I’ve been attending electronic dance music events for a long time now. Spending a few years in the scene only to get tired of it; get involved with other parts of life, work, and merriment; eventually finding my way back to the scene in one form or another. This has happened 4 times since ‘91. And a lot changes in-between “eras”: dominant music styles; locally famous DJs; party crews; and favorite spaces for dancing; to name a few. What doesn’t change is the accepting, family spirit that persists.
In the early days, it was all about P.L.U.R. (peace, love, unity, respect). This became the official motto to a lot of gatherings with all the baggy-pants’ed ravers wearing bracelets proclaiming their utter plurriness.
These days, it seems the phrase exists more as a tongue-in-cheek joke than anything else, but the spirit of the slogan lives on in the personalities involved, whether spoken or not. People are still overwhelmingly nice and friendly (which is probably how I keep coming back to it year after year). And fortunely, there are choice moments in the late-night party scene, where you come across reminders of rave’s colorful past, just like in the photo above.
Seeing this photo reminds me of that creative, collective spirit—oozing from lovingly crafted, homegrown banners—which carrys on a legacy of this relatively new, musical dance family.
But mostly, I wonder what became of those socks.
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It’s my favorite banner and creation from our group of friends.
I would say this is the epitome of a “simple snapshot with grand exkclamation.”