How do you view 'older' ravers/party goers?

deepgreen

09-09-2008, 01:43 PM

Im from the old school i guess. I'm 35, and I went to raves and free parties when they were first getting started, before the criminal justice bill, and then big commercial raves like fantasia and dreamscape.

Nowadays a lot of the tunes I hear are remixed versions of ones I used to rave to when I was 18 - and that's 17 years ago! I met someone at a party and mentioned this, and they said "man, I was a 1 year old then". That gave me pause i can tell you..

What do people think of this party 'generation' gap? Do you youngsters look at partying 30 somethings and think 'eew' go to bed grandad, even though the music and scene is pretty much the same just evolved a bit more? Just curious to know...

GiantMidget

09-09-2008, 01:47 PM

I love chatting to older ravers and often ask em how they came to be ravers! usually it's always what were the pills like when you first started! Have had many a colourful conversation with older ravers and proper enjoyed em!

I just don't like the wankers who say "our era was the best yours is fucking shit" have met a few people like that before, them sorts can fuck right off! :laugh_at:

Digital-A

09-09-2008, 01:51 PM

Speaking to older party goers is enjoyable, especially when they have gone to the real parties of many years ago ... only this weekend i was speaking to a guy who had been to loads of spiral tribe parties, torpedo town and i believe still has loads of merch ...

all in all though i like it when older party goers appreciate what some of us are doing, backing it and are glad people are still trying to keep things together all these years on.

process

09-09-2008, 02:16 PM

ive got quite a few mates who are in thier 30's and 40's, never really thought it was an issue at free partys tbh...

Tank Girl

09-09-2008, 02:24 PM

I dont seem to find age a problem - (esp on here as I think there's quite a few older ravers)
as I'm like you an 'older' one, started young
I enjoy talking to and reading the posts / party reports of the guys out each weekend raaa

unfortunatley I dont get to as many partys as I'd like these days, and dont cain it like I used to
but when we're out we usually range between 29 - 49

fruitisbad

09-09-2008, 02:36 PM

if I see any old people dancing I yell "nice dance moves grandad".

ellie

09-09-2008, 02:47 PM

i think the age range is one of the best things about raves! Shows that you dont have to just give up on having fun once you hit 30! :bounce_fl

Dasein

09-09-2008, 03:41 PM

I view older ravers in the mirror.

starlaugh

09-09-2008, 05:01 PM

I just don't like the wankers who say "our era was the best yours is fucking shit" have met a few people like that before, them sorts can fuck right off! :laugh_at:

Bring on the old ravers!! love it that they still have it in them!

Got told by one the other day that we should all stop K and get back on the Mad man.... its all about the smiles not the k zombies!

DaftFader

09-09-2008, 05:10 PM

envy them for being there in the begining and admire them for still going at it hardcore :weee:

Tek Offensive

09-09-2008, 05:15 PM

yeah fair play to the ones that still give it some despite probably having alot more responsibilities like morgages and kids and so on, as well as not having lost the plot a long time ago!

older generation.... we salute youraaa

GiantMidget

09-09-2008, 05:19 PM

Got told by one the other day that we should all stop K and get back on the Mad man.... its all about the smiles not the k zombies!

Yeah i'm with em on that one. K is wrong now! Had some K on the weekend (First time in a while) i regretted it straightaway! Horrible stuff, bring on the mad man! :laugh_at:

GLENN

09-09-2008, 06:39 PM

rumpus rhythm

09-09-2008, 07:05 PM

thing with rave is its ongoing popularity - mid to late 80s, 90s, 00s, and nearly into 10's. That nearly a four decade span! Its no wonder that age boundaries are becoming so wide.

coastie

09-09-2008, 07:45 PM

Yeah I love it when there's a good age range at parties, makes it much more interesting havin a good range of people there. Im really inspired by older ravers sometimes and love the idea of partying being a long term thing that could be a really positive thing in your life rather than just a flash in the pan youth culture that people do when there 18-25 or whatever. Gives the whole thing a bit more credibility and substance imo.

rumpus rhythm

09-09-2008, 08:08 PM

im an oar:bounce_fl and have to agree with the above couple of posts that the drugs people r on these days has made the atmosphere a bit dark at some parties a lot less:group_hug.at a recent one when i was asking some obviously k-holed kid if he was ok i got verbally attacked by one of his m8s "fuck off who are you his dad ?".

it does depend on the crowd (& certain individuals) at parties. Most of the free ones i went to were fine but one time there was this agitated rottweiller in attendance which put a more ominious slant on the evenings entertainment :(

Although i try and be open minded about the traveller folks there were some who did not look after their animals

quietRIOT

09-09-2008, 09:49 PM

Although i try and be open minded about the traveller folks there were some who did not look after their animals

or kids most importantly...

free parties are great for all oldies...i call old about 50 or 60.....but when im that old i wont be going out to clubs ...no way...:you_crazy

GLENN

09-09-2008, 10:18 PM

"free parties are great for all oldies...i call old about 50 or 60"
thank you for making me feel younger

JonnyQuest

09-09-2008, 11:44 PM

be as old as you like as long as its still good times

Hailee Luv

10-09-2008, 04:16 AM

i think older ravers have a lot to teach the younger ones. i have met a few 30 yr olds @ parties that are some of the most interesting people i've ever met!

just have fun!

deepgreen

10-09-2008, 09:14 AM

if I see any old people dancing I yell "nice dance moves grandad".

