Journal Article – Electronic
Hutson, S (1999), ‘Popular Music & Society’, Technoshamanism; Spiritual Healing in the Rave Subculture, Vol 23. p53-72, 'Quest/EBSCOhost Discovery Service' Available at : http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&hid=115&sid=d4b17f7f-f290-488b-9c6f-51bfab271ff1%40sessionmgr114 (Accessed: 01/04/2011)
After reading about 'rituals' in the rave subculture I was intrigued and wanted to investigate into more depth.
Part 1 - Reiterating and expanding on already researched topics;
- 'Techno' is an overall catch term for electronic music. The sub-genres of techno are; House, Trance, Jungle, Drum and Bass (D&B), Speed Garage, Trip Hop and Big Beat.
- Raves are used as an escape from social order of work, rules and jobs.
- Unlike rock concerts and gigs, there is no 'hero' (definition being a person you focus on, i.e the singer) as most ravers tend to dance in any direction, not necessarily facing the stage.
- People from all ethnic background attend, but the main audience is primarily upper class, white males.
- MDMA as the choice drug (three articles supporting this so far, very likely it is true)
- Raves are post-modern, ranging from the artwork which uses bricolage, and through the use of 'sampling' (also a form of bricolage) of music. Sampling is where a DJ takes parts of other songs, popular culture and news clips, with other clips and placed onto a beat to create a new meaning to the genre.
Part 2 - Teachnoshamanism & Rituals in the Rave Subculture
- The thought that raves are 'spiritual' is believable, due to similarities of tribal religious tribes, who would use beats and music, inducing an ecstatic trance of worship to their god(s).
- DJ's are often referred to as 'High Priests', and MDMA is referred to as 'The Holy Sacrament'.
- The DJ is referred to as this because like a shaman from early religion, he senses the time when the mod needs to be lifted up or brought down, a harmonic navigator so to speak.
- Some ravers claim that the DJ 'made them see god'.
- Some traditional churches have incorporated the rave subculture into their services, calling these services 'Planetary Mass'.
- Raves are seen as a much more direct form of spirituality to ravers than attending church services, some even quoting that;
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There is no perfect tempo, beat or sound to induce the 'trance', the music is used to maintain the trance.
- Some ravers claim that after a rave, their minds are opened, they feel empowered, and inner peace is found within them. Their self esteem is also increased, and ravers often feel 'healed' after the night is over.
- Mircea Eliade states that raves can be compared to a fetus in the womb;
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- It has been proved that lighting can initiate a 'trance', as shown by Ken Keseys Acid Tests in 1965.
Posted by Gary.
