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Yay, first blog entry! I intend to use this as my blog on the rave scene. I always loved to talk about it, so I figured writing about it here would be the best thing to do. First, this is just my opinion on the scene, no drama please, I'm not accusing anyone in particular here. Now, feel free to leave comments, after all, we do need to talk about those things.

How often do we hear: the scene is dead, raves used to be so much better, the music sucks today, no one raves anymore, etc. It's true that the rave scene isn't quite like it used to be. I wouldn't say it's dying, cause a subculture never dissapears. Punks are still there, goths are still there, hippies are still there and unfortunately emo kids won't go away any time soon. Same goes for ravers. Now, it's true the disco scene isn't quite as strong as it used to be. Same goes for raves. We had our moments of glory, now the mainstream moved to something else. That means less ravers. Less ravers will mean less djs and less promoters.

Here's the problem right now. A raver will last for usually no more than 3 years. After that he'll either:

a- become a dj
b- become a promoter
c- start selling drugs and ruin his life
d- just leave this whole rave thing behind and concentrate on real life.

Now, not everyone is cut to be a dj or a promoter, and even if a lot are, the scene just isn't big enough. Now, who's job is it to decide who will stay? Actually it's the raver's decision, as the raver his the customer in all of this. I'm throwing a party myself. Among many, I think I deserve my spot under the spotlight. The important part is to know how to share it. I'm gonna talk about the promoters, the djs and the ravers.

First, the promoters. They're a lot of us out there, and we all want to throw the party of the year. A few things to remember. First, we gotta share the scene, that means not throwing too much parties. A few ravers will go out every weekend, but most won't take more than one party per month. Nowadays, most promoters throw a party every 2 or 3 months. This is a good way to burn yourself, as well as the ravers. A few years ago, the scene could support one party every weekend. Not anymore. Now, a good thing to do would be for each promoter to throw one or two parties a year, but put all the energy possible in it. Give it at least 3 or 4 months promotion. Go out, talk about it, make up some crazy idea, than take a big break, and do it again after a few months. And be original, the scene needs something new to stay interesting. Parties don't have to be just music and dancing, add decoration, add a theme, suggested dress code, beach toys, some clowns running around the party, anything crazy, it's a rave after all! You don't have to throw big raves with big headliner, but do something original, and listen to what the ravers have to say, they're the boss, not you.

Now, the djs. There are two things that you guys need to do, be original, and promote yourself. Oh, and producing helps. Roughly, they're three types of djs. The first type goes out to every party, talks to everyone, plays a lot cause everyone loves him. The second type stays at home, concentrates on his mixing, maybe produces his own tracks, and is much more technical. The third type does both. You want to be that third type. Go out, talk to people. If you wanna mix, first you gotta understand the dancefloor. Remember that every dj used to be a raver first. (ok, most of em) You gotta work on your skills and track selection too. Be original. Too many djs just play the tracks everyone know and mixes them the easiest possible way. Find the thing that places you apart from the other djs, and work on this. Make it your unique sound. As for producing, well not everyone can do it, but if you wanna put the work into it, you could maybe make it big, and Montreal serioustly needs more producers, to have a better spot on the international scene. Remember, djing is about charisma, promotion and originality.

Now, the ravers. You guys make the scene alive. The only thing I can tell you, don't burn yourself, and believe in the scene. I love that quote on top of the page: "This is your scene, love and respect it and it will grow. Disrespect it and it will go". This is the way it goes. It's not cool to be jaded, it's not cool to diss people. You're there to have fun, and if you're not having fun anymore, just take a break and come back in a few months, the scene won't dissapear. Too many times I've seen kids really hyped up about raves, start doing drugs every weekend, and go to 3 or 4 days afterparties. Then, after 6 months, they drop out of the scene in a gargantuan burst of drama. It's ok to do drugs once in a while, but please do it responsibly. It's better to rave for 3 years, but only one party every two months, then burn yourself up.

All in all, this is your scene, you gotta respect it for it to stay healthy. Don't diss people, don't cause drama, help out in any way you can, and most importantly, have fun!