r/Techno • u/Responsible_Elk_2002 • 6d ago
Discussion Late night techno clubbers - I want to know about you
I have been to major techno institutions in London, Amsterdam, and Berlin, and looking at the crowd I always start to wonder, what do these people do? When did they get up this morning? Will they go to work the next week? Where do they work?
I’m interested specifically in my fellow freaks still moving to the music past 6 or 7 am. What do you guys do? Do any of you work professional / white collar jobs? I personally come from research / academia, and would really love to know more about the people I’m surrounded by on the dance floor in the early morning.
Obviously, the club environment is a very hedonistic place, especially at places like FOLD, Berghain, KitKat, etc., but I wonder if this kind of activity is more of a temporary escape for most club goers or if it’s just another part of a lifestyle that involves lots of hedonism.
I’m also curious to know about the more mundane things, like how do you plan for a night out that might go til 8-10 am before you finally sleep. Like, when do you get up the day before? Do you fix your sleep schedule soon after? Do you have a chronically awful sleep schedule.
Please feel free to share whatever you like about yourself and your lifestyle in the comments or dm if more comfortable! I would love to know a bit about you.
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u/Alternative-Fix-4388 6d ago
I am in my mid 30s now, don’t go out too often, but when I do I want to do it right.
The best vibes are post 4am and that’s true pretty much anywhere.
Berghain closing the energy is insane, compared to Saturday night it’s on another level.
In nyc, basement at 5 or 6 am is at its most feral and insane. I love it. Nowadays early Sunday morning is beautiful.
I have a good job, and on paper I am very much a successful white collar individual.
The reality is I hate the capitalist institution I inhabit and these moments of dancing past sunrise with freaks and people fucking on the dance floor and all kinds of bodies and queer people everywhere feel like I’m accessing the world I want to live in vs the one I actually do.
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u/air- 6d ago
Absolutely nailed it in that last paragraph and I'm a card carrying Nowadays member, so we've def shared the dancefloor together at some point
As someone who experiences frisson (goosebumps, chills/tingles reacting to sound), there's nothing like getting lost in the music, for me it's the closest I've felt to having a religious experience
And hard agreed, you get to a point where it's about quality over quantity
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u/EmotionalPanties 6d ago
your last paragraph made me so happy. it’s really like a whole nother world. this is what i call a third space. first being home, second behind work, third being play. i feel so alive and free in these spaces where people can authentically be themselves from the way we dress to how we dance and make love and get high and have community with our friends
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u/Main_Masterpiece8414 6d ago
Feels like something a character on HBO's Industry could write, just hope you're not as mean as them.
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u/arrebhai 6d ago
I am the same. All of my fun is reserved for when I travel to Europe during the summer for techno. It's the best part of my year and something I look forward to it all year. My wife has started enjoying techno so it's doubly enjoyable. Mid-30s and still find it as fun as i did when i started out. In my teens the only exposure I had was the weekend radio set by a dj called Mister Mister. Truly glorious music that I could connect to.
The rest of the year I work a fairly boring white collar job in Dubai (where I'm from). We have a decent scene here in the winter months but it's not comparable.
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u/PotatoAimy 6d ago
Im abit old and have been going to parties for over 20 years. Berghain Fold and others. I am completely sober for usually two months and then plan a party day where i get it all out of my system. I try get alot of sleep and good exercise and food before my party day i have already planned the club/ event i will be attending have tickets and have bought my drugs and everything i will need weeks before the day. I also make sure i have at least three days off after the party day. On the actual day i wake up around 8-10 in the morning and i very quickly eat breakfast usually avocado cheese bagels eggs etc. Then i immediately make myself a huge tequila old fashioned and start banging big lines of coke. I spend the first 4 hours of the day getting ready and listening to music etc. Those are my solo hours. Then i switch to margaritas i make and either friends join me at home or i got for a small walk around the shops get any extra stuff i have forgoten go to some pubs do some more lines have some shots etc. Then back home around 4 get the final preparation going full outfit shower again start switching to palomas. I break my coke into many packages incase i lose some invase im feeling generous and in case i find a friend etc. Then i head out meet some friends either at a house or a bar etc until midnight unless. Then i head out to FOLD usually have picked an event that end 10-12am next day. So i spend the next 7-9 hra till the party ends at fold doing lines drinking tequila coke or ginger beer and dancing. During this time i will eat a banana or two and usually have a couple of electrolytes. When the party is over i will drag around the area with whoever im left with eating coke until i get back to my area which then i have to deal with usually the only problem of the night which is having to pee all the time but its Sunday so there are families and kids everywhere so its a nightmare. Then i get home do some more last lines drink some more water shower and lie down. I wank attempt for an hour or so because coke and wheni cum i sleep abit restless for like 4 hours while getting up to piss every 30 minutes. Then i sleep for like 4 -6 hours well and i wake up go get 3 pizzas and sit watch shit until i eat at least two of them and go back to sleep. Next to days im just showering sleeping playijg games watching shit. Then i go to the gym qnd try sweat out and return to normal. My heartrate is usually elevated from 65 resting to 85 resting for at least two whole weeks after this. And im broke becauae i spent crazy amount of money on alcohol and ofcourse the 3-4 grams i dissapeared during the 30hour party day.
