Describe your first foray into rave/dance music culture. When was it? Had you thrown parties before?

Aura T-09

If you look back with hindsight at my experience, the evidence is clear that I was destined to be completely entrenched in electronic music. I bought my first CD from a vending machine at the Westside Pavilion Mall at age 6 in 1992, Ace of Bass by Happy Nation. Already attracted to electronic sounds, I continued this trajectory through middle school. I would buy club mix compilations from Tower Records without really knowing what exactly electronic music was. In high school, I went to a boarding school where we were not allowed to have tv, phones or the internet. I was disconnected from direct information but still came across incredible electronic music in round about ways. For instance, in 2001, my best friend at school was from Scotland and her brother gave me a burned copy of Aphex Twin Drukqs with no writing on it. I had no idea who Aphex was or what I was listening to, but I was obsessed. For college, I went to UCSB. There, I met this crew of kids who were throwing breakcore parties in their duplex. I started to connect the dots of what I had heard and loved in high school. I joined up with them and started helping out doing graphic design and running artist hospitality. In 2009, we all moved to LA together and started throwing proper warehouse raves. With help from Baseck and The Darkmatter Crew, we booked all kinds of people from Venetian Snares to DJ Rashad for his first shows in LA. That crew disbanded in 2013. I started helping out as well as DJing for the first time as a resident for a party series called Run - which started out hot but fizzled out a couple years later after the main spot we used in China Town got raided and shut down. I started throwing shows again in 2018, as a solo entity, Rave T-09, or with my Trance bestie, Bootee, as Trance Nation.

Trickfinger

John began his obsession with electronic music in 1998, after a five year break from the world. When shopping at a Tower Records in England, he picked up copies of The Prodigy Experience and Aphex Twin Classics, both of which were life changing for him. He found the music extremely exciting, but also very mysterious. He had not even a vague idea how it was made. Then he got The Railway Raver’s drop Acid Not Bombs, and he recognized the sound of a 4-track cassette. He’d used a 4-track since he was a kid, even recording his own first solo record on one. But, the idea that such full, rich, perfect recordings could be made by one person alone at home was a mind blower. He started buying gear, learning machines and learning engineering, but slowly. It wasn’t until 2006 that he finally figured out what was the right kind of gear for him. By 2007, he had discovered DIN sync, and made his own Railway Raver inspired Acid recordings. Eventually were released as Trickfinger 1 and II. In 2008, he and Aaron Funk became fast friends and musical partners: Speed Dealer Moms. During a 2009 Speed Dealer Moms session in L.A., [John] went to a rave put on by Darkmatter Soundsystem, where Marci (Aura T-09) was actually working the bar. That was his first illegal party. From that point on, he would go out to Darkmatter’s and Marci’s Raves. No matter how absorbed he gets making music in his house and listening to old music, Marci has always kept him aware of new rave-based artists and styles as they come up, for which he’s extremely grateful.

Who were some of the big influences on the LA scene in the past for you?

Darkmatter Soundsystem! They have been throwing harder edged parties in LA for almost 20 years now and they were a huge inspiration and early collaborators. Also, Rhonda. They were always doing big productions at the underground club level that felt very special and exciting.

How has rave culture/ parties changed in LA over the past years?

I think amazing things are happening. As a woman who has been producing events for years, it is super refreshing to have more women and non binary people in the mix, organizing events, DJing and making music! I also think people are opening up in their tastes. They seem to be down to go with the flow and accept multi-genre lineups and a variety in sounds. It feels like it's becoming less segregated in a lot of ways and I love that! Although, I also think rave culture has been a bit affected by the same “comfort/convenience” disease that many other areas of life have also experienced. I think people throwing and attending shows in the past were aware that what they were doing was illegal but there was a drive that propelled them. That is sometimes lacking in the scene today. Even just 10 years ago we were still printing physical flyers and posters and going out all over the city posting them up. Driving crazy distances to neighboring cities for shows in weird one off locations. Not sure how to remedy that other than for promoters to take risks, do shows that are outside the normal zones and just get people excited in some way! Maybe after this quarantine we will be hungry for it and accept going the distance to have these outsider experiences that are the essence of rave!”





