#edm movement

This whole EDM Rave/Festival scene is really starting to annoy me. I live in Colorado right in the center of it, close to Denver and The Springs. Red Rocks is like my backyard, practically. 1 in every 5 people I come across is into this movement. I think the whole concept is cool and if you want to go to shows? Go! That’s okay. But when you start treating me poorly because I don’t do what you do, we have a problem.

I don’t smoke with a bunch of people ever. When I need a cigarette, I’ll go smoke on my back deck and read. I might share one with someone I really trust and have a good conversation with them. I’ve been told many a time that I’m lame for not smoking with a group of people and giving them all of my cigarettes. 9 times out of 10 they were my ‘EDM’ friends who try to bum stuff off of me. ‘That’s not PLUR’ they say.

I’ve had girls from that scene comment on things of mine telling me I’m ugly, that I should kill myself or that no one will ever want me because I’m not a size zero and because I dress modestly.

I can’t listen to ODESZA or Adventure Club without being called a poser even though I truly have liked that genre way before this trend exploded here in Colorado. I glove and spin poi and I have been since my older siblings were the original Rave Kids. They introduced me to the music and the style when I was in freshman and sophomore year (I’m a senior now) I’ve been to really small, personal raves and I generally really like the style. But when I tell people that they call me wannabe, poser, fake, worthless, ugly, stupid, etc.

I don’t go to shows because I have massive anxiety and trust me, I’ve been to a lot of concerts but these dance music festivals are really hard for me. I don’t trust enough of my friends to go with them. I don’t get shitfaced because I know for a fact that addiction runs in my family. I drink or smoke privately and within comfortable boundaries. I wouldn’t even let Rj take me to a show and that’s the one thing he really wanted to do for me.

I have always been obsessed with electronic music. Long before the acronym "EDM" was a thing, the likes of Basshunter, Tiesto, Pendulum, and DDR music were my source for that unique electronic sound that we have all come to crave.

I got into the scene in 2011. Dayglow came around a few days after I turned 19 and I was in my glory. While it wasn't an artist that I had followed, it was truly a dream come true, in the sense that I had always wanted to go to a "rave".

Like many people, I limited myself previously. I was in the bad habit of telling myself the things that I couldn't do. Infinite wasn't a possibility as far as I was concerned, although I couldn't disagree more now.

Later on in the year I went to a festival in Mansfield MA, called IDFest. A friend and I had gone together and I was mind blown by the open minded and friendly network of people that I had tapped into. Society tells us to be open minded and accept people, but that is not always what it teaches us. I knew immediately that the EDM scene was different from your usual crowd. It was welcoming, it was comforting, and most importantly, it was (and is) ENCOURAGING. Show after show, I was (and am) drawn to the uplifting crowd, and always eager to meet a new smiling face, with a new story to tell.

Throughout my time as a "raver", I've grown to be an entirely new person. My once close minded and depressing mindset has grown into one that sees the limitless potential in life, and the importance of enthusiasm for living. The friendships I've gained through the scene have taught me priceless lessons in what it means to be diligent, encouraging, responsible, and adventurous. These are lessons that I can truly say I wouldn't value today without EDM, ones that will push me through my career, and ones that would have gone untaught to others without it as well.

The EDM scene isn’t a community of druggies or sinners. It’s a community that encourages the concept of “come as you are”, and that is something that is invaluable in today’s society.

Never stop living.