Laura Davis and Adam Taylor
It’s here. The 19th hour is upon us and the sun has set.
So come, escape into a world of pulsing bass and dazzling lights, where who you were before is but a shadow in the night.
Rave Culture
Loud speakers boom electronic dance music of various kinds while lasers and psychedelic visuals are projected on large screens, creating a one of a kind visual-audio experience unique from other club scenes. Rave culture carries a similar attitude to the hippie free-love movement of the ’60s and ’70s.
Commonly located in the warehouse districts of downtown Los Angeles and San Bernardino, raves take place late at night, often lasting until dawn.
From the “kandie kids” decked out in neon plastic bead bracelets, furry pants and stacker boots, to the urban junglists in street wear and bandanas, the rave scene welcomes all.
“It’s wild,” said Heather Haines, a sociology major at Pierce. “It’s not anything like going to a club.
“You can dress however you want at a rave and feel accepted. People are themselves and aren’t trying to impress everybody.”
Peace, love, unity and respect (PLUR) are the four pillars of the rave community, originated in the early ’90s by NYC DJ/Producer Frankie Bones. While rave culture started in Western Europe around 1980, it was not brought over to the United States until the ’90s.
Los Angeles is home to the largest rave scene in the U.S., drawing crowds of up to 20,000 to events known as “massives.”
Themed parties are hosted every weekend, and locations can be found by fliers and by word of mouth.
Illegal drugs are often sold and consumed at raves, causing this scene to be frowned upon by society.
However, some in attendance are sober and are there simply for the music and upbeat vibes.
Parties are discreetly thrown in industrial areas commonly unpopulated during nighttime hours.
Pop and Hip-hop
The street lamps are glowing, the moon is out and excitement permeates the air.
A final once-over in the mirror puts to rest any doubts. New threads and not a hair out of place, you could be bound for only one destination-the L.A. club scene.
Sometimes the only way to loosen up and let go after a long week at school is getting yourself all done-up for the trendy nightlife scene on the other side of the hill.
About 20 minutes from Pierce are dozens of clubs fit for anyone into pop and hip-hop.
Pop clubs make an ideal setting for dancing to familiar songs with friends, or meeting new people in a busy and upbeat atmosphere.
With times and tastes rapidly changing, what may be considered pop music today is not necessarily the same as pop a year from now or what it was only six months ago.
Hip-hop, which in the last decade has no doubt become a subgenre of pop, all but dominates L.A.’s night clubs. This pop scene is by far the greatest in size and in highest demand with Pierce students.
“I go to clubs like DV8 and BANG!,” said business major Damien Lahey, 20. “They play a mix of hip-hop and songs on the radio.”
“They have different rooms but I like the hip-hop one,” he said of BANG! on Hollywood Boulevard.
Hip-hop is very popular currently, and may continue to be so for several more years.
However, pop music does not stay around forever. Eventually, it will turn into something fresh, as technology develops and people’s ears begin to yearn for a new beat.
Gay Nightlife
Throw on your cutest underwear and some glitter, honey-it’s Friday night in WeHo and the dance floor waits for no one!
For years, West Hollywood has provided nightlife for gay youth from the Valley, so it’s no surprise that Pierce’s queer community* has taken to it as well.
From Rage to The Abbey to Hamburger Mary’s, being on this scene is all about celebrating diversity, tolerance, love and, of course, hot bodies.
Today, gay clubs serve more as a melting pot of sexual orientations than a sea of scantily clad gay men. Early on, female friends of gay men took to the scene in order to escape cheesy pick-up lines and dance to better music. They are followed by the occasional clique of lesbians.
The gay restaurant and bar scene is also quite alive in West L.A., for those not looking to dance. Though they attract far fewer heterosexuals than gay clubs do, lesbians seem to be much more fond of them.
Overall, whether sleek and classy or down and dirty, there is a gay-friendly place for every taste.
Middle Eastern
The sounds of laughter, Farsi, and Middle Eastern beats fill the air. Jets of peach- and strawberry-scented smoke shoot up around the room as a belly dancer floats across floor.
You are in one of the many hookah bars that have recently sprung up across West L.A. and the Valley. Hookahs, as shown below, are glass water pipes used to smoke a mix of tobacco, fruit and herbs.
Hookah bars are very common in the Middle East, from the streets of Egypt to restaurants in Turkey. In recent years, smoking tobacco with hookahs has become adopted by the western world as well.
By playing a mix of both contemporary electronic tunes and Middle Eastern music, American hookah bars create both a lively environment and a sense of cultural tradition.
These popular hangout spots stand apart from most other nighttime activities not only for their relaxing atmosphere, but also for the food and social scene. A full menu of authentic Middle Eastern cuisine is often available, as are a wide variety of teas.
Be prepared, however, to pay what you might at an upscale restaurant. Gratuities are often included, per-person minimums are strictly enforced, and your water is probably going to be bottled.
Despite their cost, the proximity of many hookah bars to Pierce students has been a significant incentive. Nearly every other block down Ventura Boulevard has one, making dinner and hookah with friends a quick and easy solution to an otherwise dull night at home.
Straight Edge
Drastically polar to the rave scene, these rockers have chosen a lifestyle absent of drug and alcohol use, a rare finding among today’s youth.
They call themselves straight edge, sticking to their beliefs in the presence of intoxicating elements.
Taylor Young, a 20-year-old film major at Pierce, plays guitar in his hardcore band “Fight Everyone,” and has been living straightedge for almost five years. This way of life takes an immense amount of self-discipline to refrain from even legal, over-the-counter substance use.
He has not always walked this straight and narrow path, but since living sober, he has not gone back to his old ways of getting high.
“When I was younger, I did a fair amount of drugs, but I always liked hardcore music,” Young said.
Encouragement from his substance-free group of friends to not follow the crowd and fall under the influence of drugs had a positive effect on him.
“I hung out with a lot of straight edge people in the hardcore scene before I was sober,” he said.
Intoxication of some sort is frequent in most nightlife activities college students attend, especially a concert or musical event. According to Young, it’s not worth the hangover in the morning.
“We don’t do drugs so we actually have the energy to go out and do things like play baseball,” he said.
Common misconceptions of this group include violent behavior towards individuals who are not straight edge. They are often labeled as people who may hassle others simply because they participate in substance use.
According to Young, brutality towards difference is not something he agrees with.
“I am positive, not violent,” Young said. “I don’t judge people. Don’t judge me and I won’t judge you.”
Because of his diversities from mainstream society, Young has been harassed by strangers who are offended by his lifestyle.
“I was almost stabbed in a parking lot downtown by a guy who asked me if I was straight edge,” Young said. “He put a knife to my kidney and asked for my wallet.”
Hardcore music involves a lot of screaming instead of singing. At shows, an intense style of dance labeled “hardcore dancing” takes place within the audience. This dance involves wind milling the arms quickly while stomping to the beat during the breakdown of songs.
Ian Mackaye, lead singer of the 1980s band “Minor Threat,” was the first to promote straight edge theory in the form of modern musical expression. Since then, this scene has grown increasingly popular with young people.
“We’re not boring, and we don’t have to use drugs to have a good time,” Young said.
