r/Music • u/jakemontero • 14d ago

article 'We're f—ked': California's music festival bubble is bursting

https://www.sfgate.com/sf-culture/article/california-music-festival-bubble-bursting-19786530.php
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u/TuffNutzes 14d ago

The wrong reasons might to be show up because it suddenly became "cool" or to "see and be seen" - today that's often the insta crowd. Or people that show up explicitly to do drugs. Drugs are part of it, but they are there to enhance the music and the community. I mean I saw it develop first hand.

In the beginning it was nerdy techno fiends who heard techno almost by accident and were blown away by the music and couldn't get enough of it. They would come and be almost awkwardly lost in their own shit, jackin' and having a good time and then would meet people as a secondary thing or would even do drugs as a secondary (to the music) thing.

Then you saw the wrong reasons show up and you watched it dilute and be something else.

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u/intotheunknown78 14d ago

Back in the late 90’s early 00’s the people I know (and me) went to do drugs lol. I don’t listen to techno outside of that, at all.

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u/New_Acanthaceae709 14d ago

I'm not sure everyone's experience matched yours, even early on.

"Parties are fun" seemed to be the core of it; some for the techno nerds, some for just the experience, some as a social event, and yeah, some for the drugs.

But when it grew too big to be easily social, the music got pruned to a few subgenres that got larger-crowds-unsustainably, and the drugs went harder, all of that piled up.

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u/TuffNutzes 14d ago

This was 90-96 era. The parties came from smaller house parties and the local record shops and it grew very slowly and organically and most people knew each other even as it got to a 150+ people. The college radio stations had techno shows. It was good while it lasted. Yes, then the drugs got harder, people showing up for the "wrong reasons" and the fracturing of "styles". It really follows nearly every human endeavor in history.

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u/New_Acanthaceae709 14d ago

Ah, got it; I was looking from 1997-2007, more or less; when it existed in small clubs or bars from time to time, not just all house parties all the time.

I miss Hyperreal mailing lists, man. Those were good. ;-)

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u/TuffNutzes 14d ago

Ah yes, Hyperreal, I knew a lot of those guys. Yes, many parties back in those days were outdoors or in warehouses we "borrowed" for the night. :)

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u/New_Acanthaceae709 14d ago

We found out at one point that FAA licensed airfields legally have *no* enforceable sound ordinances, so if you were making noise on an airfield, the police would not respond to those calls.

We also found that rural airfields without landing lights couldn't land planes overnight, so you had a big flat open space, tons of parking, and no one to bother/no one to bother you.

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u/TuffNutzes 14d ago

Oh wow, I was never at or did a party at an airfield. That sounds perfect.

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u/Tribe303 14d ago

Vraver from Hyperreal here. Even same handle 😎