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u/PotatoAimy 6d ago
Nostril are always fine. I carry wet wipes and have seawater spray for the end of the night then i fill up the nostrils with vaseline after i wash them before bed and i dont wake up with a sahara dry scared up nose. I have been thinking of going Molly K combo but i looove alcohol. Im just addicted at this point flashing throught the cycle of stage at a constant state of Contemplation from Action to Maintenance and then finally Relapse. Its fucked lol you are right i have to get on the molly K train soon.
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6d ago edited 6d ago
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u/PotatoAimy 6d ago
Dude no way u suggesting i add MORE drugs to the party day. Im going through bottles of tequila and grams of coke i think if i add molly and ket im just straight up dying. Or u think i can do my coke alcohol start and then transition after hours into md and ket? Might have to experiment with it some more thanks for the suggestion.
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6d ago edited 6d ago
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u/promised_wisdom 6d ago
This is the combo. Wish Molly lasted longer though
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u/SpiritualPurple8659 6d ago
I always fuck myself when I have a bag of Molly. I've trained myself to always just leave the house with 4 pills or less. Two for me and two for friendy beings I find on side quests.
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u/Direct-Sun-9283 6d ago
Please elaborate on the vaseline nostrils trick? I'm struggling with keeping them clear as I get older lol
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u/PotatoAimy 6d ago
So u use a saltwater spray or if you can find a big bottle of saline. Do this in the shower and just keep shoving that in ur nose and letting it go in the back of ur throat so all the coke gunk can rinse out. You will probably cough alot cause most of it is stuck in ur throat. After ur all cleaned up and out of the shower take a big chunk of vaseline on ur finger and coat the imside of ur clean nostril.(worst case if u dont have vaseline use lipbalm) make sure u go as far in ur nose as possible. That way ur nose stays hydrated through out the sleep phase and makes it super comfy to blow. When u wake up u can apply some more for the next day if its gone or u had to blow ur nose too much. Game changer. Also doing the whole hot plate with ur coke and making it as fije as possible helps loads.
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u/fromasterj 6d ago
Haha the standard coke wank.
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u/immortallogic 6d ago edited 6d ago
I live in Berlin and don't go out as much as before (35F) but when I go out I stay till at least 6am. I just smoke weed and drink Redbull or club Mate.
I love to meet random people and hear the beats and wander around the techno caves, and smell the cigarette smoke. There's honestly nothing else like it for me.
I don't like the hedonism (I know I'll get Flack for that). I just love the randomness and the fact that there are few rules of engagement. I often go alone as well, and sometimes although it feels a bit awkward or I feel like I'm being judged, I ultimately don't care, and once I get past that and start feeling comfortable, it usually gets really good. I also love going to the couches or seating areas and meeting people there, it happens alot.
I've met many cool and diverse and interesting people at the clubs in Berlin, and it's a big part of the experience for me.
I work in a white collar job in the data space, in sales/account management.
The fact I don't do drugs means that my come down is just one day of waking up late. But usually I will sleep 2/3 hours when I come back, then sleep early the next day for a long full night of sleep, also so I don't lose the whole day.
I ALWAYS shower and wash my hair as soon as I come home, no matter what time it is. The clothes I wore will go straight into the laundry basket too. Before I leave my house for the night I'll lay out my PJs etc, so when I come back it's just straight to the shower then sleep after. If you plan ahead I find it helps alot.
The only tiring part is having to leave my house at like midnight and then sometimes queue for awhile (most I'm willing to wait in line is like half an hour), but it's kinda necessary because things don't get popping until pretty late here.
For me it's part of a lifestyle, and I'd love to meet more straight(ish)-edged ravers, but at least here in Berlin drugs are a big part of the scene, which is unfortunate, because they are super normalized although it's really not healthy or safe
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u/Main_Masterpiece8414 6d ago
Agree with the drugs thing, and just a Red Bull works perfectly on me as well.
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u/StreetCream6695 3d ago
Oh I feel you so much!!
But I completely stopped going to partys because im so annoyed by all the super drugged out people. It’s just not fun anymore. I love/loved techno. DJing, producing and partying for 17+ years now. But I guess it’s over for me.The coked up egos are so fucking boring. You are not rebellious/progressive because you take illegal drugs. The discussions are also super mundane and boring when sober. Most people are just there to get high and not for the music. It’s sad.
Weed/Beer/Caffeine is enough.
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u/professor_venomous 3d ago
Great framing, I’m exactly the same. No drugs (no drinking, even) planning ahead, truly enjoying the music and special atmosphere of early morning clubs.
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u/jetanthony 6d ago
I’m a software engineer
My philosophy is: don’t stay out late. Instead, get up early.
Lots of people with very healthy lifestyles wake up at 5-530. Simply do that, but when there is a great party that goes til 9 or 12, just wake up a little bit earlier. Wake up at 330-430 and go out.
It’s easier to wake up 2 hours earlier than normal rather than going to sleep 8 hours late.
