Sabbatical

I'm taking a break from Rave Bright in order to learn the ins and outs of my new job. I also would like to re-evaluate my goals for this blog and consider what I really want to write about. I should be back on-line in one or two weeks. See you then!

-Tigris

13. Mr. Oblivious

I first met Mr. Oblivious after watching his set at Circus a couple weeks back. He and Splicer threw down some hard core electro all night long and gave Columbus a much needed reprieve from dubstep. It was a great night, and I think it really put the duo on the map. This friday they are playing an event with Dj Rocketnerd and Dj Moniker at Tipsy bar, don't miss your chance to see them! EMC Presents Splicer/Mr. Oblivious Event Page

I was inspired to make Jason Rau my first featured citizen when we were chatting one day over facebook. I noticed immediately how much passion he had for the music and the scene. I recognized in him the same kind of soul I have, one that understands that we are building more than a music industry here in Columbus, we are building a community.

One of the first things he said to me was, " Ohh, I have my inner geek. If you really look at society and what they consider nerdy... I would say every huge producer fits that. Yet look at how many people go and embrace it!! Its unreal. I geek out hard trying to learn production. Its an art of its own but if you don't have a passion, geek out, and wanna learn it- it will never happen! Call me a geek, I love it (haha) because I'm already doing what I love."

When did you first start mixing?

Mr.Oblivious: Well I started mixing dance music about a year ago. But the production aspect of music is what snagged my interest in the EDM scene about 3 years ago.

I got a few music programs for my computer and some small midi based controllers and started working on making music.

Is that mix you sent me your own?

Mr. Oblivious: The ideas and transitions are our own but the songs chosen are others. When it comes to Original tracks the production of our own tracks are slowly getting to the point where, in the near future we will be comfortable mixing them in with others.

When you say "our" are you talking about Splicer?

Mr. Oblivious: Yah Splicer. We both produce in our own studios. Yet we also work on projects together. Being close friends has helped us both learn the ins and outs of production. We both see a lot of potential in each other and in projects to come in the future, whether its solo or a collaboration.

Mixing is always fun. Alone or together. We have just found a good niche together and hope to take it as far as we can.

What are your plans for the future? What do you aspire to?

Mr. Oblivious: We hope to mix out as much as we can. Splicer and I have been asked to play the 13th at Tipsy Bar so we are looking forward to that. For me, I know I am going to finish up this Trance Electro Dance project I have been working on for quite some time now. My goal is to design an amazing Dance show that goes hand and hand with the visual aspect of life. I feel like when you can create an audio and visual experience for the viewer its a double kill! They go so well together that it creates an experience of a life time, an experience one won’t forget:)

I say this because there are many shows and festivals that I have been to have left such a huge impact on my life. No where else will you find so many beautiful people coming together all for the same reason.

Their stories are all different but the Music is the common interests. Its what we can all relate to. It moves and inspires so many people and in so many ways.

What’s one of your best rave-memories?

If i didn't go to EDC 2010, I would have never started mixing. I was inspired to move people. To create the flow of music through me to move people.

No where else have i ever seen 200,000+ people come all for a common intrest everyone indirectly relates to one another. One person puts their hands up and everyone else follows because that emotion start to flow through one another. Creating this endless vib that is powerful:) I love it. You put your hands up with everyone and you feel powerful. Its this power running through everyone called Love.

And thats why i mix and produce a lot more now. I have found my love

How did you discover EDM?

Mr. Oblivious: Well my cousin when I was younger always had turn tables and would go out and Scratch and flip live. I found it to be sooo interesting but always was intimidated by it. Yet me being me, I asked a lot of questions. She would show me old beats and i was awesome. But it wasn't until 2002 when I heard pendulums first album all the way through. It was like Drum and bass. Blew my mind!!!

Who are your influences?

Mr. Oblivious: The prodigy had a huge influence on me. I played bass guitar growing up. I still dabble on it every once in a while. Ill also record my own bass lines for dance music. But when  saw they used a band live i was inspired to start applying what i know in music and on Bass to the dance Genre.

Great! Thank you so much. Is there anything else you would like to say before I close the interview?

Mr.Oblivious: Well I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for friends and family. They have taught me so much and I’m extremely grateful. I love them always!