"Hadn't you better be getting home? School in the morning!"

Seriously though, its nice to see such a lot of positive comments regarding the age span of ravers. Although, it quite telling when some younger people say how they have things to learn and admire 'us' as if we are a different species! Its funny, i dont feel any different at all in my head.. and as you get older age becomes less important anyway. I guess the only difference for me is taking longer to recover, and having to find childcare!! I wonder if ill still be going out when my son is partying himself? Will i be hiding my stash from him. Its all wrong..... hehe

quietRIOT

10-09-2008, 09:51 AM

im 38. dont look it or feel it its a number to me...:love:
also look at madonna at 50! we have left the age behind where we have to conform to being older.we can wear do what we want..it makes me smile when i think whats it going to be like when we are all old. walking about in adidas trackie suits cos there comfy. and pensioner punks with dyed hair.tattoos and piercings..in the old folk homes they ll be sat round swapping tales of raves way back when....hehee...
....im more comfortable now in my 30s than i ever was in my twenties...and my teen times were just awful really....happy in your own body you have to be...and guess what i got told by someone....i have the body of a 21 yr old the other day ...! get in !:weee:

fizz

10-09-2008, 09:57 AM

@april

Thats inspiring to hear. And your comment about old people - i have always thought about that. Hehe. What will old peoples homes be like? We will need skinner-upper nurses cos our hands will be all stiff and arthritic, but we will have some super-duper future internet/virtual reality social networking online global rave, which we can plug into for a while instead of knitting.
Oh and of course there will be flying cars....
And doors that go 'ssschhhhwwwpp'

General Lighting

10-09-2008, 10:05 AM

I'm an older raver but lucky enough to also look younger (I had to get a challenge 21 card recently as I can't get served alcohol in many places without it!)

the only reason why less older people attend raves in East Anglia is because people have families or long term relationships a bit younger, and they can't afford to take risks such as losing vehicles, careers or loads of money from rigs (due to getting busted) when they have others dependent on them.

Although the music was good, (some older ravers) look upon the early 90s with rose-tinted specs. in fact the scene still had a darkside - much of the cameraderie from drugs such as MDMA was temporary and the "community" was dominated by real gangsters, violent and dysfunctional people, which as much led to the CJA and similar laws as the moral panics from "babylon".

it was on the decline by 1993 and by 1995 it could easily have died out had the government not changed as they were starting to enforce the laws.

For all the people cursing Blair today, from 1997-2002 it was a lot less harsh - they actually had all the laws and surveillance available back then but never really bothered to enforce them, as the rest of society wasn't as bothered about raves - at some points it was like the CJA never existed and people could do what the fuck they wanted!

IMO The best times of raves were 1997-2002 in SE England and until 2005 in East Anglia, not that long ago.

quietRIOT

10-09-2008, 10:06 AM

@ fizz
haha.....you get miraaa.....instead of bingo they ll be the Ressy djs coming round with the trolley full of old records to take us back in time....and the dj will have a chair:weee:
Hey by that time you might be able to buy 20 joints ready rolled...:crazy_dru

General Lighting

10-09-2008, 10:15 AM

if you look after yourself you won't need to go into an old folks home... but
if people keep doing ketamine in the quantities they are (and overdoing other drugs). these institutions will be exactly the same as they are today.

i.e. with security doors on every entry/exit (to stop dementia sufferers wandering and getting run over), incontinence supplies being used by the ton, everyone in monitored/locked rooms to stop them fighting due to psychosis, rules and regulations to keep an eye of everyone and a load of often bitter, sad people watching daytime telly and the crime news on the idiot box whilst their grandchildren fight and die for oil across the world.

The only upside is that the NHS might pay for some of the drugs, but they will be benzos and anti-depressants to keep everyone placid.

