mine was the mister floppy's fractal fun house at the santa cruz beach and boardwalk's cocoanut grove in 1990.

Got into this late.

October 4, 1996. Playscool 10. San Diego. It changed my life.

1993...Philadelphia was slow on the scene...
Finally, dressing was fun again...giving presents...ahh...

some event @ the Trocadero... i don't even know the name, but it was also the first time i did (can i say this on here) E...

it was for my birthday.

there was a chill room upstairs

i was in heaven.

let me just point out that the troc was the sh*t... still my all-time fav. venue.

this was probably in '93 or '94

i think it was 91 at the casa in downtown LA. scince then my life has never been the same. after that night i was hooked. i needed to hear that music that moved me so. see those incredible happy people and take those deliciouse mind altering substances.

from there i started hitting flamable liquid, all family and fresh produce parties. insomniac, citrisonic, no doz, does your mama know, and for those who know and where there, the infamouse partys countdown and communication. those two nights will always live in infamy as far as i'm concerned.

Well, I did security at a friend's gig in 94', but my first true party experience was summer of 95' at Freaky Friday in SF.
Totally blew my mind.

Before then I refused to go to raves, even though I lived with ravers in Chicago...I wanted nothing to do with being an "electric hippy". Heh.

Circa '90/91. Mr. Floppy's Fractal Funhouse at the Cocoanut Grove in Santa Cruz. The setup was the most amazing thing I had ever seen. I went to the back room and starting talking to these two guys who were still waiting for the sound system to be set up, they turned to be Spun and Harry Who. Spun gave me a round, purple flyer (which I still have) that said "RAVE" on it. Later that night I watched spun rock the room solid. Went to that party on the flyer the next week and was HOOKED from that moment on.

First time was in 1992 in some warehouse in San Diego near the docks. Can't remember the name of it. But I do remember dancing for 7 and 1/2 hours non-stop, and finding out some guy fell through the upper level floor with a nitrous tank.

first was in Calgary at a place called the Republik in 1991...and once you got past paying at the door another guy handed out LSD, heh

a favourite was in Vancouver 1993, in this warehouse in Gastown, and what was cool was the freight elevator up to the party was a party into it's own, all decorated, couches, disco ball and DJ!

Pure on Long Island, NY in the summer of 1995.

Dune 93? i believe. Not quite certain about the year. Although I had been to some warehouse Party earlier the same year, I can't remeber the name of the party... Jesse Brooks was spinning and "cateyes" were the candy of choice... that's all I remember from that party :)oh yeah and there was a boxing ring in the middle of the warehouse.

Floppy's Flophouse in Oakland, '91. We got the e (my first as well) from the coat check girl. How rad is that?

April 1996, "Back to the Bubble Beats" in Seattle. Actually, in a barn outside of Seattle.
www.pulpfiction.com/rave/gro...beats.jpg

All I can remember of my first rave was that it was in the warehouse area of Compton, which is not far from where I lived, and the map point was about 30 miles away. But the second rave I went to was Technoflight in Long Beach, CA inside the Spruce Goose dome around about April/May of '92. That was a trip! But it wasn't till I plopped the little pill more than three years later at the big NYE'95/96 event inside the Los Angeles Olymipic Auditorium that dare I say "got it." (I was at the infamous Grape Ape rave in Sept. 93 very sober and very, very sick actually..)

15 yrs. old. my first party was Felix in Sonoma county. I remember while waiting for the shuttle to take us to the party we traded some guy our beedies for two drops of liquid...

...This huge circus tent pitched in the middle of nowhere...layers and layers of synthesized beeps, clicks, sirens, and etheric voices---lasers--strobes shooting out/refracting off the fog...trekking accross my mind, walking towards a close encounter with future memories..

I thought to myself, "This is going to have an huge impact on my life."