 

12. Surprise Drugs Are Bad

The Problem

An epidemic has started right in the heart of the club scene and has wormed its way into even our most beloved electronic venues. It is a disease that renders us all equal, whether we worship electro or hip hop, dubstep or top 40’s. Men and women are falling prey to accidental and intentional dosing of illegal substances. Even the sage wisdom of our elders has failed to protect us from these random and sometimes terrifying highs. People have been getting dosed, not only with the traditional date rape drugs like Rohypnol, GHB and Ketamine, but also with club drugs like MDMA, researched chemicals like rocketdust, and even hallucinogens, including liquid LSD. 

My first question is, who are the plague rats that are carrying this disease? For, certainly it is not the victims that are propagating this black magic. No behavior that I can think of is grounds for such foul play as getting dosed with date-rape drugs, or any drug that he or she doesn’t know about. 

My second question is why it is suddenly such a craze to slip drugs in drinks. In years past people wanted to hold on to their drugs, keep them for themselves, all of a sudden that has changed. Not only are people suddenly “generous” but they also don’t even seem to have an ulterior motive. Girls have been getting dosed surrounded by their friends, standing next to who is obviously their boyfriend. They aren’t going to be leaving the club with a stranger! Men have been getting dosed nearly as much as women have, and I often doubt they are in much danger. There aren’t even particular targets anymore, it doesn’t seem to matter who your with, what you look like, what gender you are, or what your drinking. People have just been randomly and wildly getting dosed. 

So how to we protect ourselves from this infection? Do we cover our mouths with scarves so we don’t have to smell the contagion? Stuff out pockets with posies? Draw symbols on our doorways to ward off evil? Maybe not quite. 

First of all I think we need to discourage creeper behavior in the first place, whether these are the men that are giving out drugs or not, we have a message to send to the general populous, “Don’t fuck with our women”.  If you are a woman, the message is “Don’t fuck with me, AND don’t fuck with our women”.

There are a lot of creepers out there, and most are really just regular guys, out “hunting” at the club. Staying sober most of the time has helped me recognize some of the strategies that these men use to pick up girls. For one, when somebody offers you a drink, they are not just trying to be nice and start up a conversation. I’m not saying nobody is like that, but in general they really are just trying to get you drunk. I know this because when I am offered a drink I always ask for a redbull, and I very rarely get it. These men come up to me randomly, offer me a drink, and when I ask for something non-alcoholic I’ve had  them look at me with a baffled, almost angry/wounded expression  and simply walk away without saying anything more. They apparently don’t have the game to pick up a girl without her being wasted, which is why they stalk the clubs where (who knew it?) girls go and get drunk. 

A second game-play I’ve seen used, is the “Repeat-Approach”. This is where strange seeming men (the kind that most girls instinctively avoid) try dancing with a girl at various points in the night. And by dancing, I do mean grinding, humping, and sometimes even attempting to bite and kiss her neck/shoulder/wherever they can reach. They do this, in hopes that the girl is getting drunk enough to accept that kind of behavior. Almost every time I go out I have at least one of these guys dancing beside me. Then behind me… then up on me… then (after I push them away) beside me again… and behind me… The joke’s on them, I’m having a water-and-redbull, but they still make me uncomfortable and I have a harder time having a good time. 

The Solution

So the problem is that we have dosers and creepers. The solution is a simple one, if somewhat aggravating and does require some amounts of effort. Basically, take care of yourself and take care of others. Girls can be very timid about rejecting men, hell, even I can be timid. I won’t chase someone away just for making me uncomfortable, I feel like it’s only polite to wait until after they’ve attempted to touch me. Newsflash, if someone is making you uncomfortable by being too close (even if he’s not touching you) and paying too much attention to you (even if your not positive or if they are trying to hide it) you have every right to ask them, or demand that they leave. Kaitlyn Hedges got it right on the money when some creeper dude was dancing too close to us girls, “Go away now. I don’t like you, leave”. That guy had been getting too close to me for comfort, too close to all of us and Kaitlyn fixed the problem, simply by stating to the perpetrator that there was one. 

I learned a lot from her that night. I learned that it is okay to stand up for yourself, even if the person you’re standing up against isn’t even really doing anything wrong or outwardly aggressive. 

