| Author
|
nyc trance and drugs
|
Surrender
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
506
Posts :
5388
Posted : Oct 11, 2004 17:52
|
inspired by thoughts regarding many things lately...
it is my feeling that the nyc trance scene is being corrupted by drugs. i think its about time someone said something about it, so here goes:
in the last few Ecliptic-Trance parties, i really got the feeling that other then about 30 people who really understood the essence of the party experience, the rest came for the drugs. most of these people who are aware are regular users of isratrance, their knowledge and support was felt and my concern is not about them. rather im here to consult your opinions regarding this grave matter. also, another footnote before i go on, is to say i have no personal problems with people using drugs (of whatever kind) in a moderated fashion. they know the dangers involved on the legal side and more and its their decision to do so or not. having said that:
it is my concern that the scene is seriously hurting itself with this drug problem. i say this from the behind the scene angle, which i have ample experience with. every scene has drug use in it, yet not every scene is so openly promoting of the drug experience as the psy scene and specifically ny.
in my dealings with party organizing and promotion i faced this problem head on. firstly with space owners (who had a clue what psy was) unwilling to risk their licences for a night of a possible calamity on their side, where they/i may end up in jail for other people's actions. after finding club owners who were cool/dumb? enough to let anyone have this kind of drug party in their space we reach the 2nd and most serious part. the drug addicts. i seriously felt that i was providing a canopy, a safe haven to permit people in a socially acceptable way to be completly out of their minds, often dangerous to themselves and anyone around them. it wasnt once where at Ecliptic-Trance we had to deal with overdosed indivduals. now granted, everyone has a bad trip in some way, but setting the theme of the night to be: "let's test the limits of my body and mind's drug threshold" has very little to do with a trance party or any party for that sake. its simply disguisting. one of the reasons in my decision to stop making parties is this... i didnt want this on my concsious. i didnt want this even if nothing happend, there is no reason to be a host of this type of behaviour. often people would be so disconnected that i swear the dj could be playing salsa and they wouldnt know the diffrence. these people somewhere missed the point, they must be alerted to change their course somehow.
last (for now) you come to think who would want to host these kind of events? why host and organize a massive drug party unless you yourself have someway of benefiting out of it? this leads to the only logical conclusion: some party organizers must be drug dealers themselves. if drugdealers are making parties, how does one expect the scene to develop in any way other then the wrong way?
folks, this is a major problem... we bitch and complain about how the psy scene here is underdeveloped and not properly managed... this is one of the major reasons: drug abuse on a scale so large from the dancers to the promoters. think about and reach this conclusion yourself.
  "On the other hand, you have different fingers."
http://myspace.com/gadimon |
|
|
|
ZeRo
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
39
Posts :
802
Posted : Oct 11, 2004 18:35
|
this post should probably be in the general trance forum it is astute and pertinent.
in nyc trance parties drug ab(use) is rampant. it is not about the music. drug dealers make money after a good party to invest in more or better drugs, while the promoter who put his hard work in and ass on the line makes barely anything and cannot reinvest the money to making even bigger or better parties.
i really have nothing to add. but i wanted to express my intense agreement with this post.
how about a drugless party?
ein chadash tachat hashemesh. there is nothing new under the sun. --kohelet. |
|
|
|
DiMiTry
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
70
Posts :
2299
Posted : Oct 11, 2004 18:57
|
Quote:
|
On 2004-10-11 18:35, ZeRo wrote:
how about a drugless party?
|
|
free beer?? |
|
|
|
Jeto
Moderator
Started Topics :
258
Posts :
3252
Posted : Oct 11, 2004 20:57
|
|
paradigm
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
54
Posts :
1098
Posted : Oct 11, 2004 21:59
|
Sorry to hear that thats the state of things in NY. However i cant say im surprised. Electronic music and drugs esp. In NY seem to have qutie the hand in hand relationshio. Whether it be psy, techno or what have you, if you trace back the roots of electronic music in NYC, there has always seemed to be a serious drug problem. Of course all scenes have there problems and issues, but NY has always seemed to be the leader of this pack.
I.E. all the notorious things that have gone down at the limelight, Frankie Bones notorious storm raves of the early 90's or even as a Hollywood example, The movie Partymonster, based on James St, James and the disco blood bath murders.