And some people will be seeing the insides of such places by their mid 40s if they don't check themselves...

quietRIOT

10-09-2008, 10:20 AM

thats it piss on the bonfire. throw empty cans on too:laugh_at:

General Lighting

10-09-2008, 10:26 AM

thats it piss on the bonfire. throw empty cans on too:laugh_at:

sometimes you need to do that before someone throws on a spray can and it blows up and hurts people, or the fire gets lunched out and nearly burns the forest down....

im an oar:bounce_fl and have to agree with the above couple of posts that the drugs people r on these days has made the atmosphere a bit dark at some parties a lot less:group_hug.at a recent one when i was asking some obviously k-holed kid if he was ok i got verbally attacked by one of his m8s "fuck off who are you his dad ?".exactly.

all of us who are in our 20s onwards have seen this, and it is very recent. its just that the slightly younger people tend not to want to admit it as such especially if their mates are doing bare ket (or just overdoing things) regularly as it makes them feel like "outsiders" to challenge it. That is the difference between youths and "old skool ravers" as many of our age group have seen loads of our former friends fuck up big time on drugs.

I was partying in East Anglia right up until the clampdown and noticed how quickly things were declining - to the point my young friends can't be arsed with it any more especially the more intelligent creative people...

think about this everyone, ketamine was just as available in 1991 or 1992 and would still have been a nice earner then with less risk (people used to get long stretches for just 10 pills back in the day) - yet for whatever reason few ravers wanted to get too involved with it - even in 1997 it wasn't very popular - people did it but not in the way its taken over today...

the older ravers from the 90s are mostly still about even if they don't or can't party all the time at least those what haven't fucked their minds and lives up too much. What is more worrying IMO is people just giving up in their early to mid 20s because they are already jaded with it, and a whole quarter of the country on zero tolerance for unlicensed parties and putting stringent restrictions on legal events.

process

10-09-2008, 11:24 AM

sometimes you need to do that before someone throws on a spray can and it blows up and hurts people, or the fire gets lunched out and nearly burns the forest down....

exactly.

all of us who are in our 20s onwards have seen this, and it is very recent. its just that the slightly younger people tend not to want to admit it as such especially if their mates are doing bare ket (or just overdoing things) regularly as it makes them feel like "outsiders" to challenge it. That is the difference between youths and "old skool ravers" as many of our age group have seen loads of our former friends fuck up big time on drugs.

I was partying in East Anglia right up until the clampdown and noticed how quickly things were declining - to the point my young friends can't be arsed with it any more especially the more intelligent creative people...

think about this everyone, ketamine was just as available in 1991 or 1992 and would still have been a nice earner then with less risk (people used to get long stretches for just 10 pills back in the day) - yet for whatever reason few ravers wanted to get too involved with it - even in 1997 it wasn't very popular - people did it but not in the way its taken over today...

the older ravers from the 90s are mostly still about even if they don't or can't party all the time at least those what haven't fucked their minds and lives up too much. What is more worrying IMO is people just giving up in their early to mid 20s because they are already jaded with it, and a whole quarter of the country on zero tolerance for unlicensed parties and putting stringent restrictions on legal events.

yeah some people do need to have a word with themselves about there drug use, but then maybe its a form of natural selection, if all the people that cant run a good party or cant control thier own drug use disappear from the scene either through getting nicked because their bait or getting thier system crushed cause they throw shit at the cops or end up in rehab or a mental hospital, wouldnt it mean that the party scene would be a better place? it might be harsh losing friends and people getting nicked, but if there not gonna listen theres not much you can do is there?

fizz

10-09-2008, 12:02 PM

What do people think of this party 'generation' gap? Do you youngsters look at partying 30 somethings and think 'eew' go to bed grandad, even though the music and scene is pretty much the same just evolved a bit more? Just curious to know...

hmmm, nope. Maybe i'd think 'come to bed grandad'.. I just love older men...
:love:

General Lighting

10-09-2008, 01:25 PM

yeah some people do need to have a word with themselves about there drug use, but then maybe its a form of natural selection, if all the people that cant run a good party or cant control thier own drug use disappear from the scene either through getting nicked because their bait or getting thier system crushed cause they throw shit at the cops or end up in rehab or a mental hospital, wouldnt it mean that the party scene would be a better place? it might be harsh losing friends and people getting nicked, but if there not gonna listen theres not much you can do is there?

thing is this has been going on for the last 20 years and "natural selection" means a lot of people are giving up younger, plus it makes it difficult for the better crews. I know one crew what has been persecuted by feds IMO quite unfairly simply because of the idiocy of others elsewhere in the county - everyone gets tarred with the same brush.

what I noticed at the recent East Anglian raves before the clampdowns was loads of teens to early 20s, a fair few people my age group, but less and less in between (particularly in their mid 20s).

process

10-09-2008, 01:40 PM

I know one crew what has been persecuted by feds IMO quite unfairly simply because of the idiocy of others elsewhere in the county - everyone gets tarred with the same brush.

yeah that is one of the downsides.
what I noticed at the recent East Anglian raves before the clampdowns was loads of teens to early 20s, a fair few people my age group, but less and less in between (particularly in their mid 20s).

ive noticed this as well, there seems to be hardly anyone my age at the parties i go to. age range goes from 16-early20's then 30-45. strange.

