Inherent uselessness
In addition to being an assistant professor of Modern Literature and Digital Culture at Radboud University, Roel Smeets is a semi-professional musician and a fanatic raver. Persis Bekkering's rave and techno novel Exces and the cultural theory described within fascinated him from page one. “One idea in particular grabbed my attention,” says Roel. “That raving is an act of rebellion against the capitalist order in which everything must serve a purpose. Dancing on the dance floor is inherently useless; it’s about surrendering to the unproductive. And in doing so, you’re temporarily rebelling against the system.” He does, however, add a caveat about the modern dance industry: the commercialisation of mainstream dance parties is intrinsically part of the capitalist system. Underground raves, being largely illegal, fall outside this scope. A recent example of this is the illegal rave in Belgium, where thousands of people danced for days.
The endless present
In addition to the resistance component, there are other elements involved in the intoxication of the dance experience. “Raving,” Roels explains, “puts you in touch with your body. You feel the bass and your heartbeat, which gets you out of your head and into your body. You can really lose yourself in the music and escape your everyday identity. For a moment, you’re no longer a parent or a professional. This transcendence is a form of freedom. There’s also an element of mindfulness. You suddenly find yourself in another dimension where the music is this endless presence, with no past and no future. It’s different from other musical genres in that the beat goes on and on. There’s also something ritualistic about raving; about being in a dark room with thousands of people who are all moving mechanically without saying a word.”
Ecstatic transcendental experience
Another element is the sense of community raving generates. “Dancing together with no clear purpose creates a sense of unity,” Roel continues. This is often fueled by drugs, which play an undeniable role in the trance experience. “This is part of all sorts of musical subcultures. XTC is to modern raves what LSD was to the psychedelic music of the 1970s. It enhances the ecstatic and transcendental experience. That's not to say you need drugs to experience this feeling of intoxication; there are plenty of people who don't."
Want to learn more about raving? Join Roel at Radboud Reflects on Wednesday 19 July 2023, from 4 pm to 4.30 pm at Stadseiland Stek on Veur-Lent island in Lent. Be sure to stay for the other Radboud Reflects lectures during the Four Days Marches. Such as ‘Why we think better than we think we do’, by philosopher Maarten van Doorn on Saturday 15 July or’Looping Louie in the seventeenth century: drinking games from the past’, by historian Adriaan Duiveman on Sunday 16 July. All lectures will be Dutch-spoken.
Text: Pleuni van Keulen for Radboud Recharge. Picture via Pixabay