This weekend, ravers from all over the Bay Area threw down together at a heavy-bass electronic dance music (EDM) festival named “Wobbleland”.
Raves were originally illegal, underground gatherings in the 1980s that celebrated electronic music, according to an article by Grinnell College.
Ravers originally organized as a response to mainstream culture, but today due to commercialization, they are corporate-sponsored multi-million dollar money making ventures, according to the article.
Located at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium across from San Francisco's Civic Center, artists Adventure Club and SVDDEN DEATH headlined on Friday. Kai Wachi and Black Tiger Sex Machine ended the fest on Saturday, Jan. 20.
Ever since my first rave a little over a year ago, EDM culture has leaked through my eardrums and into my life, becoming not only a favorite music genre, but a huge hobby. Wobbleland was one of my favorite electronic experiences of the 13-plus I have been to.
First off, so many of my friends and acquaintances were there. As raves become more mainstream, with self-made DJs on the rise and more commercialized festivals popping up, PLUR culture is ever more important to protect the scene.
Peace Love Unity and Respect (PLUR) is an ethical guide for ravers that grew from a desire to be a safe and inclusive community, according to an article published by EDM Identity..
The Peace Love Unity Movement was started by Frankie Bones, one of the first American DJs to play abroad on a major stage in 1990, according to the article. It eventually evolved into the acronym PLUR, a mantra that encourages anyone to find a home on the dance floor.
It was comforting to witness PLUR this at the festival with a huge audience and I’m glad I had the honor of trading Kandi bracelets with some people.
Kandi bracelets are brightly colored beaded bracelets that are designed to be traded away as a sign of PLUR, according to the iHeartRaves blog.
Vital and Another Planet Entertainment‘s 5:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. two-day festival featured some of my favorite recent artists in the scene. My favorite smaller artists that attended in order would have to be Jessica Audiffred, HOL!, Lil Texas, Crankdat, Kompany, RZRKT and Space Wizard.
Audiffred’s set surprised me the most. Female DJs have a special place in my heart and her set was equally inspiring and invigorating.
One of my favorite aspects of electronic music is how grand it feels.With booming reverb, exciting buildups and slamming drops depending on the subgenre. Audiffred mastered the range of emotion in her music, while providing heavy visuals of flowers and skulls.
Adventure Club was my favorite set of the night. Heavy dubstep artists like SVDDEN DEATH and Black Tiger Sex Machine have a very clear vision of what their music is and what it should look like. They tend to stick to that for their entire set. Intense raging, themes of war, robots and skeletons are just their thing, and I can definitely get down to that.
Something was just different about Adventure Club. Their pacing was phenomenal with the perfect musical story from start to finish that didn’t tire you out, but it kept you excited for more. The duo also imbued a lot of fun into their show which a lot of bass artists fail to see past the intensity.
The first festival I ever went to was also my first rave — “Countdown NYE 2023” in San Bernardino. Even though it was a life-changing experience, it rained heavily for half of the night at the outdoor venue. Wobbleland was a great alternative to bring in the new year indoors, despite it being a few weeks “late”.
Bill Graham as a venue is also amazing. Unlike the San José Civic Center, the floor is completely open. This gives the balcony and floor great contrast in both experience and audience, as older and more experienced ravers are at the top. With this being said, being on the floor at Bill Graham is a neighborhood block party with better music and flashier outfits.
One feature I love about festivals versus normal raves are the multiple stages features. The second stage at Wobbleland made way to showcase up-and-coming artists and allowed for showgoers to have options. Festivals like this also allow for movement around the building that isn’t as comfortable at a cold, outdoor venue in the winter.
Looking back on that night, “Wobbleland” was my favorite of the three festivals I have attended and one of my favorite raves.
If you are interested in going to a rave this year, please remember to respect the existing culture and don’t forget to have fun. I can definitely say I’m looking forward to wobbling next year.