OK, since no one is posting anything from the east coast... my first "rave" ...
NASA, new york city, at The Shelter. Scotto, DB, on-e, soul slinger, sometimes scott henry... I don't remember exactly when my first one was. And after the first one I went (snuck out of my friend's parents house every saturday night and returned blowing whoot whoot on my whistle on the train to brooklyn to sneak back in) pretty much every week for about a year.

SO much fun. Sitting on speakers watching the night move by. I remember sitting on a couch with a tall boy with a big sweaty nose and a muppets book. Handing out MAYBE stickers. watching the queens come in late night. Waving around thick neon green plastic straws, Dancing and Dancing and oranges passed around in the morning. and those mornings when you'd leave and there would suddenly be not only quiet city daylight, but also sometimes SNOW, that really was there and had snuck up on us through the night.

Mr. Floppy's Flophouse in Oakland, 1991. Mind-blowing...I still haven't come down from that one!

"Plastic Passion", Downtown L.A. circa 1986(could of been '87 can't remember that was a lot of brain cells ago) More of an artist loft party but definately had the makings of a modern rave but a lot less people. "Egg Salad". 1987/8 had the people.

i got into it a lot later than most of you

1996, it was called trails, it was at the ivar theatre (not the ivar)...jason blakemoore spun, he was dj trance back then...

i dropped e and 2cb, i was out of my head that night...

A buch of us took a very LONG journey from my house in Mtn. View to Creation at Scandia in Santa Rosa on May 5, 1992...my 13 year raving anniversary is coming up! tee hee! What a fucking crazy experience, I have never been the same since, and thank the goddess for that!

Rave Hut at Decibles nightclub in Mechanicsburg, PA, 1993. It was a rave weekly that sorta sucked. The music was too fast and crazy. (early harcore) I was too young and i could have died in there.

Los Angeles Technoflight at the Shrine Auditorium (1991)

another really memorable one was Grape Ape. They had a huge puffy throne chair you could take pictures on and a skate ramp. I think 808 state played.

I was trippin like crazy and the line to the bathroom was up against this huge trash dumpster. i stood there forever and all of a sudden i felt ALL WET. i swore to god i peed my pants waiting there, but then i realized I was just trippin. ha! i was totally dry.

i made my own outfit that night by sewing vintage dresses into my jeans and a cute halter top. og raver clothing style.

wow some of these stories are crazy. thanks for sharing :)

wasnt my first one but one i remember the most... "A Girl Called Myra" at the oak street wharehouse in LA was probably in '88 or '89. headliner was Bleu, Doc Martin spun and they had a go-go stage with nekked girls covered in fluro body paint under a wildfire... then there was "Paw-Paw patch" they had a big warehouse with a rollercoaster inside going around the dancefloor the front wall was all cerwin vegas that was the firsr "massive" i went to they also had a ferris wheel... there was another fun one in a parking garage and it was pitch plack but i remember a dj playin mama said knock you out and trash cans full of tecate...another wharehouse where guru josh played and they had a bunch of chinese dragons running around. after that the state police (now the highway patrol) started busting up the parties, the news media was at all the map points and people started smokin crack about that time i got out of it... 'till i moved up here... i started going out again in 2000... and it has been a long strange trip down the rabbit hole ever sence...

Sonar Festival 2002 (Barcelona, Spain)

Over 30, 000 people lasting over 3 days day and night...and it was intense...not only to discover I was a raver at the ripe age of 30 yrs , but also because...

-we were robbed of everything valuabewithin one hour of arriving
-we overdosed on some k-ooky substances and were abducted by the red-cross (camp where they inserted a homing devise in my ass) before releasing me alone, back into the abyss of bass.
-I was almost raped surrounded by a crowd of hundreds...though it started out as being hot, fun...I realized that I couldn't make it stop without asking for help...I paniced when no one could hear or understand me...and giant black man would not let me loose of his grip...
-the art installations melted my brain...imagine a breathing "speaker" that filled the halls loud enough to envelope you despite the thumping arena-sized dance floors!

I will never forget it...