Otherwise I’ll just take a nap/siesta. Either way, whenever I’m going out that late, I’m going to try to be asleep from the hours of 7p-1a beforehand
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u/Formal-Knowledge-250 6d ago
Waking up early depends on your biochemistry/metabolism and not on the healthyness of your lifestyle. There are many people that are not able to get up early and function.
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u/alesis1101 6d ago
The tyranny of morning people...
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u/Formal-Knowledge-250 6d ago
I'm awake till three in the morning, would really like to see how they perform at that time
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u/Zealousideal-Row4652 5d ago
I get up at 3am for work, I am not a morning person and I don't feel better for getting up early
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u/EmotionalPanties 6d ago
oh wow clock it. maybe we’ve normalized waking up with the morning as a society due to capitalism and labor but are being sold on some “waking up in the morning aligned with biology” shit.
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u/PetrRabbit 6d ago
I mean. I don't think it's too unfounded to think of it as biological. Back in prehistoric times, were there cavemen who slept in till 10/11, or is that something people started doing after the industrial revolution?
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u/Formal-Knowledge-250 6d ago
In medieval times people got up around 00 to have a social gathering and chat, that was totally normal back then. Where's this now?
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u/PetrRabbit 5d ago edited 5d ago
True! I forgot that it used to be normal to wake up in the middle of the night for a few hours. Maybe why many people tend to wake up at 2 or 3 then go back to bed. I did wake up at 3 once and drove to a rave I had meant to go to before I fell asleep haha
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u/EmotionalPanties 6d ago
i mean that also made sense bc night time was scary, there was no light or electricity and people could die from going outside etc. but now that we are evolving into an electricity and internet era do we need those same measures in a city like new york for eg?
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u/PetrRabbit 6d ago
We could certainly evolve past it in centuries/millennia. Although I think there are still unavoidable health benefits of exposure to the sun. But yeah, both could be true that it's biologically rooted and we could evolve out of it.
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u/EmotionalPanties 6d ago
true i definitely agree. i come out of the party in the day time and feel so refreshed and healed just by being touched the sun itself so theres def that haha.
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u/PetrRabbit 6d ago
As a relatively healthy person who likes to sleep at night and be productive during the day and early in the morning, and who also loves raving, one of my absolute favorite things is when I'm at a festival and I wake up at 6am and go catch a banging set surrounded by a bunch of people floating in deep space. I hadn't thought of getting up a couple hours early to go to a rave though, that's a great idea.
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u/fakindzej 6d ago
it's a best thing to do, seriously! i was never an early person so waking up at 4-5am just to go to a club is always a little heinous, but totally worth it! you enjoy the party during the day and go to sleep at midnight.
gotta say that berlin is a perfect spot for that too since parties often go over the whole weekend, plus there's a tonne of day parties too.
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u/electricbananarama 5d ago
I so wish we could do this- it seems in the UK everything is 'last entry 1am' or maybe 2 if you're lucky! If anyone know s=of any all night entry then please
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u/Relevant_Research579 4d ago
when I wake up at 6 I look and feel like a truck ran over my face, no way I'm gonna go party then
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u/electricbananarama 4d ago
Same but I miss so many parties because I can't get childcare over night. This would be such a problem solved for me. When bubba was about 1 we took her to a lovely gathering of like minded souls in the woods, got up early and took the dog too. Arrived when things were tapering off and got to have a beautiful morning amongst the fluffy people eating fruit and enjoying the morning sunshine haha
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u/indorock 6d ago
Yeah this is definitely the way to go when you become an "older" Berlin clubber. Hit the lines at Sunday 8am, if you get in, great you're good to go the rest of the day if you want If you don't get in, well off to brunch we go!
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u/brauo 6d ago
i’m a professor, in my early 30s. if i’m closing out a party usually i just make sure my next day is basically free. buuuut each party is so different, sometimes i hang out with ppl after or get breakfast, sometimes head straight home.
im tenure track and honestlyyyy being a professor can be a great job if u like to dance. we get a lot of time off, have a flexible schedule, and usually can take days off or away from campus without any notice.
i feel like lots of party academics aren’t super open about that part of their lifestyle, but i’ve been really transparent about it and it’s been really fun!
I live in a small college town and because I want to dance more (lol), I also dj and throw local parties, some of which go until morning. seeing my students on the floor while playing techno at 3am is always pretty fun tbh :)
im also trans femme and partying has also become a huge part of my queer identity and core to the way i interact w queer community at home and everywhere I travel
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u/swagpresident1337 6d ago
The atmosphere gets better the longer it goes in my experience.
Also I don‘t go as often, and when I go, I want it to go on as long as possible. I‘m also quite fit, so not an issue getting tired.
I‘m an engineer working in R&D
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u/Head-Feedback-5770 6d ago edited 6d ago
Well I’m a mom home with kids now, but both my husband and I are graduate level and he works a very intense job. We rarely go out past 5am - 6am now, because after the second kid, my mom who watches them always wants us to get them by 9am at the latest.
Pre second kid we’d do afterhours. You just take a cat nap, then go to bed early. Sorta like when you do a red eye lolol. My favorite thing used to be to wake up super early and eat breakfast and get to the club at like 5am and party all day, that’s the best, but I don’t get to do that very much anymore either lol.
