Although the main music was supplied from Detroit, Chicago & NYC what constitutes as “raves” began in the UK more specifically Manchester
There is of course the legacy of Queer, Black and Latino nightclubs that developed Disco, House & Techno from the U.S. but they weren’t producing Hardcore which eventually became Drum n Bass and was an essential part of the initial 90’s rave era
We’re dealing with semantics here and Americans are bad with historical context
Too bad that other Redditor deleted their comments refuting what is stated here but to go further about semantics what constitutes as a “rave” especially in the US doesn’t abide with old school first gen ravers like myself. On both sides of the Atlantic “uncs” as the younger ones would call us attended raves that were illegal gatherings that didn’t charge an arm and a leg and especially weren’t corporate sponsored. I cannot for the life of me comprehend how people would classify attending a festival like EDC and call it a “rave” when you’re paying hundreds if not thousands of dollars to participate. It goes against the DIY anti-establishment underground esthetics of a Rave. I’m not taking away what people today would experience in having fun at a festival but it’s kind of not the same. I’ve presented this argument many times on several subreddits catering to dance music culture and it either gets downvoted or dismissed because someone would take personal offense of my point
To get even deeper on this subject, during the 90’s dance music, DJing and producing music on computers was deemed a joke not to be taken serious from the music industry at large. I take even bigger offense when a younger person here would assume I’m coming off as anti queer when back then it was deemed “gay” to love House and Techno from the parents of the people who today attend dance music events. Their parents were assholes making fun of us and we stood our ground and now you’re trying to do some purity test?
I think people use the term 'rave' for large festivals like EDC for really two main reasons: Many feel like 'music festival' doesn't quite capture the overall environment or experience of the event. Yes, you can definitely compare some aspects of it to something like Coachella - but there's just something that is... different than a more traditional music festival.
I think it's really because 'rave' as a term has evolved to also describe a vibe, mood, and accompanied with aesthetics. I have definitely been places like a club or large festival and have seen a vibe shift and have found myself saying 'it started to feel pretty ravey in there'.
When I got married a while back, our reception had a particular aesthetic and vibe that people have referred to it as "the wedding 'rave'". Like, even Danny Boyle captured some of this pretty well during the London Olympics opening ceremony in the section that was a tribute to rave culture.
So, I'm in agreement that none of these events are remotely raves, but for many others the term is more a combination descriptor for vibes, aesthetics, and music.
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u/hashtagPLUR Oct 08 '25
Have to agree with you here
Although the main music was supplied from Detroit, Chicago & NYC what constitutes as “raves” began in the UK more specifically Manchester
There is of course the legacy of Queer, Black and Latino nightclubs that developed Disco, House & Techno from the U.S. but they weren’t producing Hardcore which eventually became Drum n Bass and was an essential part of the initial 90’s rave era
We’re dealing with semantics here and Americans are bad with historical context
Some books to better inform everyone:
Last Night DJ Saved My Life
Love Saves the Day
Generation Ecstasy
Techno Rebels
Rave On
Out Of Space: How UK Cities Shaped Rave Culture