My first party was called Euphonic Genesis in some art studio in San Jose in 1996 it was an awesome party but I thought it was lame when I walked in but the night switched around a little bit and I changed my mind

Krusty Takes a Trip in Edmonton AB at the Bronx Nightclub 1992 or early 93

I was blown away! I was already digging 'techno' but that experience definately started a new chapter in life!!

mine was Narnia 1994, with dj dan, Crash Worship and a trippy chill area

worlds collided

Hmmm, not sure, I do remember going to a Toon Town at 177 Townsend street, it must have been late '91. I remember going to see the Virtual Reality demos (cuz I was a windows systems engineer) I remember walking past people on the dance floor who were "deep in the vibe of House" , fanning themselves with white handkerchiefs and everything, I thaough it was VERY weird, (little did I know that in less than 12 months I would BE one of them).

The first party that I wen't to that I "got it" I think was the Whoopie Ball in Oakland, that must have been '92. The first party that I went completely into trance at was a renegade at a Scandia up on 101 north, marin. We were about to leave and Ernie Munsen showed up and said "stick around, I'm going to go off!" He most definitely did. (and I did as well :)

It was in 1994 at Clun Chamelion in Syracuse, New York it was called Jupiter, and was part of a series of Planet Parties in Central New York which was revived with Mars 2 back in Fall of 2002. I never really considered Jupiter my first "real" rave though because it was on the same night the club had rave night every week, and even thought I was massively underaged at the time I still went every week. My first big party was Mars 1 at the War Memorial in Syracuse NY in 1996. BTW dos being 24 y/o qualify me as a geriatric raver, esp since I was partying in the 1st half of the 90's? I sure feel like one, and few people I know in the scene have been around as long as I have.

Metro

no southerners? wow. not even a DC or B-morian.

'94 Kimball Colins @ masquerade Tampa, FL.

took a fat, choclate-chip, smack-you-like-a-sack-a-potatoes wafer from back in them better days. felt a little out-of-place at first, wound up puking my brains out in the bathroom, and proceed to have the time of my life.

mine was a jungle partie in the san fernando valley, CA in 1999.

Mine was a party in L.A. in early 1992. The music was all that annoying "UK Acid House" and bright colors and whistles and balloons. It was OK, but it wasn't until several years later that I really had an "experience" at one.

*I was recently reminiscing on my blog about how much my rave experience enriched my life, and out of nostalgia, found myself here. It's really great to know that a lot of other "old-timers" are still holding it in their hearts.*

A group of friends and I were proto-raving in Pittsburgh in 1991, and a few of us moved to SF with flowers in our hair. My first official rave was ToonTown - UFOs are Real in April of '92.

Jumping up and down with 20 of my new best friends to the night's anthem - "Bombscare" by 2 Bad Mice. I can't believe it's been nearly 14 years ago!

Officially turned on to techno Goa full moon 88'

first rave Mr.floppy's south of market 91'-92

Then Mark and Prestons party........I think that was Toon Town.
A rave called sharon (Halims thing) yikes... same era .... been along time

many other events inbetween.

and of course I would not call them a rave but wicked full moons @ just about evryone since there conception till bout 95'

someone mentioned wicked in the basement of 1015 those were off the hook!! ( RIP Trish)

I first discovered hardcore techno in a little club outside Nurnburg Germany end of '90 and was hooked. By the time I got back to the states I didn't get to my first real rave until august '94. I went to an Equinox party at an airplane hanger way outside of denver and drop my first tab of dose. I soon discovered Tribe productions (Merrick, Miami, Q, and crew). I worked for them and threw the best parties ever in Denver. Then I moved to SF and the rest is blurry history.