It’s also important to do your best to take care of other girls that you see, that might not know how to say no. Its much easier for me to get between a girl and an assaulter than take care of just myself. I have a protective streak a mile wild. I’m not suggesting that you throw every man that is dancing with his hips up on somebody’s ass out the door, I mean, that is a legitimate way that people dance together. But if you see some guy forcing a girl to dance with him, or you notice that she is completely sloshed and trying to move away from him, but still keep dancing. It hurts nobody for you to come up to her with a glass of water, separate the two of them for just a moment, and simply ask her if she is alright. And then, depending on what she says, you take it from there. Let me repeat that, it does not hurt anybody to go up to somebody and double check that they are okay.  With all the drugs going around lately, it only makes sense to look after one another.  We are a community, lets act like it. 

The same goes for actual dosing. If you see somebody slip something into somebody’s drink, call them out on it please. Don’t just shrug and walk away, or assume that the other person knows about it. Sure, you don’t want to get in the middle of a good time, but please please please ask the person if they know that something is in their drink. In some cases, they might be doing the drug on purpose. But in others, you could be saving their night, or their life. According to the stats lately, I’m going to say that most of the time, the victim is getting dosed unknowingly. VJ Oz has the right idea when he says, “If I ever see that I am going to beat the fuck out of the guy. People don't listen to reason, they listen to punishment”. Whether that punishment is violent or authoritative, whether you choose to hit him or send him to the cops, don’t just walk away. 

I’m going to end this post with a list of ways I keep from getting dosed in the clubs, just some hints and tips I’ve either come up with, or picked up from somewhere. I’m pretty sure we’ve all heard the normal tips, “don’t accept drinks from strangers”, “keep an eye on your drink” and “just stay sober!” As far as I’m concerned that’s just stale air, good advise that is not always all that likely to be used. For many girls, going to the club and getting free drinks is all just part of the fun. I don’t want to take that away from you, just make it a little bit safer. 

1)      1) First of all, if you do get dosed, or you think there is something in your drink, don’t throw it away. Give it to a bartender to keep safe, make sure he knows you think there are drugs in it.

2)      2)When I get a drink from a stranger (no-matter what it is) I always say Thank you, and then lift the pro-offered drink towards my beneficiaries lips, look them right in the eye and say “Have some”. If they refuse to drink it, or if I get any reaction from them that makes me suspicious, I don’t keep it. ( Being slightly offended is okay, but they should obligingly take a sip after).

3)      3) If you do allow somebody to buy you a drink, look to see if one of your friends is close by and drag them over and introduce them. Hey Ted, this is Jerry, he was just OH SO NICE ENOUGH TO BUY ME A DRINK. Haha, you don’t have to lay on the sarcasm like that, but just make sure he knows that this guy gave you something. 

4)      4) Keep a tally of how much you’ve had to drink. No, this isn’t to make sure you “stay within your limits” its so somebody else knows how much you’ve had in case something happens. Either tell somebody each time you get a new one, or keep a pen on you and make a mark on your wrist. That way, if your 5 deep but acting black-out drunk, your behavior won’t get shrugged off as “oh, she’s just had too much to drink” like I have seen happen dozens of times.

5)     If you want to be extra cautious, find some kind of marker for each person that buys you a drink. A tattoo on his left shoulder, neon shoe laces, etc, so you can find him again if you need to.

6) (Compliments of Liz Hawk) "Most of the time I don't drink at raves, but if I do I never put it down, it will always be in my hand. Also, If I'm on the dance floor with one I usually throw it out after and get a new one. Just in case ya know? Also, I don't share them with anyone, even my friends because they are not always paying attention and I'm not either".

Out of all of these, I tend to always use Tip #2 and Tip#3. Now, you don’t have to be as rude or as obvious as I wrote them out. You can just say, “Thank you, would you like some?” for instance and gauge that reaction, or introduce him as “This is my new friend Jerry, he was just nice enough to buy me a drink!” You can maintain your cuteness and your politeness and still look after yourself. Oh, and tip #3 and #4 always works better with a “wingman” who knows what’s up and what you’re doing.And that’s all for now! Lets make a new years resolution to stay safe and party hard!