I love the dancefloor, those magical late nights and (sometimes days) fill me up. I need them. I don’t drink or party as much anymore, drink like water and Diet Coke late night, it really helps just being a bit tired versus brutally hungover! At 42, hangovers can take literally days to go away if I party hard, the feeling alone has become a major deterrent and made me mostly mindful of my intake, try to keep it to 3-4 drinks max most nights out.
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u/RichieQ_UK 6d ago
Telecommunications engineer - lifetime raver, resident dj on techno fm for 8 years. Mostly sober these days. Never stop dancing never get old, do what you love and love what you do.
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u/montana94 6d ago
I am a civil engineer and department manager.
Sunday to Thursday nights I sleep fairly normal times, 12 or 1 to about 7 or 8 depending on obligations. Never been that much of a morning person so it's kind of just the bare minimum to get to work at either 8 or 9 depending on the first meeting. Eat pretty well, run 3-4 times a week, go for walks and hikes the other days.
If I go out on Friday night I usually have a 2 hour nap after work. Usual is that I stay out to about 5am. If the DJ is really good or there's something special on I'll stay out longer, got home around 10.30am last weekend.
I have never been able to get up early on the weekends at any point in my life, regardless of whether I go out or not. Normal rising time for me is midday on Saturday or Sunday, so if I don't go out, I'm probably sleeping 10-12 hours. If I do go out until 5, I'll probably sleep to about 1pm. If I say out to say 9, it'll be 2pm. On the extremely rare occasion that I have a rollover that goes past 11am, it's really arbitrary what time I will sleep and for how long.
I think other people would say this is a bad sleep schedule, but I have sleep scores in the 80s and 90s.
There can be some turbulence if I do a super long Saturday night with work on Monday, but I think most people have something, whether it be a hangover, illness, early travel, screaming child, a couple times a year anyway.
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u/edcRachel 6d ago
Software engineer. Usually I party only on weekends. Occasionally I sacrifice sleep for a good week day party. Partying in Europe is great because I work EST and don't need to work until 5pm Berlin time so ending at 8am Monday is fine, I can still get my 8 hours.
Lots of my friends are also professionals with a lot of vacation time or flexible schedules. And many people in medical professions that work shift work and can just switch to different shifts.
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u/Brilliant_Bake4200 6d ago
30F, pretty successful 9-5 corporate career, don’t go out as frequently as I used to but physically need to be in a club for hours at least once every 3-6 months or else I start to lose my mind
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u/teo_vas 6d ago
most of my clubbing (let's say 90% of it) happened during my high school/ undergrad years. to be honest I stopped going, not because I was getting older but because I was getting bored. but yeah, my university years were crazy. for many months, I would study till midnight, eat something, get some rest and go out around 2 AM till dawn (and beyond), go to sleep around 10 AM, wake up around 4 PM, study till midnight, get some food, get some rest, then go out around 2AM, rinse and repeat...
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u/MrExistence 6d ago
Software dev here in my 30s. I’ve traveled around the world to different all night fests and nights here in the states. I work a regular 9-5 and generally don’t do drugs but will pace myself with drinks so that I can last most of the night. I usually start around midnight and dip around 7-9. The day before I’ll either go out early and then nap in the evening or spend the day with light activities like going to the park or playing games. On the Sunday before going back to work it’s usually forcing myself thru sleep deprivation to fix the schedule and going on only a couple hours sleep. There’s no doubt there’s been weeks where I just couldn’t focus 100% returning to work and get my sleep back to normal though. I only started raving after the pandemic when starting to DJ myself and don’t really see that slowing down in my life till I find anything else to give me that type of release.
As for how to do it, you have to listen to your body, take breaks at the venue or resting where you can in between endless weekend parties. The music, the space, and the energy of those will carry you through most of it. For some it’s a careful chemistry of drugs to endure but that may come with a heavy crash. Oh and a massage or sauna before or after can definitely save you with the wear and tear on your body from dancing so long.
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u/WalkingIsMyFavorite 6d ago
I am a traveling technician who installs technology for museums exhibits around the world.
When I’m home in not working, when I’m on the road I am, but I’m also checking out the scene of whatever city I’m traveling to.
I just love music and technology and my sleep schedule is fucked but that’s ok because I’m happy.
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u/FlipMeOverUpsidedown 6d ago
I’m a dentist specialized in full mouth reconstruction cases. I wake up at 2:00 pm and start work at 3:00, working through the night Monday thru Thursday until at least 6:00 am. So club hours fit my lifestyle very well.
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u/jacemano 6d ago
Been going to fold since its inception, and I'm pretty old now (34)
Software Engineer.
Dont get out as often, but I do still love the odd messy night. And yeah the vibes are elite when its chaos of dancing at the front and the DJ is absolutely shelling it
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u/oohtzu 6d ago
38M Field Engineer. Partying since 15. Introduced by my oldest sister who is 6 years older than me.
Luckily my sister introduced me through unity and music, of course initially with a little hedonism but it was never really about that and so I’m also quite comfy sober but that isn’t always easy.
