Rave Scene As a Specific Part of Youth Culture in Britain
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MasarykUniversity Facultyof Arts Department of EnglishandAmericanStudies Rave Scene As a Specific Part of Youth Culture in Britain (B.A. Thesis) RomanKuběna Supervisor: PhDr. Lidia Kyzlinková, CSc., M. Litt. Brno2007 I hereby declare that I have worked on this B.A. thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography. RomanKuběna 2 Iwouldlike tothankmysupervisor,PhDr.Lidia Kyzlinková,CSc.,M.Litt.,for providingme withvaluableadvice andrecources. 3 Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................. 6 1. Youth of the Nation ............................................................................................................. 7 1.1Leisure,FriendsandStyle.......................................................................................7 1.2MeaningandDivision.............................................................................................8 1.3WorkingClassvsMiddle-classYouth....................................................................8 1.4GirlsandYouthCulture..........................................................................................9 2. Into The Music World ...................................................................................................... 10 2.1PrimaryAspectsofRaveCulture..........................................................................10 2.2SecondaryAspectsofRaveCulture......................................................................11 3. The Story Begins, 1987-89 ................................................................................................ 13 3.1PioneersfromtheIbizaIsland...............................................................................13 3.2From ClubstoWarehouses...................................................................................14 3.3AcidHouseandAcidTeds....................................................................................15 3.4TheAmericanInfluence........................................................................................16 3.5NewGenerationofPromoters...............................................................................17 3.6InthePoliticalArena.............................................................................................18 4. Manchester Turns to Madchester, 1989-91 .................................................................... 20 4.1FashionandSoccer................................................................................................20 4.2GiftedBandsinthe TimeofUnrest......................................................................21 4.3AmbientHouseComestoLight............................................................................22 4.4TheDrugsSpoilthe Scene....................................................................................23 5. The Invasion of Hardcore Music, 1991-92 ...................................................................... 24 5.1Hardcore,YouKnowtheScore ............................................................................24 5.2Further FragmentationofHouseMusic................................................................25 4 5.3ContinentalEurope BenefitsfromtheUKProduction.........................................27 5.4TheGoldenAgeof Hardcore................................................................................27 6. The End of Traditional Rave Culture, 1992-97 .............................................................. 29 6.1TheCrustyraverMovementandtheCriminalJusticeAct..................................29 6.2NewGenresMarktheOnsetofPost-raveExperimentalEra................................31 7. Use Me, Do Not Abuse Me ................................................................................................ 33 7.1AShortHistoryofEcstasy....................................................................................33 7.2TheEffects............................................................................................................34 7.3DangerandPrevention..........................................................................................35 7.4OtherDrugs...........................................................................................................36 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................. 37 Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 38 5 1. Introduction In my thesis, I focus on quite a unique phenomenon called rave culture and its integral elements inthe form of music,parties,fashionanddrugs.I trytodescribe the waythe rave scene evolved,what kinds of music styles it encompassedandI alsopresent several important figures associatedwith this phenomenon.Since rave culture is primarily a domainof young people,it is useful toapproachrave andyouth culture as twointeractive spheres rather than the individual worlds.Inadditiontothe facts concerning the development of rave culture, I wouldalsolike tosubstantiate the claim that ravingwas a meaningful experience for many youthandteenagegenerations. The workis divided intosevenchapters. The first chapter aims toprovide a general introduction toyouthculture,its characteristics, its ideology anddivision.The scope of the secondchapter is then more specific,examiningthe rave scene elements,whichmost appeal tothe youths.The followingfour chapters present a detailedstoryof rave culture, from its earlybeginningsuptothe post-raveera.Theverylastchapterthendemonstratestheimpactof drugs, especially Ecstasy, on rave culture. Before proceeding to the first chapter,I have to stress the importance of SimonReynolds´ fascinatingbook,Generation Ecstasy (1999) ,that turnedoutto beaninvaluablesourceofinformation. 6 1. Youth of the Nation The 1950s saw the birth of commercialized youth cultures, workingclass teenagers possessed the neccessary spending power. Financial independence led to cultural independence,andthe leisure industries beganto recognize youthas a distinct market ...Duringthe 1960s,Londonbecame internationallyrenownedfor its swingingscene, with young people leading the action. By then they had become the undisputed pioneers infashion.Their tastes dictatedgeneral trends indress,coiffure andmusic. Youngpeoplesetthe pace,andadultsfollowed.(RobertsqtdinAbercrombie423) 1.1 Leisure, Friends and Style It is somehow ingrained in human mind to see young people as different and problematic. Alhoughsome people feel sympathyfor them,others like toattacktheir free andriotous life, resistance to the authorities and traditional values. Despite these criticisms, youth culture possesses several essential features, which are no longer frowned upon so sharply. These features have been emphasized thanks to the prolonged period between childhood and adulthood.“First,it is a culture of leisure rathenthanwork” (Abercrombie andWarde 423). Inthe leasure time,youngpeople realize their activities that make them young.“Second,the social relationships of youthcultures are organizedaroundthe peer group; theyare as much collective as individual” (Abercrombie and Warde 423). Young people are free to form communities with similar opinions, interests and tastes. “Lastly, youth groups are characterizedbya stronginterest in style” (Abercrombie andWarde 423).Latest currents in music are of their immediate concern, they like to discover new trends in fashion, read modern books and use new words that may be understood only within a specific range of peopleor places. 7 There are several aspects contributing to the development and thriving of youth culture.Nowadays,there are big educational opportunities. Youngpeople spend longer time studying at schools andtheir childhoodlenghtens.Of course,they have also more moneyto spendfor pleasures theylike,suchasmusicrecords,clothes,booksor parties. 1.2 Meaning and Division Youth culture gives meaning to the lives of young people in the often difficult period of maturation. Youth culture is very active, sometimes even hyperactive, but is not hostile to other cultures insociety,rather interacts with them.Since “the youngaresubject tothe impact of occupational,educational andeconomic changes at particular times inhistory” (Brake 21), the aspect of class highly influences the attitude of young people towards the dominant society. The attitude of workingclass youth definitely differs from the attitude of middle- classyouth. Inhis bookfocusedonyouthculture, Michael Brake brings amore detaileddivisionof youth into four categories based on class differences. “Respectable youth” of middle class prefer the ordinary life withnotraces of deviance.“Delinquent youth” originate primarilyin working class. They often tend to be violent and thievish. “Cultural rebels” rank among middle class. They are characterized by the interest in education and culture. “Politically militant youth” mayrepresent people from different classes. Theyinclude environmentalits, pacifists,studentclubsandmovementsofvariouskinds. 1.3 Working-class vs Middle-class Youth Inthe workingclass milieu,characteristic features of youthculture include flamboyance and even defiance, which serve as compensatory forces for their lack of power and authority. Beinga part of youthculture gives youngpeople a sense of identityandpower todeal with 8 everyday problems. Workingclass youth culture fits John Fiske´s description of “jouissance,” which“is