Edmonton = Rave Capital of Canada?

[Xelebes]

Agree or Disagree?



I mean, Toronto and Montreal do have some hardcore raves, but we candy it up as if we were in San Francisco twice over. I guess - as far as I can tell from seeing rave pics in other cities. For example, this was last weekend:




>.>

<.<

[Xelebes]

Eh, and I am asking this because when artists come to town, like Tegan and Sara, they muse such things. *shrug*

[TKTKTK]

Yeah, you don't really see candy ravers around toronto any more. The scene has moved on, it's heyday here was in the mid 90s. I think the scene, now, is more about secret 'it' bars and monthlies.

[softee]

That scene peaked in Toronto about 10 years ago.

[Xelebes]

As it did here, but it's returning apparently ever since 2005.

[Taller, Better]

Gosh, haven't heard of raves in ages.... I thought they were history!

[urban 2.0]

It probably is -

It looks like 1996 has finally hit Alberta.

Into the time warp ...


Let me guess the perm is the most popular hair style in Calgary?

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEE HAAAAAAAAAAA.

Here's my ode to Alberta: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GxWvhds5usk

[Haligonian]

I was about to ask why people are bumping threads from 1996.

[TRZ]

Toronto's biggest loss in the rave community in recent years was the farewell of Hullaballoo (arguably for the better, it ended at its peak), a monthly rave schtick at the Opera House along Queen East. I miss those. Not just that though, the scene is definately quieter than it used to be. The ends of summer just aren't what they once were.

[Xelebes]

Yeah, hullaballoo was huge for the candykids. My friend Evan (kinda big hhc dj out here in the west) went to the last one.

[isaidso]

Perhaps Edmonton is going through a retro-revival circa 1992?

[TRZ]

Originally Posted by isaidso

Perhaps Edmonton is going through a retro-revival circa 1992?

Maybe I should move to Edmonton

[Taller, Better]

Hmmm.... I'd say per capita more people rave in Edmonton, but more people walk in Victoria!!

[spongeg]

that whole 90's thing is coming back

they are just ahead of everyone else

lol

[isaidso]

I'm too old for that these days. I'll stick to the Circa opening this weekend. I pick about 4 parties a year and this seems like a winner. Mark Farina on Sunday. Two days after the opening night on Friday will mean all the yahoos will be at Comfort Zone or asleep by then, less crowded, and better music.

[PhilippeMtl]

Some Rave events in Montreal:

Bal en Blanc: 15 000 people
Black and Blue: 80 000 people during a week end.
Sensation : 7000 people
PikNik Electronik: 5000 people, each Sunday during summer (outside)
Resolution: 5000 people

I don't want to compare Mtl and Edmonton, but Montreal rave scene is one of the biggest in North America.

[Taller, Better]

I'm confused... isn't a "rave" an outdoor party at a last minute destination? Black
and Blue and Bal en Blanc, etc... are all pre-organized indoor events. I had no idea those were called raves, too.

[PhilippeMtl]

From WIKI
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rave

Canadian Rave culture
Rave culture in Canada is very similar to that of the US. Recently, however, raves have become increasingly mainstream, especially in Montreal as well as the rest of the province of Quebec, with large commercial raves attracting major international DJs and much media attention.

Raves in Canada are concentrated in Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. With the exception of house raves which can be found in smaller cities. Certain raves, such as the Montreal Black and Blue even attract government funding from all levels of government; municipal, provincial and federal, as they are deemed to be cultural events. On February 10, 2007 indie rap duo Grand Buffet stated they had played a rave in Montreal. The Bal en Blanc is another event in Montreal that attracts a wide variety of attendees from a wide demographic spectrum. These events have often been hailed as the biggest parties in the world, attracting more than 16,000 at a time. They are often held in government-run facilities such as the Montreal Olympic Stadium and the Montreal Convention Centre.