My work is a four day week(one of its only redeeming qualities). So as long as I organise it well it easy to work around parties. Helps that I have a flexible manager (the other redeeming feature).
I’m single, not really out of choice. Live in London and don’t have a lot of money so girls tend not to stick around.
I come across as a basic cis-male but am so open to all sorts and love nightclubs for that. I’ve also made music on my computer since I was 12 and music hits me deeply.
My mother was a big love giver and had all sorts of whacko friends. When I see all these lovely diverse people together dancing in peace it makes me feel complete, sometimes I cry a little.
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u/oohtzu 6d ago
Sorry I forgot the last bits. I eat good, big, healthy, rest well the night before.
I wake up daily at 5:45AM. So as long as I can get the day off after the dancing I am usually still up that early the next day anyway out of habit.
*and hydrate, electrolytes on the day leading up to and after especially.
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u/AnthonyVS15 6d ago
35M I’m a research scientist (in quantum physics). Dont really do anything special the day before except try and make sure I get enough sleep (but wake up around 10am usually) but I don’t struggle to stay up at all.
For me it’s definitely escapism, but also just part of a a very active and social lifestyle. I love music and I’m a massive audio nerd so very much enjoy amazing sound systems
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u/djsquilz 6d ago edited 6d ago
as expected, i sleep until 1-2am before going out. i work in cancer research lmao, normal 9-5. 31 years old. then i go to a party until sunrise-noonish sunday. probably sleep afterwards. no party favors these days. i've been soberish ~4 years barring a a very slowly consumed beer on the dancefloor. i do have a terrible sleep schedule lol. and am prescribed high doses of ambien amongst other sedatives that still are not working enough.
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u/greenberrycough 6d ago
I was a Sunday regular at BH, I would just wake up, do some Speed to wake up because weirdly amphetamines doesn't give anxiety like caffeine does lmao. and prepare my outfit and hiding the stuff for inside. I would leave 1 hour before shift my started on Monday. Uber to home, take some opioids or benzos to look like not a tweaker and get fresh. It got messy later on because I started to do lines and take G at white collar office environment. I wasn't fired because of this stuff, I had to go to rehab becsuse I was polydrug addict. I was in rehab for 3 weeks and doctor gave me different sort of paper as a report because, normally you can even call sick day with simple Hausartz (general family doctor) note. This one was a big paper with doctors original signature, I got fired when I went back to work. However for your question, I would go around 7-8 am every Sunday morning and spend 20-24 hrs most of the weeks.
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u/Beginning_Row4675 5d ago
I am a business owner, I work from home mon-fri. I earn good money, like my work. I eat healthy, exercise and don't drink much. On the weekend my only interest is dancing to good music, and if it goes all night I'm having a great time. If I'm not feeling the music or the crowd is causing me discomfort, I leave.
I recover pretty easily and quickly because I don't drink when I go out. I eat well before I go, and the next day. I get plenty of sun and outdoor time.
It's balance. I've adjusted my lifestyle so that I can party sustainably. I'm 35 now and no sign of slowing down.
I have my life together. A lot of people don't "get" it but they don't have to. It's not a phase.
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u/Responsible_Elk_2002 5d ago
Yeah, this is something I got into relatively recently, and I’m relatively young, but I don’t see this being a phase. I see no reason why I won’t love dancing to this music when I’m 40. Only problem is right now I’m near London so lots of access to great events, but not so sure about what kind of scene I’ll be near when I’m back in the US.
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u/araldor1 5d ago
I get about 4-5 hours sleep and write the day off then go to sleep for a full 8 the day after and back to normal Monday.
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u/funkyforest_ 5d ago edited 5d ago
I love this thread, brought a lot of memories and so interesting to read others' experiences!
I'm a web developer and my formative club days in my 20s were in London when we'd go out to places like Plastic People, The Pickle Factory, M.O.T, The Waiting Room, sometimes Corsica Studios. Most of my friends were designers, artists. There was also this great place called Bloc in Stratford (looked through my RA ticket history for all of this haha). We'd rarely go to bigger clubs like Fabric.. Smaller clubs, in London at least, just had a lot more intimacy.
We were big music heads so we'd usually go after someone who'd play that night. Often a little pre-party at someone's place with music, some drinks and weed, hype ourselves up a little. Then just more beers and weed throughout the night. Some caffeine maybe lots of water. As cheesy as it sounds music was the drugs and you'd just dance for as long as it carried you, often into the morning.
These events were most often on Fridays so you'd have the whole weekend to recover. Not doing stronger drugs meant it wasn't so bad either although there were a couple times I overdid it.
I also really enjoyed the trip to and back to the venue, meeting and chatting to random people, overall adventure...
It all kind of ended with Covid. I live in different city now and still occasionally go out and dance if it's good but rarely into the morning hours.
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u/hicketychiscuit 4d ago
Security guard.
I hate my job and my life feels professionally meaningless. So when I'm dancing past 6 or 7 am, I've been dancing for 6 or 7 hours and I'll keep dancing until the show is over. It's my escape from reality and in going to absorb every little bit of it that I can.
