Raves, stimming paradise?

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So in the past like 5 years or so I have fallen myself deeper and deeper into electronic dance music culture, or rave culture and have become incredibly fond of it.

You might think, loud music, lights, crazy people running around, everyone close together, seems like a nightmare.

Raves like that are a nightmare. But I don't really consider those real raves. Events like that are sort of like this new thing thats like a mix between a live concert and electronic music, or rather everyone acts like they are at a live rock concert, just with electronic music playing.

Real raves aren't like that, real raves are actually quite hard to find depending on where you are and who you know. Most real raves are typically not very publically advertised, they aren't that large either.

I'm not a proponent of going out and taking drugs, and I am not insinuating anyone do that in the slightest. But to me, real raves are actually designed around people who want to take psychedelic drugs. They are designed around the idea that people are going to be there and they are going to be HYPER SENSITIVE and HYPER AWARE, to a degree that is actually way more intense than we experience, because of the drugs they take. Thus a real rave, and the culture that surrounds them, is actually setup from the ground up to be highly supportive and feel 'safe' to extremely hyper sensitive people.

It's really fascinating to me, it's like an entire social construct designed to revolve around and support extreme hyper sensitivity. I can't understate how incredibly comfortable I feel at such situations. People act different, they treat each different, there is an intense amount of respect and just 'good vibes' that everyone makes a solid effort to put out. I have found real rave culture to be highly therapeutic and supportive.

There is loud music, but a real rave never traps you in a room with loud music. There will be multiple rooms, one with loud music, another room with quieter music, another room with no music and just artwork. Places to relax, places to hide (as people want to do on psychedellics).

Then of course the whole thing really revolves around dancing. At real raves, people respect dancing, they give each other space to do their thing, people want to see other people dancing. I have found that through dancing I can actually completely control myself. Much how stimming has an effect, but its much more, because it full body, its more rhythmic, its more in control. I actually don't have any 'stims' anymore, rather I find myself kind of unconsciously dancing. It is extremely liberating to be somewhere that you can just freely, in view of everyone else, do whatever physical movements you want to in order to feel comfortable, and the more crazy you do them the more people like it.

Just thought I'd share my experience with that.

What movie would you suggest that presents an accurate portrait of rave?

Gee, I'd be afraid of the people that get dangerously paranoid and potentially violent when under the influence of psychedelic drugs. Apart from that aspect though it doesn't sound so bad, maybe even something I'd enjoy. It's a shame they don't do things like this for people with high sensory sensitivity who aren't interested in drugs.

My nephew is a "true raver" and I have encountered the raves as you describe. The last taking me to the top of a mountain on a long narrow dirt road with cliffs at each side. By the time I managed to turn my car around in the complete middle of nowhere with thumping music pounding me THROUGH my car and the lights blinding me... I was a complete wreck and told my nephew if he ever duped me into taking him to another he would regret it.

What you describe (and what I have experienced) sounds like nothing short of a nightmare to me. What is a quiet room to me if I have become so completely overwhelmed by the other rooms? That quiet room - means zilch because it does not belong to me and I would never ever be able to relax in it.

flashing lights, other people, intoxicated people (their energy is overwhelming), loud music... all simply overwhelming living nightmare. I think people who are hypo (like my nephew - he craves all this stuff) can and do love this environment. As for me - completely hyper sensitive and repulsed.

It doesn't "seem like a nightmare" - it is a nightmare. Sorry.

How would you suggest someone find a true rave party? Are they only in the UK or can I find one in Ontario?

They sound interesting. I understand why it's not advertised heavily if drugs are involved. Would it be difficult for an aspie to find because you have to know someone who knows about it? Does it spread solely through word of mouth?

That sounds like an overstimulation nightmare to me. I think I'd go into meltdown within five minutes. *shudder*

Well, if you enjoy it, go for it; but don't expect me to come along! You can meet me at a nice quiet coffee shop afterwards.

No

Rave cultures tend to revolve around genre's

house, tech house, dnb, electro house, dubstep, psytrance, trance, idm, progressive psytrance...

Generally pick up a genre you like, follow the community of people online or other, or people in your area who happen to like the same music. Post on some forums centered around production of that kind of music, or dj'ing of it. Eventually it will lead to a community that throws parties around it. Any major city has an EDM culture. I don't know about Ontario as a whole, but Toronto certainly would.

In my personal experience though, the electro house crowd is way too obnoxious. Dubstep crowd is filled with way to many like 'goth emo' rocker types. Trance is way to much of a nightclub music. The 'house' community's I have found are cool, but tend to be very sexual.

The best community enviroments I have found center around tech house, psytrance, idm, dnb and progressive psy. These musics tend to be diffucult to dance to, and thus fail integration into mainstream, the communities that follow them around are typically smaller and in it for the community and music aspect of the rave, not the money aspect. The money aspect generally ruins these things. Like 'electro house' is really popular right now as a mainstream rave genre, and promoters basically just throw these events that are designed to do nothing but lure a bunch of kids in and milk them for money, and those events generally are terrible. I tend to steer clear of any event advertised as '16+' or 'All Ages'. Be wary, there are a good amount of really sh***y promoters out there putting on really sh***y raves just to get cash.

