The Art of Sharing Rave Culture

by: Sadie Julia

I am pretty new to EDM. My first rave was just over a year ago for my best friend’s 21st birthday and I fell in love right away!

Rave culture is sparkly and energetic and even though I still consider myself a newbie, I feel right at home around the lasers and wubs.

One of the coolest parts of EDM is that there is no “one size fits all” raver. I am a bass head and my rave mom is a techno brat, but we both love neon and glitter.

Despite all of the differences between individual ravers, we all come together within the inclusive EDM community.

Since I fell hard in love with EDM so fast, I am always looking for ways to share rave culture with the people around me!

Learn from my mistakes: blasting Excision in the car with your friends who prefer indie pop is definitely too aggressive of a tactic.

If you’re looking to share rave culture with people who know nothing about EDM, read ahead for the techniques that have worked for me!

Making Kandi Together

Making and trading kandi is one of my favorite things about rave culture.

I usually wear a single strand or two in my day-to-day existence just to remind myself to always uphold PLUR.

Crafting is a great way to spend quality time with people you love, and single strands are totally doable for even the most inexperienced crafters.

By sharing kandi, you can talk about the PLUR handshake, and the pillars of peace, love, unity, and respect.

When I was home from college for winter break, I broke out my kandi supplies to make some bracelets for my family!

We were sitting around the table after Christmas Eve dinner, and my siblings all asked for certain phrases and I even made a special one for my mom.

Curating Special Playlists

One of my best friends strictly listens to top 50’s, but I played Illenium in the car recently and she loved the sound!

I took that as my opportunity to infiltrate her music taste.

I offered to make a playlist, so I started with a soft introduction that mostly featured future bass.

I included songs by Alison Wonderland, San Holo, Elohim, and other similar DJ’s.

I asked for her favorites, and then added more music based on her tastes!

Whenever I discover something new that she would like, I’ll throw it on her playlist so she always has something new to listen to.

While this technique is a little more labor intensive, I love getting the chance to share music I love with the people I love.

Play a Livestream Together

This technique is inspired by all of the DJ’s utilizing Instagram Live and Twitch since we have been in quarantine!

When one of your favorite DJ’s announces a livestream, text your friend and ask if they are free to tune in at that time!

Offer to FaceTime or Zoom with them during the stream and you can vibe out together.

This is a great way to stay connected with your friends through music while we’re all staying socially distant.

However you choose to share EDM with the people you love, my best recommendation is to share PLUR first!

Those four pillars represent the strength of the rave community, and the values that we share together.

Many people don’t even know where to start when getting into EDM, and you can be their guide!

And if your friend is wondering where to get some super cute outfits for their first event, tell them to shop here at Rave Bae Couture! 💚

About the author: Sadie Julia

My name is Sadie, I am a California girl with a very adventurous spirit! I just graduated from college in Washington, DC and I am very excited for my next phase of life! I almost always have my headphones in, I love yoga, and I am still trying to wash all the glitter out of my hair from the last festival I went to.

Catch me breaking the rail at 12th Planet or getting real weird to Eazybaked, and pretty much everywhere in between!
Instagram: @sadiejulia