DNA Explainer: What are rave parties?

On Saturday, October 2, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a rave party in Mumbai and detained 8 people including Aryan Khan, the elder son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.

After detaining and questioning the star kid, NCB arrested Aryan Khan on Sunday, October 3, at 2 pm. Khan was arrested in connection with the seizure of several different drugs by the agency, which included 13 grams of Cocaine, 5 grams of MD, 21 grams of Hashish, 22 pills of MDMA and Rs 1.33 lakh in cash.

Aryan Khan was detained alongside other people who were present with him at the time of the raid, including actor called Arbaaz Merchantt.

Aryan Khan

The Mumbai rave party raid is not the first such in the country. Rave parties have been around for decades in the west. In India, they have been on the rise and in the news on several occasions in recent years.

What are rave parties?

Rave parties are described as dance parties that are linked to a specific type of music known as electronic dance music. In their current form, rave parties originated in the 1990s when DJs played a variety of music at illegal, underground events. Such parties can also feature live musicians and dancers. People attending rave parties are known as ‘ravers.’

Rave parties are characterised by music playing at extremely high volumes with deep bass sound thanks to powerful subwoofers and big sound systems, alongside visual effects like laser shows, image projections, neon signs and fog machines.

The size of rave parties can range from smaller parties in private enclosures and clubs to vast festivals, featuring a multiple DJ line up and specified dancing areas, held in large grounds and warehouses. Such parties go on non-stop for many hours, continuing overnight or even for an entire 24-hour day. Rave parties can have exorbitant entry fees for ravers.

Origin of the term ‘rave’

The term rave is said to have originated in 1950s London in the UK, where it was used in reference to “wild bohemian parties.”

It became the word for any wild, over-the-top parties in general in the next decade, before fading away for a while. It then re-emerged in the 1990s with the birth of dance music genre.

Illegal drugs at rave parties

Rave parties are synonymous with widespread consumption of illegal drugs like cocaine, party drug or MDMA, MD, LSD, GHB, cannabis, hashish, ketamine, amphetamine, and methamphetamine. Police and narcotics agencies are always on high alert against such events and often raid rave parties to arrest drug suppliers and bust rackets.