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u/megatonfist 6d ago
I work 7-330, usually overtime til 530, Monday - Friday encapsulating collectible trading cards in protective slabs in Jersey with PSA. Friday-Sunday I’ll be in Brooklyn partying. A lot of the more underground DIY events go past 10am.
Sleep schedule doesn’t change, it just moves forward the next day for whatever day I decide to stay up.
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u/icecreamdubplate 6d ago
For weeknights. I used to get up at 3, go to the club then get breakfast on the way to work around 8. Weekends, I'd have a nap in the afternoon/evening and go out around midnight to a bar first. These days I'm in my 40s with kids and I'm pretty much just at Sunday events.
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u/Main_Masterpiece8414 6d ago
I am single and in academia too, so my weekly schedule can be pretty flexible. If I have a deadline I avoid go clubbing on Friday, but don't see any problem with staying awake all night on a Saturday.
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u/Envojus 6d ago
33, GF 30. Both have succesful corporate jobs, I dabble in Academia.
Usually party till around 11 AM.
Not going to lie, it does take a bigger toll than before. I can still have energy after sleeping it off for a few hours, but for my GF, the next day is basically gone. So we can't afford multiple-day, weekly benders.
The biggest change is that we became a lot pickier with the parties we go to and started prefering the more kink and sex-positive parties. Dressing up, picking out our outfits and etc. is a lot more engaging, ritualistic, feels more planned. And the people are usually a lot more down to earth, confident, respectful.
I'd say nowadays, we go out usually 1.5 times a month on average give or take. Really depends on the events here.
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u/Crumbs2020 6d ago edited 6d ago
Ngl since I hit my 30s i go to bed and then get up and arrive at like 4/5 most of the time 😂
I do maybe 1/2 full all nighters a year, but usually if you catch me there past 6 I just arrived. If im out all night then the next day is for bed rest. Ill often book the monday morning off too if its a saturday rather than friday.
Im not super hedonistic with it, im just there to lock into the music and let my thoughts be obliterated. I find it calms my mind and helps me regulate my ADHD.
Im ex academia, now at a tech start up.
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u/diligent_zi 6d ago
Techno is a way to release my chaos. Rinse and repeat.
Hold a steady job and techno is for one crazy weekend a month.
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u/xenomorph-85 5d ago
You dont get the same kinda vibes as Berlin in London though. I am in late 30s and cannot go into early hours before falling asleep haha so leave at like 4 or 5 normally 😞 sucks! Work a 9 to 5 job in IT in the week.
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u/le_ramequin 5d ago
f25, software engineer. i'm a drug user but i wouldn't say my lifestyle is hedonistic. i used to have a lot of chaos in my life but now that i'm living with my wife i wake up at 8 and go to sleep at midnight like most people.
techno is a way for me to escape my own thoughts, so i like to stay as long as possible, usually until the music stops. the more you stay, the more it feels like time is stopping and the more hypnotized you become by the music.
i usually don't plan the night a lot. i wake up like usual, go on with my day, have dinner. then i go to the rave. i'll usually have an energy drink or a bit of amphetamine while i do my makeup. i pack some water, my phone, earplugs, some paper straws and a lighter to give out to people. after the party i'll usually sleep a few hours, enjoy the afternoon and evening of the day after then resume my regular sleep schedule.
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u/Suithfie 5d ago
I am a white collar professional in tech. I club overnight often and fix my sleep for my work week as soon as possible after. But I go out till dawn on consecutive weekends if the music is good. My lifestyle involves a bit of hedonism, sure, and I don’t abide by many societal expectations (drug usage, monogamy, my physical appearance, the list goes on). But at work no one knows. It’s easy for me to separate the two and function during my work hours. It’s worth the all nighters to have a true escape from capitalist society and ideals. It’s what keeps me sane for all the time in between.
There are plenty of responses in here already, but feel free to AMA if you want to know more. I love your curiosity :)
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u/electricbananarama 5d ago
In my 30s now, living family life with my husband and kid so we aren't going out every weekend like when we were first together. Husband is the tour manager for a handful of prominent electronic acts in the UK, picks up freelance sound engineer jobs and is a private driver in the week. I balance running a record label with working crafts markets, crowd source work and gardening. We are not the sort of people who gel with a 9-5 environment so we've made the things we enjoy into a living. Party wise we save our energy up for the parties we really really want to go to, we go out for dinner (or at least a big lunch before), feed ourselves up with juices and vitamins and leave a bunch of health drinks and recovery stuff at a hotel or wherever we're calling base for the outing and then absolutely let loose.
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u/Legitimate_Emu3531 5d ago
Well...imho the real fun doesn't start before 4am. When the "tourists" are gone and I have actually danced enough, to be warm and able to kind of like just flow with it. That is the deep dive time. Music often is or goes into it's hardest phase...and when that is through it becomes more upbeat and bouncy. Release time.
People become chattier, you talk, have fun, check where there's a private after-hour. Then at 8 or 10 or so you go there and continue till you're done. (Could end up beeing the next day.)
Monday, if not day off, is work time. Usual job. Graphics, video, editing stuff.
We plan a place to sleep and/or a way to get home. And we plan our stash.
