Raves are becoming increasingly soulless and submissive events, where the furriness of your boots or the luminosity of your neon tutu matters more than the dancing aspect and sense of community that invigorated nineties rave culture. The clean-cut congregations lack an appreciation of underground and anti-establishment seclusion, ultimately dumbing down on the disposition of EDM culture.

Instead of gazing around to engage with your fellow dancing pals or simply staring up at the clouds as you lose yourself in the music, the mass of the audience is now gawking in one direction, directly at the stage through their camera phones. Where are the days when the DJ booth was tucked away in a corner, unseen but enjoyed through the ears? Now the masses of rave goers gape blankly at the one figure stood behind a mixing desk with both hands in the air as the conventional pre-recorded tracks on a MacBook seep out into the swarm.

The true essence of rave culture is undeniably lifeless in contrast to when DJ’s would play live to their audience and respond to the mood of the crowd.

It’s not news to the world that anyone with cool hair and a tan that can work their way around a laptop can become a DJ nowadays. The remaining genuine ravers are waiting for EDM that hasn’t been churned out over and over again. They are waiting for something innovative that will recapture the spirit of nineties rave culture and prove that there is much more to experience than the façade.