystifying? effects of ecstasy.


Ecstasy, the tablet or capsule, is a man made drug derived from a plant which


produces legal, herbal ecstasy in the form of a liquid or over the counter


tablets. Ecstasy is a combination of concentrated herbal ecstasy and speed or


heroin, cocaine, or crystal methane, but never containing a combination of the


last three mentioned. This particular drug is said to have little visual


effects, but more so physical effects. Your body starts to feel fluffy as the


energy produced from the speed kicks in. You almost uncontrollably start to move


to the beat of the music while the grinding of the teeth (from the speed) is


more noticeable. The severity of this grinding on your teeth is lessened by the


use of a baby pacifier. This allows you to grind on a soft rubber-like item


perfectly suited for the

mouth rather than the hard enamel of the teeth.


Regardless, your jaw muscles will be sore. The more erotic effects of the drug


come from the concentrated herb. In a sense, it drastically amplifies your sense


of touch. Where a massage when sober feels like heaven, when on the drug a


massage feels more like true ecstasy, as the name would suggest. Once Vicks vapo-rub


is used, it offers a flurry of hot and cold flashes and lubrication to the


massage. Several pairs of ravers can be seen giving massages while, more often


than not, sitting at the base of either the surrounding walls or the walls of


speakers.


Similar to most types of music, techno has an appropriate method of dancing,


but unlike most other forms of dancing, each individual dances alone. This


allows you to perform independently, and being the main activity, this also


allows you to demonstrate the extent of your talent. Dancers commonly use a pair


of glow-sticks like the one enclosed to enhance their abilities. One is placed


between the fingers of each hand. The most secure method would be under the


index and pinky finger and over the ring and middle finger. The fingers are then


curled downward. Normally the glow-stick glows brightly and comes in an


assortment of colors, nevertheless, this method allows the most illumination to


be seen. Now, these glow-sticks are carefully manipulated to create a


deliberate, constant flow of intricate patterns and color, making sure to


utilize all the space available about the body and maintaining rhythm with the


beat of the pulsating music.


The Dj?s play an important role in the ?Vibe? of the rave. They can


almost be considered a shaman or a high priest of the congregation. They control


the ?psychic voyages? of the dancers through his choice of continuous,


original music and their skill in manipulating it. I think the importance of the


music at a rave is somewhat comparable to that of the music in an American


Indian pow wow. In both cases the music helps one to fall into an alter state.


Music is generally considered as pleasurable, but the music at a rave, and the


ecstasy, help to form a sense of unity by sharing an emotion and a sense of


freedom. Yet, at the same time you are revered for your individuality. For


example, the more original and entising your dancing is congratulated by a


slapping of one of each persons? palms together, a pat on the back, verbal


gratification or simply a smile or nod. The people are very friendly, because


you seem to appreciate you for what you are rather than for what you are not.


This differs from the typical club environment.


The friendly, liberal attitudes of the ravers in conjunction with the dress,


dancing and overall layout allow me to conclude that traditional values and


behavior of society is rejected. Individuals can do almost anything in a rave as


long as it does not affect someone else. For example, I could strip down to my


boxer shorts and sit in the middle of the dance floor and even though it isn?t


done often, I can garauntee that it will be accepted. If I were to do a similar


thing in Crobar (a popular club in Miami), I would promptly be ridiculed, and


then removed from the premises. In the ritual of clubbing in Miami would not


accept this form of attitude. The ritual of raving seems to promote a more


liberal view. A view based on total freedom of expression. This is apparent by


my previous description. I have met a few ravers outside of the event and am


able to conclude that most of them are somewhat typical citizens. They abide by


the traditional values and behavior imposed by society, but use the rave to let


go and express themselves in a more flamboyant manner.


?Ritual is a patterned, repetitive, and symbolic enactment of a cultural


belief or value; its primary purpose is alignment of the belief system of


individuals with that of society.? With this in mind, we can now fathom the


idea that raving is a ritual. Raves can therefore be seen from an


anthropological view as a congregation of members of a sub-culture, sharing


similar emotions, beliefs, dress and behavior, all governed by techno music and


the Djs. They experience unity yet individuality, freedom of expression, and a


liberal environment, all simultaneously.

Сохранить в соц. сетях:
Обсуждение:
comments powered by Disqus

Название реферата: Electronic Music Essay Research Paper ELECTRONIC MUSIC

Слов:1562
Символов:10075
Размер:19.68 Кб.