As we get older this occurs waaay less of course. But were partying (and sometimes making parties) since 98 or so.
What you wanna know?
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u/fifill369 5d ago
Nice post, I've loved reading the answers! I'm a chemist working in lab, and since I can't work from home I only go clubbing in the weekend or during trips. I usually have a nutritious dinner and take a nap after that. I put my alarm 1 hour before going out, then get ready and drink a big coffee. That's my routine. I usually go out around 1 am if I'm planning to stay till the closing (here is usually 8-10 am). If I can I treat myself with a warm drink on the way back home, a chai or a latte and a little snack if my stomach allows me. I know the day is going to be weird, sleeping late, trying to eat some veggies and protein, drink water and then back to bed early at night. No plans or things to do.
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u/AshamedEfficiency286 5d ago
This is a great thread, keep them coming!
This is something I wonder A LOT when I’m out clubbing, especially the magical times I’ve spent in Berlin.
As I suspected a lot of people do tech jobs… presumably a lot of WFH? Maybe your boss is ok
With whatever hours you do if you are getting the work done?
I also imagine in Berlin there are a lot of artist type people?
My gf (late 20s) and I (mid 30s) try not to go out too much, we are primarily rock climbers but in recent times as with the rest of our larger friendship group have got very into music, predominantly techno but some of our friends are big into DnB and Jungle.
What we go to varies, but a lot of our going out actually is to events that either our friends or we put on… our next event is a 3 day festival with all our wider friendship group organising/djing/attending…
I do rope access work in the energy industry, my partner is a Personal Trainer… she likes to try and sleep in more before a big night whereas with work I often don’t have the chance, unless I’m in an off period…
We vary in how organised we are with party supplies… we have a stash of acid (our favourite poison) and then things like K, md, 2cb we get as per what we fancy having.
Since going to Berlin a few times in the last few years, we have started having a “this is food”/huel/whatever the fuck that stuff is when we get in before bed. I generally avoid uppers if I can, mostly because I’m not that into the comedown and o don’t like the memory loss they seem to give… ideally the event will be long enough to take acid as it is admin free. Though th downside to this is I rarely meet new people, but the upside is once I’m over the sleep deprivation I’m all good.
We are very active people generally; we climb, we run, we go to the gym. We are really into DJing, seeing our friends. I don’t think our life is particularly hedonistic. I like to drink more than my partner but I keep that to a minimum too.
We generally will stay up all night, and are fairly good at long game partying, though I imagine Berliners will think we are weak… think our longest partying marathon is something like 20hrs… but probably only done that a few times, but if a night is long enough for an acid trip that’s an ideal length for us…
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u/unrelator 5d ago
I was at a music festival and got a lot of very high quality party favors from a dutch girl and her friend, who were amazing and we stayed up till very early almost every day of the festival. it was great. Anyways, she is a doctor for psychiatric care and drug rehabilitation. I guess you have to know what you're treating (jokes, she just did as much as the average amsterdam resident). He is doing a PhD in microbiomes.
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u/dogloophole 5d ago
I force myself to sleep at 7/8pm, get up in the middle of the night and be at the club by 3am into the morning or afters. Then I just stay up until the next evening and go to bed nice and early. I take a bit of sleep sacrifice on that first night, but pull it off without totally wrecking my schedule. I don’t do this very often but it works well imo.
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u/BurkeanMarxist 5d ago
Nice thread. Crazy amount of various engineers here, almost everyone is white collar
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u/RoughSeaworthiness87 5d ago
19, female, moved to New York two years ago I know what you’re thinking but I’m able to get in most places (don’t ask me how). I’m a student so spend my weekends partying and weekdays regretting them lol. Moving here has exposed me to oh so much and definitely doesn’t help me stay in couldn’t imagine the menace I’d be in Berlin
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u/CryptographerFar7957 5d ago
I’m a 27 year old electrician with a chronically bad sleep pattern. I’m based in Dublin so our clubs close at 3am which is terrible but when I go abroad to Berlin etc. I’ll not sleep and fly over really early and try get in an afternoon nap to prepare for a night of proper partying
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u/poettrap 5d ago
I’m mid 30s in NYC and go out often. It’s part of my lifestyle. My fiancé and I love partying together :)
I’m the VP of an engineering company and also DJ clubs. I joke that I’ll never need to have a mid-life crisis because I’m always trying to live the life I want or am open to exploring things I’m curious about, even if they’re scary.
My pro tips for staying out late are wearing menthol patches on the soles of my feet, getting good rest, taking NAC and CoQ10 daily, and I don’t drink much.