General Lighting

10-09-2008, 02:21 PM

ive noticed this as well, there seems to be hardly anyone my age at the parties i go to. age range goes from 16-early20's then 30-45. strange.

it might be that lots of people have kids and its certainly not fair or right to lunch out your kid from the age 0-5 and leave them regularly with babysitters

also I don't mean to be sexist as its a natural thing really but when people get in long term relationships, women start putting more pressure on their partners to stay in at weekends and/or spend time with kids (or even without kids they just want their partners to not take so many risks)

so with the 30-40 somethings either their kids (if they have them) are old enough to be left with with friends/family (or if teenage are even at the rave as well :laugh_at:), or they have broken up with a long term relationship and if there are kids the other partner has got custody...

DaftFader

13-09-2008, 01:30 PM

i used to go to slamming vinal alot and there was allways this dude at the front of the speakers in the happy hardcore room and he was like 60+ mentalist thru and thru .... at one perticula rave he collapsed from heat exaustion and dehydration .. 15 mins later he was back at the speakers giving it some .... makes me think of that catch phrase "hardcor will never die" lol ... i aspire to be like that guy when i am older .. not sure if i got it in me tho :laugh_at:

welly

13-09-2008, 02:42 PM

DaftFader

13-09-2008, 02:46 PM

Well I'm dusting off my zimmer frame as I'll be out partying two weekends in a row!
The age of of a person is unimportant, it is attitude that counts. I've known lots of idiots that have been both old and young. The only advantage for younger people is they have longer to change their attitudes. Some older people go to their grave being miserable and looking for someone to knock!
thi9s is very true .. but you also have to take the physical stresses and strains of getting older that doesn't help if you are of that age and want to go out raving

photographthesun

13-09-2008, 02:47 PM

i cant say iv ever given age any consideration when speaking to people at raves. age and wisdom go hand in hand (or at least its ment to) so it can only be a good thing. i did see a 60 year old hippy sitting on one of the stacks at a certain rigs birthday party at the beginning of the summer, all i remember thinking was "good man" :crazy_dru

d.r.e.a.m

13-09-2008, 02:57 PM

I put myself in the middle of the age thingy, it dosent realy bother me how old you are as said above alot of older people are good for chating to but ive also found myself in this situation talkin to 18 19 year olds and remenising on some of the good old days when you knew a party was guna be PHAT and every one there was safe as fuck, not much has changed much I think theres a bit more atitude:cry:, and this moshing wosnt a part of the scene when I started but I still love it!

Dan Ooops!

29-09-2008, 10:55 AM

When I got me crew together to form a sound system, I was 23 and had been raving for two years....my crew then ranged in age from 16 to late 30's. In fact one of our Boxking Club nights was dedicated to my rig partner's 40th...

We just kept on partying and never really noticed the age thing. I always described my crew as "our age" even tho that meant a pretty big spread...

Nowadays, like others have said, I love the antics of you kids, and if there weren't any younguns doing it, then the scene would eventually die out. Don't let that happen, as some of us olds can't be doing it no more (work/mortgages/partners etc)..

ellie

29-09-2008, 11:46 AM

actually the first free party i went to was the celebration of a 60 year olds birthday :bounce_fl

Tek Offensive

30-09-2008, 06:20 PM

just look at old man shazam..

chelsea1

05-11-2008, 05:11 PM

:bounce_fl
I think its great!!

Im 18 been partyin for nearly 4 yrs now n i think its wkd that u can go out n avit 2 stompin tunes wit people of all ages!

Theres nothin like feelin the love of the moshpit!! :love:

Free party-goers r like a second family! :bounce_g:

TEK Tonic

09-11-2008, 10:38 AM

I turn 33 in a couple of weeks and still go out raving fairly regularly (my first rave was about 18 years ago). I love the new music and even though I feel a bit older each time I go out I gotta hand it to the young 'uns for bringing energy and enthusiasm to the party. If raves were full of old'E's I don't reckon the atmosphere would be anywhere near as havvinit.

My mum is in her 60's and loves a good rave. I can't wait 'till I'm in my dotage, singing songs from the past around a fire with my oldskool mates - "Smack my bitch up!", or what about "We'll live as one familiiiiie, nooowwwoooooooooooooooyeah" :bounce_fl

As for the drugs thing... K was there then, it's till here now. Not my ideal party drug but still good for a laugh and the comedown is easier to manage than an E comedown. My local town's drug of choice is K (apparently) and (apparently) the locals grass up the smack dealers because they "don't want that shit in our town". I think this is a definite step in the right direction as K doesn't turn people into liers, thieves and muggers.

Besides which - no drugs are as important as the music (new and old raaa)and the atmoshpere (young and old :group_hug) at any rave.