Damn right I did. The generic term "party" does not even come close to describing them. I'm talking about those big, messy, one-off events that were everywhere in the early-mid 90s.

My fondest late-night memory is the first time I danced until dawn. It was the summer of 1994, at a production called Sputnik IV, held in the Poughkeepsie Civic Center. Technically not NYC, but I know there were lots of NY kids there. It was huge, maybe 3000 people, with dozens of DJs, laser shows, & screens showing primitive computer animations. My favorite part though, was the small second dance floor set up in the concession area. No fancy lights, just groovy people and acid house. When I walked out in the early morning drizzle, a sweaty mess with pupils the size of teacups, I knew I would never be the same.

How about you guys? Got any memories of those wild events? For a few years it was the thing to do...

I wasn't big on the big outdoor raves (sadly).
I was more into the big indoor raves (also with like 3,000 people with teacup eyes).
Those days were really fun and exciting.

Every few years there is something "new" that happens that get people really excited.
There is a feeling that "something new" is happening. A movement.
Disco, Punk, Roller Disco, New Wave, Voguing/House Balls, Raves...
They were all very creative exciting periods.

Sadly kids today know nothing about this.
(I'm sorry but the re-opening of "Pop Rocks" just isn't enough!)

I see creative people doing very creative things like Jason Black Kat and Sequinette's LOVE MUSCLE but it's such a struggle for anyone doing anything creative today (In New York anyway).

Raves were great, they brought back the !

last summer Beijing had a RAVE of sorts in chaoyang park as part of the annual "midi festival" held here for the past 6 yrs. or so and although it wasn't as "skanky" as ones i've seen back home (woodstock 99 to mention one) it was refreashing to see it here because these fucks are hungry for it. As i've said before "the dj's are the top bill here" and we got/get most of the top dj's in the world spinning here.

sadly though ... today is my last day in the peoples republic so some of you will be seeing me again after 10 away. i'm stopping my life quests at the moment to help my father die (of cancer) he's a real bastard,my family hates him so i feel i must step in to do the unwanted duty of the son. can't say WHY i feel this way but it's gonna happen.

ps .... i miss so many of you and i'm glad to be able to make time for this. i really need some good parties to go to so keep an extra COMP. close by.

pss. looking forward to "karen finley" @ rapture or wherever she's poeting at on the 24th. i love that woman.

You're a good man Dana. Good things will follow on your heeding duty's call.

Good luck with everything.

How about this for synchronicity....

In Perez:This past weekend, New Yorkers gathered in NYC's boho Union Square park for a SILENT rave.

WTF????

No, it wasn't a party for the E-popping hearing-impaired.

More than 1,000 people showed up, danced in place and grooved to the tunes coming out of their own iPod headphones.

How post-modern!

The "mastermind" behind the silent rave was Jonnie Wesson a British exchange student.

Silent raves are popular in Europe, especially London, where he grew up, Wesson told the NY Times. "The basic premise is that a hundred or a thousand or a few thousand people all turn up in a public place, turn on their own headphones and dance. It's always fantastic and weird to see thousands of people dancing silently. It's always in a public space, but it's not meant to cause disruption, but only because it's the last place you'd expect that sort of thing."

One of the largest such silent raves occurred in London in 2006 at Paddington Station, when 3,500 people turned up at the height of rush hour, 7:18 p.m.

Perezcious reader, Amanda, was there and sent us the pic above. She reports, "Some notable moments of the rave were the conga-lines, mosh pits, people climbing on-top of the George Washington statue, the infamous Raveapple that showed up, and even a woman attended the rave wearing only paint to cover her entire body. Cops showed up, but nothing got out of hand and no arrests were made. Another Silent Rave is definitely going to happen though, but the exact dates arent set yet."

I think it sounds fantastic. If they won't let us dance in bars, take it to the streets, sweetie. Was anyone witness to this event?

I was there for a moment, I was on my bike so i didn't stay long, but it was a great idea and i hope they do it again. I did hear some drumming, which i think was not such a great addition. I think its much more interesting to listen to the sounds of dancing with no music. MORE! Kudos to Jonnie Wesson!

Great idea.

Yeah I think drumming defeats the purpose. It's very similar to this thing they do at the Glastonbury Festival which I believe is called silent disco. They hand out wireless headphones to everyone and then the dj plays but he can only be heard through their headphones, absolute silence if you take them off. Simple yet kinda brill.

If this Wesson kid (and geez is he a kid) does another event I'd love to go with a group of people but to make a playlist or mix for the group.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Pickles2,

We used to have so much fun at raves. I remember we'd make little braceletts out of those beads with the letters on them cause we'd be too fucked up to exchange phone numbers- so we'd put out phone numbers and names on the beads and then give them out to people. You'd wake up the next day with an arm full of strangers phone numbers on braceletts.