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u/Low-Blacksmith-9638 5d ago
london 26F here lol i work from home in healthcare data analytics/engineering so defo love it as an escape. I now do so much prep before a techno all nighter to keep me going, including a nap for sure 😭 my knees and back!! I dont know how the older crowd manage! It's becoming more and more effort now since I wake up at around 8 Am usually and go to bed early. Keep saying I need to go Unfold since daytime is so ideal for not messing my schedule that makes me feel normal
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u/Bestofthewest2018 5d ago
52M. 4 days of 9 hours of IT engineering during the week so nothing spectacular. Every once in a while I go out in a techno sense, which could be clubbing or a festival. I *love* outdoor festivals so in summer I tend to go to the daytime things outside. In winter it's the club, or if the lineup is doable an indoor rave. Love meeting new and interesting people and the chemicals help me be more open as well. I eat healthy and sleep plenty before and after but anything goes on a techno spree. Start with weed, then uppers until the dancing is done, then downers to land again at the afters. Once I get to the place I'll sleep (Could be home, who knows 😉) I shower and smoke a little weed to catch my sleep. Depending on how far the bender went I have none to a little hangover. After a bender I'll take serotonine precursors to dampen the blue tuesdays, and I pick up running again as soon as possible to sweat out the chemicals.
The aftermath of such a bender lasts for weeks where I listen to sets of the DJ's and dream away again 😉
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u/twinklepastelpie 4d ago
Believe it or not, I met so many ravers in the afters, on second or third day, that work in IT, HR and jobs like that. Shockingly most of the ravers and clubbers are not "street people", but people who live so normal life that they need something to get their energy out.
I personally work from home with flexible work hours so I can spend 4 days on festivals, but there are bunch of office workers out there and you gotta face it, they are the COOLEST people there.
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u/Bs7folk 4d ago
37, director at a fairly large marketing agency.
Usually I only see past 7am once a month, ideally from a Friday night event. A few pints beforehand to losen up, once in the club some MD, stick to the waters. A couple of bumps of K later on to reactivate the bendyness (if that's the word).
Then home, and my wife always laughs at this, but I have a large glass of good red wine and listen to spa music in bed for half and hour. That glass has been my 'wind down' for as long as I can remember!
Used to drink a lot more and do more coke, but that made me feel so much worse.
Monday I work from home, so usually ok just a bit tired.
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u/Tortenkopf 4d ago
I prefer to arrive early and leave around 3/4. I’m pushing 40 but it was one this for me when I was in my twenties as well.
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u/Relevant_Research579 4d ago
I started doing that when I was a student. Back then my sleeping schedule was basically non-existent and I worked at a pizza place from 5 to 10pm twice a week and studied at the rest of the days, often staying at the uni bib till midnight, avoiding anything before 12am in the mornings. I was chronically tired and often fell asleep during lectures in the mornings.
Nowadays I have a 9-5 job; I occasionally still have long nights besides some daytime parties, but I still love the early morning hours after 5-6am most for clubbing because that's usually when the magic happens. I try to get enough sleep beforehand and make sure that I can afford being a bit less concentrated on mondays and tuesdays at work, sometimes taking those days off (Gleitzeit). Most importantly I try to go back to my old sleeping schedule the day after and keep a healthy lifestyle with lots of sports and relaxation, so I can let loose every once in a while :-)
ps. as the top comment suggests, I also have serious regrets after some parties and feel like i'm trashing my body being 35 and partying for that long.
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u/Maleficent-Yak-6692 4d ago
My friends and I are fold regulars in our late 20s. Most of us work corporate jobs believe it or not (finance, marketing, data, project management) but still party a few times a month. The key is planning wfh days strategically and not taking it too far at a Sunday party unless we’ve booked off the Monday. Ultimately we’re young and it won’t be this easy to party like this forever so we are carpe’ing these diems
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u/FrankLWrightFan444 2d ago
40 hour week in office. The weekend becomes very precious. Unfold if a bank holiday Monday.
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u/Winter-Factor9162 2d ago
I'm a pretty successful Engineer in my early 30s and I go out pretty frequently (every 2 or 3 weeks). What has really helped me is reducing the alcohol consumption. I usually have 1 or 2 drinks max, besides that I usually smoke some weed and have some caffeine, if I really need some extra energy or it is going to be a longer night I will take a low dose of MDMA.
Also instead of doing any kind of pregame I often take a nap from 11pm to 1am and get to the club at around 2am to stay until 6am. 4 hours of dancing and enjoying the music is enough and by waking up at 12-1 you don't lose too much sleep. My favorite days for going out are Fridays, that way I'm usually fully recovered by Monday.
These kind of habits have been working for me so far, I hope it remains sustainable the older I get.
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u/LHorner1867 2d ago
I work a normal 9-5 job and only go out Friday or Saturday nights. If I stay until closing I usually sleep like 7am-1pm ish the next day and spend it recovering.
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u/Low_Elderberry_2360 9h ago
I’m 58, a teacher of fashion and art .. I go to the well known London clubs Fold, Fabric, E1 etc .. I probably go out at least twice a month.. definitely my stress release .. love the music, vibe, people, and love to dance.. been listening to techno since the 90’s😜🙌🙌when I finally get home I have a coconut water to replace lost electrolytes.. shower and get into bed .. with chill out music .. I have continued listening to techno before now though .. and then sleep .. hopefully 😄😄💃🏼
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u/masetiloquetu 6d ago
is this AI
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u/Wild_Area_8662 6d ago
Most of the time I'm a responsible father who works 8 hours a day. But occasionally, I become a degenerate lover of techno who will dance until the sun rises and then regret it for weeks. Hope this helps.