In Toronto, raves remain more underground and only events catering to the gay community attract more mainstream attention. However, this wasn't always the case. During the late 90s and early 2000s, the Toronto rave scene was one of the largest in the world attracting international talent and worldwide attention. Many events were held at the Better Living Centre at the Canadian National Exhibition grounds and at the International Centre near Toronto's airport. These events often attracted upwards of 20,000 people and would happen almost every weekend. Many other smaller events also happened every weekend along with the bigger events. As the decade drew to a close, Toronto's rave scene began to suffer as increased scruitiny from public officials and the local media began to exert pressure on the scene as a result of the high profile drug death of Allen Ho at a rave in an underground parking garage in 1999. This made throwing large events in Toronto more difficult. Eventually, almost all the major rave promoters in Toronto quit throwing events with the exception of a few including Destiny productions and Hullabaloo productions, both of which continue today in some form.

Since then, Toronto has seen a rebirth in the popularity of dance music but in a different form then in the past. Most Rave type events happen inside clubs such as The Guvernment, The Docks and the Big Bop. These venues still attract international talent each week and can still draw thousands of partiers for the larger events. These venues cater to Toronto's dance scene, which is more splintered then it once was, with events that specialize in dance music sub genres such as Jungle, Breaks, Happy Hardcore, Techno and Trance. Sometimes events will cater to multiple genres such as Destiny productions which specializes in Jungle and Trance. Destiny is also known for hosting the "World Electronic Music Festival" that occurs in southern Ontario annually, in mid summer, which consists of a 3 day and 2 night camp-out style, multi-stage electronic music festival. It attracts large amounts of people from Canada as well as other countries such as the United States and UK. There is also an underground Freetekno scene in Toronto and Montreal which organizes free events in obscure locations in Ontario and Quebec.

Raves In Vancouver or the British Columbia Area are the more mainstream raves in Canada. Two mainstream Raves take place in Popkum, the first being the Apex Project, Which took place August 4th 2007. And the upcoming SummerBreak rave on August 18th 2007 which will contain even a hip-hop lineup with lil john, Swollen Members and more. Other big raves in Vancouver are thrown by Solid Entertainment are held the PNE Colliseum. Dooms Night, I.M.F, NYE, and Fusion Dreams all attract over 5000 people.

Parties such as Prism in Toronto or Rapture are circuit events that could be classified as raves, and attract a primarily gay audience.

All three cities have a burgeoning underground rave culture with smaller, less commercial events held in 'underground' venues, attracting the usual crowds associated with the rave subculture, such as 'new wavers,' 'hippies,' etc.

Candy ravers usually dress up in wild clothes consisting of bright colours, fluffy leg warmers for the girls and ‘phat’ (excessively flared) pants for the guys; they litter themselves with candy bracelets and necklace, which they trade with other. They have also been known to carry around stuffed toys and other kiddy paraphernalia. They are also the major users of glow sticks and are regarded as having started the Chupa Chup lollipop phenomenon. Chupa Chups, offer a salient means of identification for this group. Some 71%[citation needed] of ravers indicated that they sometimes or always purchase chupa chups for raves. These two items represent what Hebdige refers to as the magical appropriation of “humble objects” [in Brookman, 1998:51] that express resistance in a form of code, and act to reinforce the ‘subordinate’ status of the group. There is however a practical aspect to the use of Chupa Chups at raves which is to prevent the grinding of the teeth (a side effect of ecstasy use).

[Taller, Better]

ahhh... I see. Thanks, Philippe. I just haven't heard the term "rave" used in a decade and associated it with the old spontaneous outdoor ones. I think the biggest commercial circuit-party things that I know of are gay oriented. I used to go to them but stopped when they all seemed to be the same thing over and over. I know a lot of people who go to all of them and have a great time, however.

[isaidso]

I don't think anyone has used the term 'rave' in almost 10 years with the possible exception of squares from the burbs as a last resort explanation of what a desert party is. (or another event on the same lines)