RAVING ARGUMENTS

Are All-Night Dance Parties, Or 'Raves,' Dens Of Drugs -- As Indianapolis'
Mayor Says -- Or Just Fun Places To Socialize?

Indiana feels like an attic on summer nights -- dark and quiet, drawing
young people like moths to strobe-lit dance parties where DJs blend record
after record into a continuous pulse of sound.

Where fans hear jungle, house and techno music bringing a vibrant
electronica scene to Indianapolis, Mayor Bart Peterson hears a hypnotic
siren song luring children into a dangerous, drug-fueled underworld.

The culture clash in Indianapolis is far from over. And rave fans know it
better than anyone.

"So many people who haven't gone to raves say they're bad news," said
16-year-old Adam Campagna, a devout Christian who abstains from drugs and
alcohol. "People need to realize that we aren't there to use drugs. We're
there for the music. The music gives us a natural high that we don't need
any illegal substances to get."

Raves began in the late 1980s as secretive, impromptu DJ parties thrown in
Detroit and Chicago warehouses. Since then, the culture of electronica has
found its way into high schools, record stores and popular culture.
Indianapolis clubs like Eden and the Hard Rock Cafe regularly spin
electronica records into their evening mix. Mainstream firms now use
artists like Moby and Fatboy Slim to sell beer and automobiles. The
fluorescent glow sticks that rave dancers twirl are sold as jewelry in
suburban malls.

It's a scene that's hardly underground anymore. But as rave music's
popularity has grown nationwide, so has the frequency of clashes between
promoters and law enforcement.

Chicago, New Orleans and now Indianapolis are cracking down. This city will
be host of a "regional rave summit" Wednesday, schooling 30 law enforcement
agencies on the tricks and tools to keep promoters out of work.

Mayor Peterson has never been to a rave, but he said undercover police
officers showed him footage of illegal drug activity at earlier events --
and he said he's been told accounts of unprotected teen sex.

Ravers wouldn't be able to dance all night if they weren't on drugs, the
43-year-old mayor believes.

"Normal people, without stimulants, wear out well before 8 a.m. rolls
around," Peterson said. "That's part of why raves and Ecstasy seem to go
together."

Undercover police in Marion County have attended about half a dozen
parties, making about the same number of arrests. Of 1,100 people who
attended Disco Mojo on the city's Northwestside in June, five were arrested
for drug-related charges. An amateur video shot by one of the promoter's
employees showed an orderly crowd filing out of the Sports Zone.

Scarab Records, the party's promoter, was fined $1,000 Monday for not
obtaining a city-mandated dance-hall permit.

"Back in the '50s and '60s, you would hear these same things: It's the
devil's music. Your kids are doing drugs and having sex listening to the
Beatles and Elvis Presley," said Scarab owner Kevin Ahern. Ahern says he
spent $300,000 on artists, lighting, sound, hotel rooms and meals last
year, putting on shows for 75,000 fans.

Even such established promoters as Scarab have held onto some old rave
practices that distinguish them from traditional concerts. Scarab
advertises with colorful fliers and Internet sites but relies largely on
word of mouth to publicize the next party.

Marion County Deputy Chief Tim Motsinger said the way that parties are
promoted draws suspicion. "It's unbelievable how these parties start,"
Motsinger said. "We have no idea where they're going to be until we get a
tip from an anonymous source."

Amin Najar, the top legal adviser for the city's Police Department, has a
difficult time defining a rave. But, he gives police wide latitude.

How does he tell?

"I think just by the nature of the event itself, how it's set up. Typically
they're set up in a vacant building rented for one night, not your typical
venue for a concert, or something like that. It's pretty easy to
distinguish between a rave and a concert for Verizon Wireless," Najar said.

In reality, the difference is that Verizon concerts don't get raided, said
Indianapolis attorney Steven Groth, who defended Scarab Records.

"It's like shutting down the Wal-Mart because you've got shoplifting,"
Groth said.

The recent campaign against Indianapolis raves has driven local fans to
distant venues like Extra! Extra!, a recent electronica concert in
Evansville. Rather than Ecstasy and LSD, Pepsi and Marlboros appeared to be
the stimulants of choice. The party's promoters said they announced the
location 18 hours beforehand to preserve the authenticity of rave culture.

Ashley Clark, 20, said the high-energy music was more than enough to keep
her up all night, and that the supposed connection between raves and drugs
was mostly innuendo. "I hate it when people sell drugs at a party," Clark
said, tapping her feet to techno by DJ Shiva from Indianapolis. "This is a
place to relax, not a marketplace."

Clark had an unlikely ally in Vanderburgh County Sheriff's Deputy Ray
Reason, who was working off-duty security last month at the Evansville
party. Standing over 6 feet tall with a narrow crew cut, Reason recalled
his own youthful days.

"Heck, if I'd kept my old clothes, I'd be hip right now," laughed the
36-year-old father of four. "These kids are good kids. They got to have
some release, and I understand that. I'm just here to watch and make sure
nobody gets hurt, that's all."

But aren't raves just an excuse for minors to get high on illegal drugs
like Ecstasy? "I'd let my 15-year-old girls come here and pick them up
afterwards. You gotta trust your kids."

(SIDEBAR)

Music, place are the keys to knowing about raves

Q. What is a rave?

A. Generally, a rave is an allnight dance party that isn't held in a
traditional location like a bar or a club. Performers usually favor
turntables, sequencers and drum machines over traditional acoustic
instruments. Early raves 15 years ago often were held in unlicensed
warehouses. Contemporary electronica concerts have been held in convention
centers, hotel ballrooms and state parks.

Q. How much do they cost?

A. Tickets for recent events in Indianapolis and Evansville ranged from $20
to $35. New Year's Eve extravaganza or multiday events can run into the
hundreds.

Q. Where can I find out more?

A. Try here: Hyperreal.org: A well-known clearinghouse for party information

The Dance Music Resouce Pages: Upcoming electronica record releases

Q. Are raves illegal in Indianapolis?

A. There's no local ordinance or state law prohibiting what are loosely
referred to as raves. However, organizers must comply with curfew laws for
youths, and meet fire and building safety codes. Also, in Indianapolis,
promoters must get a dance-hall permit or annual dance license. An
Indianapolis promoter was recently fined $1,000 for failing to get the permit.