EDM culture has alot of variety, and alot of different stuff going on it, you will have to explore a bit.

Really though, it all depends on if you like the music. It really is a community centered around sharing and enjoying music together, if you don't like the specific music a community centers around it won't be enjoyable.

Last edited by metalab on 09 Jan 2013, 12:18 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I can understand that.

The differing point for me is I like the music. I am very picky about where I go.

Like for example if I go in a nightclub playing loud hip hop, I will get a migraine in like 10 minutes and not be able to tolerate. I tend to not be able to stand electro house and dubstep culture.

If it's another genre I like, I'm just fine.

Actually in times when I have some sort of anxiety attack, I usually turn to my favorite musics to help me through. So such things being played loudly are really comfortable to me. If you aren't extremely into the genre being played at the event, it will probably be unbearable. ( Should of mentioned that in my first post )

Last edited by metalab on 09 Jan 2013, 12:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

People don't tend to get violent on psychedellic drugs. I've never actually seen it happen. If someone takes some drug that they respond badly with, typically the response is to curl into a ball and cry, and then require support from friends. Which I have seem from time to time. I really cannot stress enough don't take drugs from random people under any circumstance.

The only time I have ever seen violence occur at any EDM event was when it was some big name at some big concert venue that has a 21+ bar, and its open and advertised to the mainstream public.

Violence is associated with PCP.... not so much with other drugs... Drug users have a higher risk of violence, but whether that's a cause-and-effect relationship is doubtful. It is more likely that there is a common personality trait affecting both the willingness to try mind-altering substances and the lack of impulse control required to hit someone in the face when you get mad enough.

I've never seen a movie that does. It's actually really hard to find videos on youtube of such events. Most people don't go around with video cameras...

You can find alot of videos of like big electronic events on youtube like 'tommorrowland' or concerts for big names. But that isn't really what I refer to, those are more like just rock concert type setups, only they play electronic music.

To me, rave culture is a different thing. It's community driven typically, events are smaller, they don't have tickets, usually donation, things are spread by word of mouth, or facebook nowadays. Most everyone knows everyone through someone. It'd be rude to just go in and start filming people...

Interesting.

For a number of reasons.

you're implying (but not really stating) that you yourself dont take drugs. But that when most people take XTC or whatever they become the way you are normally without drugs-hypersenstive to sensory stimulaton.

So you fit right in with a crowd of folks on hallucinigens even if you're not on them yourself.

Could be misunderstanding you about that part.

But the fact that your stimming gets played out at a rave through dance is interesting.

Maybe you should take up playing the drums. Or some other music related thing thats physical.

Don't mislead yourself with your perception of raves. Most of the people are on drugs. Raves can be jam packed. Some people don't have any boundaries especially on drugs. Good music and a good head count and locations is what a promoter is going to want to make money off the rave, that is how it's set up. It comes down to the promoter making money. It costs a lot to get everything set up, a dj, etc if you are doing a underground rave. I'm not saying all promoters don't care; just that it does come down to money. I'm sure they'd want people loving their raves so they get return customers.

Sure everyone wants to have a good time, yet as to whether or not everyone does is anyone's guess. People OD on drugs at raves.
People tripping on drugs don't have boundaries. They are on drugs. They might be all up in your sh*t like "oh you look cool can i touch you?"

It seems like you like the idea of not being judged (ravers and other subculture folks - some of them) may be more likely than NT normals to not judge others.

The rave culture revolves around drugs any way you want to look at it. If you like dancing, there are numerous places to go to just dance.
If people are judgemental, the heck with them.
Raves= Drugs

All that special support for sensitivity is for the people on DRUGS not for people on the spectrum.
Rave Culture is highly supportive of drugs and the people who buy them there and attend the rave. These people may not be so nice sober.
Or they might freak out if they got bad drugs depending what they do.
I have nothing against raves, i am just stating the truth about them.
Obviously not every rave is the same, yet the common denominator is going to be drugs.

Did you ever go to LimeLight back in the day?
In the 90s? Supposedly they had all different rooms and a good scene.
Real Raves died with our generation.
Good to know they still have underground raves, i feel like i live under a rock lol
Nowadays i'm not sure what exactly is considered a "rave" anymore...

I wasn't part of the rave scene, although i have had good friends who were.

How where did you lose all your stims? What stims did you used to have? I don't understand how you can just lose stims...

I still have my stims from birth.


Anyhow please go to raves at your own risk, and know that everything is set up for those on drugs, not for Autistics.
The lighting effects are enough to give someone a SEIZURE. So if you are at risk for seizures, don't go.

Groups of people no thanks. I have a proplem with a group of people that know. Drinking can help deal with it even becoming some what verbose.

I would suspect that a rave would not even be the last place you'll find a person who suffers from epileptic seizures.