The ELECTRIC DAISY CARNIVAL attracted more than 130,000 people to dance in the desert while watching their favorite EDM DJs lay some sick beats. These large events have reached a level of iconography due to the celebrities that attend and the fashion trends that are inspired by the festival go-ers. However, large music festivals dedicated to electronic music are not a new concept. TEXT TAYLOR RUPAREL In the 1950s, a rave was described as a wild bohemian party. The word “rave” was then commonly used in reference to the 1960’s garage rock and psychedelic bands. With a rapid shift away from mod era into the hippie era of the 70’s, the word rave fell out of relevance; that is until the late 80’s a new waves of electric music, acid house and techno began to flourish in Manchester, England. With the recent end of the U.K’s textile industry in the north, large mills and warehouses were left vacant begging for the counter culture to find some use for them. Parties in the abandoned lots were advertised as all night video shoots; people would buy tickets for £5. On each ticket was taped 1p (penny), the party goers acting fee for the “video shoot”. By doing so, forces of the law did not affect the parties. House music began to gain popularity, so much so that it invaded London where Acid Music Parties took shape in public arenas. The parties attracted up to 25,000 people per party. With such a large attendance, local authorities started fining for unauthorized parties, ultimately forcing rave back to take place in the countryside. The term rave was once again relevant, being used to describe the subculture surrounding the Acid Music Parties. American DJs traveled to the U.K and Europe to play at the parties, which lead to them returning to America and facilitating their own parties or raves. D.J Frankie Bones is credited to creating one of the first raves in the U.S called “Storm Rave”, which traveled state to state. After this, numerous smaller promotional groups started to form they’re own raves including Caffeine and Ultra Music Festival. Once rave culture reached the West Coast, parties such as OPIUM and NAR- NIA reached 60,000 people in size. These raves were named “The Woodstock of Generation X”. The classic rave fairy girl motif came into existence based off of the first promotional poster for NARNIA, which featured fairy imagery. West Coast raves took place on Indian reservations or ski resorts during the summer, maintaining the British tradition of hiding the events away from the public. Many raves in the U.S were completely legal and had the approval from local authorities. Agreements were set in place that allowed for the raves to continue through out the morning until 6am as long as no alcohol was served. The no alcohol rule, in turn, promoted the use of ecstasy. Raves were now known as drug supermarkets and received negative press attention due to the hospitalizations caused by drug over doses as well as from deaths. The American population stop caring about techno, house music and started listening to nu-rock groups such as The Strokes and The White Stripes. Some American DJs even moved to Europe where there was a larger market for Dance music Today, almost 25 years after raves first hit America, rave culture has once again manifested itself within Generation Y. It was critical for party promoters to shed the notion of drugged up kids dancing to electric music. In order to do so, they abandoned the word “rave” and replaced it with “Music Festival.” Techno music is now known as EDM (electric dance music). Part of the rebranding intuitive was to pull raves out of remote locations and place them in highly public areas. Electric Daisy Carnival, one of the U.S’s largest EDM music festivals, takes place at Las Vegas’s motor racetrack attracting over 130,000 people. With such high attendance at festivals, safety can be a major concern. However many situations can be avoided by being smart. Attending music festivals with a group of people you trust is very important. Set up a home base or meet up point incase you loose someone or the group breaks up. Make sure to keep your phone charged and have a backup battery just incase. If you are you to participate in drug use, make sure you know what your taking and how it will affect you. It is also suggested to bring a drug testing kit in order to test your d.o.c. Never leave your drink unattended. With over 130,000 people around you, never assume that it won’t happen to you, whatever it may be. Listen to your instinct. 62 i-D THE SPEAK UP ISSUE
ad trip PHOTOGRAPHY GRAYSON DAVIS STYLING BRYNN MCKINSTRY Creative Director Brooke Benson Hair Elizabeth Rose Make-up Brooke Benson Talent Sawyer Greenberg & Jessica Daly Sawyer wears handmade crocheted halter top by Nathan Hoyle i-D THE SPEAK UP UP ISSUE 63 63