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Meera Atkinson Music of all kinds can be transcendent. It has been used in every culture since history began as part of spiritual experience and expression. Marie La Frenais is a young Christian and a passionate music fan. But it’s not the kind of music she can find in her local church. Her favourite music is drum and bass — a type of electronic dance music (EDM) with a strong bass beat.
EDM is a style of percussive music with roots in disco and electronic pop delivered by way of a DJ, usually in nightclubs or a setting known as a “rave”: a kind of dance party that can be held anywhere from a nightclub to a forest or beach. There are many distinct genres of EDM including house, techno, trance, ambient, and drum and bass. People who like EDM tend to be passionate about it, and they are often as passionate about the culture as the music itself. EDM is regularly featured at outdoor music festivals but raves can and do take place anywhere and they can be small and local or literally global gatherings drawing people from all over the world. Some raves are massive events catering for five or six different genres, running over several days with specific DJs playing specific types of music in different tents. Others are just based on one genre and may run only in the day. People all over the world are finding non-traditional, non-church ways of having spiritual experiences and some say raves can provide a place of worship every bit as affirming and transforming as going to church. What elements go into making raves a potential site of spiritual awakenings? “When I go it’s a community,” says Marie. “The music brings us together. Certain songs will make the hair on the back of my neck stand up. They move me. A DJ has a skill that not everyone has and it does take years of practice so it’s amazing to watch. It’s also a visual experience, laser lights etc, as well as a hearing experience. A lot of the events have huge projectors with images. You’re seeing, hearing, smelling, and touching if you’re dancing with other people. It’s the social interaction and all your senses are engaged.” For many people, raves are associated with “party” drugs such as ecstasy, but for Marie, it’s all about the music. “I’ve been going to events for the last ten years,” she says. “I started going when I was 16. For me it’s not about going there and getting trashed and not remembering what happened. I want to go there and remember every little thing.” Some raves such as Earthcore and Dance Aid are organisations that promote EDM events with humanitarian and environmental themes in order to raise awareness and funds for charity. Others draw on spiritual iconography and parties in Goa and India incorporate elements of Hinduism and even rituals. Sometimes raves are drug-free and alcohol-free, all-age events, appealing to a younger audience who can’t get in to clubs. There are Christian raves with names like “Clubbers’ Temple” and “Club Worship,” although they are mostly overseas events and have so far not materialised in Marie’s radius. Marie says she would be keen to go to a Christian rave if one were held in her area. She’d like to see the Uniting Church’s National Christian Youth Convention (NCYC) try a rave. “Look at Hillsong and even NCYC this year, they have a lot of bands, which I think is great, but for someone like me who isn’t into band music it doesn’t really move me. I can get bored easily whereas if it was a Christian DJ I’d be a lot more involved. I see that as something that is maybe lacking. We had youthful, funky groups at NCYC but I’m just not into that music. They could still have the bands but have one night with a DJ and see what happens and how people respond.” For Marie, a Christian rave would be more than just in name; she sees it as an opportunity for faith to be communicated in ways most of us would never dream of. “It would be interesting to see how a DJ would display his faith through his DJing skills. There’s no reason why a DJ couldn’t play a set of electronic music with visuals pertaining to Christian faith as well as having an MC out the front singing over the top a message of Christian faith.” But even without a Christian focus raves offer Marie, and others like her, a vital opportunity for spiritual connection. “At Easter that morning I was at church listening to the sermons. Obviously I was moved in church; I wouldn’t go to church if I didn’t get some kind of feeling or spiritual connection there. It’s a spiritual environment and part of who I am. That night I was at a drum and bass event with a bunch of people being moved by the music. It’s about environment and how it moves you. It’s difficult to explain to someone who’s not into that type of music how on earth a bunch of computer-generated sounds pressed onto a piece of plastic moves you, but it does.”
Marie La Frenais was the event organiser for Hybridize, an all-ages dance party held at the Fremantle Passenger Terminal in June last year. The event raised $8000 for UnitingCare agencies.
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