Something about NYC seems to inspire excess...
IMO |
|
|
|
vector_0
IsraTrance Full Member
Started Topics :
113
Posts :
1189
Posted : Oct 11, 2004 22:49
|
i would have to agree with u here...but what can be done? most patrons at this sort of event haven't a clue what the difference is between a psy party and a rave, so they just keep on doing what they do.
there must be something that can be done to remedy the situation...or maybe the only solution is to move things outside the city. i have to say that the impression i got at the eclipse festival in quebec was that drug use at raves and trance parties is really mild compared to what it is stateside. theres no way you could throw something like that around here and not see a bunch of crack pipes and people fucked up and laid out everywhere.
i never really care if i go to parties and people are rollin or something, cuz i mean, its a party...you should have fun however u see fit. but when i meet people who don't know anything about the music and can't hold a conversation with me unless its about drugs, i just want to tell them that they should leave. i got heart for newbies and the like, but people who don't care and just want to do drugs really piss me off |
|
|
|
ZeRo
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
39
Posts :
802
Posted : Oct 12, 2004 00:05
|
just to clarify things. . . after reading this thread again. . .i think that the majority of people going out for trance LOVE the music. They love it so much that its hard for them to see ppl tripping or rolling(the most ubiquitous thankfully) and enjoying the music at a different level(different not better) while not doing so themselves. it is possible to go into a trance state fromt he music alone and dance the entire night. But it takes alot less effort to trip and do so. i think that if everyone were to go to a party sober(weed and beer excluded) and dance the night away together they will realize the transformative power of these powerful musical gatherings without the influence of powerful psychoactive chemicals. in fact there are many psychoactive chemicals that can be naturally induced by trance dance itself.
i think there is a drug problem in our scene but surrender, the way you put it makes it seem that there is no more love for the music. i think we have simply been corrupted by the dissociative void of drugs and it is taking the life and soul out of the scene, slowly.
But. . .the scene is founded upon a shared love for music and dance and as such can be remedied.
ein chadash tachat hashemesh. there is nothing new under the sun. --kohelet. |
|
|
|
gatsby
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
17
Posts :
178
Posted : Oct 12, 2004 00:58
|
What many people think killed the rave scene in Chicago was not DRUGS as a class, but certain chemicals. It drifted away from mdma and psychedelics, toward alcohol and crystal meth. Alcohol, crystal meth and the involvement of criminal syndicates killed the scene.
Not all "drugs" are created equal. Not all psychoactive users use them in the same spirit. There are many who see them as sacred sacraments, not just a way to party.
There are people who love the music, love to dance, and can get places with psychedelics that they can't get to otherwise. I totally believe there is such a thing as responsible psychoactive use. I don't know the NYC scene, but I hate to see people make anti-psychoactive generalities. |
|
|
|
Eklypz
Started Topics :
7
Posts :
359
Posted : Oct 12, 2004 02:14
|
I view psychedelics as a jump into the essence, where meditation and self knowledge form a permament bridge.
If people can get that glimpse and see the possibilities through drug use , then more power to them.
I have no problems whatsoever with drug use as long as the person taking them is responsible about it (do the drugs, don't let them do you). Everyone has their own path. I think jaded anti-drug elitists ruin a scene more than any drug user can.
I wonder if all the tribal cultures that used psychoactive drugs (native americans, mayans, etc) to dance with had people wandering around saying, "You are not here for the music, just the mushrooms! You do not know the true essence of the drum circle!"
Another big thing with psyoactive drugs is it gives people the energy to dance. Not everyone is able to dance 10+ hours sober. This is my personal choice since I am out of shape and old ;p
|
|
|
|
ZeRo
IsraTrance Junior Member
Started Topics :
39
Posts :
802
Posted : Oct 12, 2004 04:07
|
yes indeed, there certainly is responsible use of psychoactives etc etc.
eqlypz - i agree with you.
but there is also a point at which drug use becomes pure hedonism and causes an intimate family like atmosphere to turn into a cold dark place.
do drugs, dont let them do you!
many ppl in the ny scene are letting the drugs abuse them so much that they are turning into different people. i have seen it happen, mainly with K not acid.