About 11 years ago somewhere outside of L.A. I can't recall the name of the party, which really pisses me off. It was a pretty big event in what would resemble an airplane hanger. I remember dancing really hard for hours and having one of the dancers covered in nothing but silver body paint and a heart over her unmentionables come over to me and hug me for a really long time and then she kissed me on the lips. As I was going to leave one of the promoters invited me to come to his club the next weekend and said he'd put me "on the list". I went. We got together and that kicked off many years of amazing parties and experiences for me. It was a wild ride...I miss it someitmes living away from all that way up in the mountains. People in cities like LA have no idea how lucky they are to have so many great things to do and parties to go to sometimes several in one night.

Gah! I'm tearing up with all sorts of bitchen memories!

I think my first rave was a Toon Town, but I may be wrong. i think TT ws '91? So, no it couldn't have been. I was 20 when I went and I'd have been 22 in '91.

I was kind of lucky enough to be somewhat of a 'mascot' to what I refer to as the Mafia - the guys that threw so many of these parties. I was the guy that stood at map points, handed out what I was supposed to hand out, lugged PA's up and down cliffs, etc. Man, I miss all that stuff and I sure miss a lot of those folks.

Centre Americain on Boulevarde Raspail in Paris in 1968. I was working on the light show for the parties. We didn't call them "raves," but everybody got high and danced for hours.

Floppies aka "the flophouse", Oakland, California, circa 1990 or 1991?? Floppies was always my favorite, huge puppets reflecting in the black light floating above the dance floor, many rooms with different themes. Back in the day before the floppies days it was a brothel....

An underground in Lancaster out the middle of nowhere. Nothing like trance and the desert sky above all filled with stars.

ahh did someone say cdc soundsystem?! that area 51 party at richmond with the spaceship one of the best parties of my life thanks for letting me tag along dave! and if you were there " I still love you all!"

I started a MeetUp in hopes to centralize events all in one place for the southern California area. I’m including a variety of events and social gatherings. Also, if anyone would like to list an event, please feel free to email me here at Tribe or at the MeetUp site.

The Electronic Illumination Army
drumnbass.meetup.com/143/

1994, spring, some warehouse rave in Cleveland that I didn't even know the name of, my friends took me to it. Was a transformative experience.

1993 seattle : Elysium "rave of the gods" or some such cheesiness. total commercial endeavor, i was completely overwhelmed. no dancey 4 me as was self conscious in the extreme. then maybe one year after, back home in colorado springs, a party called Arrival, in a vacant building on the west side. that was my "first"; dancing with complete abandon, a life changing experience. not lip service. it seriously altered my course. was anybody here= there?

in the early 90's in San Diego there was a party crew who threw one off's in the industrial district of SD and in the nearby desert...the parties were called "Vibrator". i believe Miles Maeda spun at a few, as well as Mark E. Quark.

my first rave that i bought a ticket for was in 95 in Seattle, put on by Funky Tekno Tribe...firt time i heard DJ Dan and Donald Glaude play together-incredible!!

My first one was Plantasia in San Bernadino on NYE in 94. It was part of the three Millennium parties that CPU threw. I remember it was originally supposed to be at the LA Coliseum, but somehow got moved to the Orange Show. I remember taking a capsule of pure in the parking lot, and waiting in line forever, as we barely made it in about 10 minutes to midnight. We never made it into the main pavilion to see Moby cause we weren't much into him anyways, but I do remember Ernie Munsun's wicked set that night, and spending a lot of time on the giant carnival slide outside. I spent a lot of Saturday nights/Sunday mornings at the Orange Show over the next four years... Other L.A. parties I remember being incredibly good between 94-97:

Oasia, somewhere in the desert
the first couple of Dune parties in the desert
Armageddon on July the 4th at Sculptureland out in Indio
Pyrotechnodiskowerks at the Grand Olympic
Futurama at that huge warehouse in downtown-anyone remember this place? it was right behind some train tracks, and there were quite a few parties there at the time. I remember going to a Melodic there one time that got busted early on.
Technology in Malibu hills-didn't Freaky Chakra play this?
Fry For Five at the Racquetball World, until it was shut down
Weeble World at the soundstage on Santa Monica Blvd.
Opium at the mini golf course-don't remember where
one of the early JuJu Beats parties at a ski resort where Trance spun a wicked sunrise set.
Parliament-I remember the warehouse on Highland, and the space in Silverlake the best
Operation at the Orange Show
Lunatic Labs at the El Capitan basement
Cadence in the El Capitan basement-I think that this might have been the night the last Narnia was cancelled, and the Narnia promoters stole our money?
**a party near Fontana in an old train depot in the middle of nowhere-you had to go to a shopping center, get on a bus that took you to a spot, where they piled everyone into the back of a U-Haul truck, that dropped you off in the desert near the station, and you had to walk a long ways... The entire place was made of tin it seemed like, and you could hear it rattling and see the lasers from miles away. There were two sections set up inside, one was hardcore and the other was trance/progressive. All the bus drivers quit by morning, except for one, and you had to show your car keys to get on the bus, pick up your car, and drive back to pick up your friends. Does anyone remember this and what was it called? One of the best parties I ever went to**
most of the F.A.M.I.L.Y. events
Every night of TIME at the Park Plaza
All of the Omni Centre parties in the El Capitan basement
A lot of parties at the Pico Indoor Swap Meet, and World On Wheels
and of course Magic Wed's when it was at the Carlos And Charlie's on Sunset


sigh* those were the days

GRIN 1993 (Maine)

There was a thread about it here a while back...

geriatricravers.tribe.net/threa...201fdf

Video too :)

Not sure if it could be considered a rave, don't think the word was coined yet, but it was the big NYE/1984 party in SFCA, in a huge old warehouse complex south of market, crammed with about 5000 people and raided about an hour after we got there. Then there was Mr. Floppy's in Oakland around 1990,...from Friday night straight through till Monday morning...I'm not too proud of who I was back then tho ;)

Mine was the second Storm Rave

Held in an old gas station in Staten Island... 1992

Frankie Bones, Adam X, Heather Heart and Keoki.

Still have the flyer.

First rave was back in 1991 when I was 15! I remember a bunch of smaller warehouse parties but the larger ones were paw paw ranch, narnia 1, electric daisy 1,pyrodiscotechno works, grape ape at wild rivers, nocturnal wonderland 1, dune, all the ones out in san bernardino, all the colour parties, mike fix rocks, rocky racoon, boom boom, dina-licous and all those crazy club kids rock. my memories fuzzy but I remember the map points being totally crazy. I lived in oc and would have to drive to LA for the map point then sometimes back to OC or to san bernardino. By the time I got to the parties, it was like 4am. I remember one new years eve party where a bunch of people started overdosing on some bad liguiq G that someone was giving away for free and they shut the party down. Me and my friends got chased by cops and tear gas was thrown at us.. totally uneccesary! Opium was fun - I was actually in fetish fashion show there so if anyone took pictures back then and still have them, can you send it to me?? Oh OZ where everything was green and they gave you 3-D glasses when you came in! Parties back then were so much fun! Now they are just that. big massives where the kids dress up in lingerie. sigh.. best years of my life! ah memories..

Now lets list some oldskool techo songs. Ok Ill start.. dildo dildo, elevator, juicy red apple, tetris, lil fluffy clouds, RTZ dance your ass off.. what else?

"JOY"......................... 1989 in a field in Rochdale. Changed my life and outlook on it forever. Wish i could re-live it every day forever and ever and ever............................................................................................................................................................................................................................;-D

hmm... my actual first time was a house party with a mix of tekno and live tribal music... first hit of e that night.. changed me, like it does to most. my first actual rave though was the next weekend... think it was a Rave Called Sharon... i cant be sure though. I was a big fan of that one and the Gathering. loved those at the concorse sf... ;) also made it to a floppys a few times.... and a few of the large less wicked ghost and dan techno events... :)

Limelight 6th and 20th NYC (itt was a 200 year old church that got converted). It was 92 I think. Moby was playing with the Shamen on the main floor. Lots of DJs and chillouts on other floors. ..Insane