my first party was called happy daze 2 (with the flyer being a play on the show happy days) at the nile club in philly. i was 15 and the year was 1993. i didn't know much about dance music but liked meeting crazy people and psychadelic experiences. there was probably 300 people packed into a space suitable for 200 in this grimy, cracked out little club at 13th and Locust (there corner where mumia abu jamal was arrested) in the heart of the gayberhood. it was so hot there was literally puddles of sweat on the ground. i slipped and fell a couple times while dancing. the chill room was a veritable drug fest. people were rollin' face, snortin bumps o' crystal and k, smokin' weed and wet (fermeldahyde on mint leaves). from that night on i joined the ranks of suburban ravers across the east coast regularly going to partes in baltimore, nyc, dc, etc. the best was club fever in b-more with residents scott henry and feelgood (when we all danced to techno and acid house). within a couple of years drum and bass hit the scene, promoters turned into gangsters who flooded the scene with bad drugs and fucked up attitudes. the days of the candy raver seemed numbered but there was no shortage of "polo" ravers. i moved to oregon and ended up living next door to a couple of psy-trance heads (kevin and jamie of apollo's lute) and started going to parties again. the scene has not been corrupted (as much at least) as it was back east. the psy parties and outdoor festivals are usually a very fun vibe and some cats are throwing parties at clubs and arts spaces which focus on house and breaks music in there many forms. there's also the burner parties which have themes and everybody dresses up and plays games (a diverse age group repped as well). i'm now moving back east and will miss the party people here a bunch, many are still pure of heart which is rare anywhere these days.