ein chadash tachat hashemesh. there is nothing new under the sun. --kohelet. |
|
|
|
Cyzum
Cyzum
Started Topics :
77
Posts :
347
Posted : Oct 12, 2004 05:19
|
I never do drugs. I'd rather let the music mess up my mind then some potentially dangerous substance.
|
|
|
|
goadevotee
Started Topics :
6
Posts :
197
Posted : Oct 12, 2004 06:40
|
Drug use is not needed to let trance take awy all night. For years now I have stoped do the drugs at trance gathering/parties or any where.I normallY spend Many hours setting up for a gathering(party) then the rest of the night I put my enrgy in to the dance floor and it in return keeps me going in bliss.recently going for 40-50 hours total. trance is so much better with a clear sober head(or on sleep dep.). It is not fake faded blurred or distorted. itis pure. I too hate to se a trance event over run by drugs x-specially when there are more people sucking lollipops and rubbing one another all night instead of dancing.
I too have seen what surrender has mentioned, happening in The NY Scene.It is dicouraging and I agree that this is a major issuethat needs work.
WHAT DO YOU GET OUT OF TRANCE?
"TRUST IN TRANCE"
"KEEP ON DANCING"
BOMBOM |
|
|
|
Liquid-Vision
Started Topics :
3
Posts :
660
Posted : Oct 12, 2004 07:06
|
|
drugs are nothing but chemicals(organic or non)and chemicals are part of this life. Their is nothing unnatural about chemicals or drugs. Their is nothing wrong with moderate drug use, as long as you dont act like an idiot and can keep controll and not do stupid shit. Drugs are a part of this so called life, and drugs are one of those things that simply go hand in hand with music(especially PSYCHEDELIC trance). If someone wants to have fun their own way, let them(unless their spreading bad vibes or whatever). What should unite us is the love the music, and thats something I see a lot of here, since love for music cannot be distorted by drugs. Its up to every individual whether he choses to ingest drugs without harming anyone else in the process, for he is the one who faces all responsibility for his actions. Yes, drug use isint REQUIRED to go into trance and dance all night. I can dance whenever the hell I feel like(which is usually encouraged by listening to good psy). Hell, I can start dancing right now and not stop till the morning if I felt like it, I dont need drugs. But I think its obvious that certain drugs only help and guide you through the trance(ie: PSYCHEDELICS, what PSYCHEDELIC trance was named for in the first place). |
|
|
|
Liquid-Vision
Started Topics :
3
Posts :
660
Posted : Oct 12, 2004 07:50
|
|
and there will always be people who go just to do drugs, and not for the vibes/music. I feel bad for these people, but theres little you can do. Until they realize they're being controlled by drugs and that they should quit(or limit their use). A person who uses drugs should always be in full control of his drug use(and not just that)Not the other way around. This goes for many other things in life as well, not all as severe. |
|
|
|
Surrender
IsraTrance Team
Started Topics :
506
Posts :
5388
Posted : Oct 12, 2004 07:52
|
i think some of you are missing my point(s).
i never said i'm anti other people doing drugs. i am not the police and do not care what legal or physical/mental troubles they may or may not get into.
if some of you are trying to get me to say that im pro drugs, keep dreaming, even if it was true i would never state it on the internet in such a public manner.
to sharpen my point:
it would seem that a large % of people are going out in order to get fucked up.
who is playing? dont know...
what style? dont know...
is the dj playing good or bad music? dont know...
are there any of the things the promoter promised on the ticket? dont know...
what we do know:
LSD, extacy, K are going to be consumed before and after to the point where we have been reduced to the state of absolute morronity and we will not care.
these people actually miss the entire purpose of the trance party.
these parties were/are not meant to be another alternative to a bar outing or a rave club on a weekend. these are much more then that... somewhere along the line, very early here in nyc this point was grossly abducted, raped and subdued by the drug culture.
what has to be done? not sure... it seems paradigm hit on the nose with nyc excess, it is everywhere and in everything. in the meantime, an uprising must be setup: led by the people who are about the music and not about drugs. our dealers, i mean leaders have to be re-arranged as well... it is simply irresponible to permit those who advocate drug use on such a massive scale with such a positive care free fashion to continue to provide us the feeds. you and only you have this power.
"On the other hand, you have different fingers."
http://myspace.com/gadimon |
|
|
|
