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Quick Tip Sheet on Throwing a Mid-Scale Rave.
By Brian Sassone.
This article is brought to you courtesy of Hyperreal.com
Well, as long as we throw them (DIY: Do It Yourself), there will always be
raves. Here is a brief description of the how I threw a rave.
1) get the word out to "helpful" people.
You can't do it all yourself you
need dj's, organizers, people to work the door, everyone to help with
security and cleaning up. But delegate well. Make sure everyone knows
their task.
2) rent lights.
I spent $160 Can. on lighting equipment for 2 days. Fog
machine, bubble machine, 4 100 watt spots, 2 strobes, one MIG, chasers,
4 3 ft black lights, a comet, etc.
3) rent DJ equipment.
I spent approx. $120 on 2 sl1200's, one Denon DJ cd
player and one 5 channel mixing board (which sucked). I borrowed a 600
watt PA system from a friend's band.
4) try to get a live band.
We had a live techno/trance/ambient band. They were great and we paid them $100.
5) buy beer and/or organize a smart bar.
We had both a smart bar
(organized by a local guy who does a lot of them in the area) and an
alcohol bar. Our crowd is not into smart drinks enough to support just
a smart bar.
6) location
I already live in a 2500 sq. ft loft, so this was easier for
me. Check out local bars which aren't doing very well. For a $100-$200
they would rent you the place for the night. Or for all the alcohol
sales. When the weather is good, do it outside. Use an old garage.
Check the warehouse district of your area.
7) decorate.
We painted walls, hung tie dies (with strobes), used
flourecent paint (fish), etc. We had couches/chairs to sit on.
8) cover all windows so no one can see in.
You don't want Mr. Police
bugging you ... raves are getting a bad rep. with all the idiotic press.
9) charge at the door to cover costs and so you can pay people.
We charged
$5 Can. at the door and had few complaints.
10) invite poeple
The people in (1) will help. A rave-line is
recommended, we also had a bbs.
11) have it by-invitation-only.
We had a list of people and their guests
who were allowed in. People who showed up and were not on the list left
their name and number at the door. We did turn some people away we
thought would cause trouble ("I'm sorry, this is a private party and you
are not on the list. We are also at capacity and people won't be
leaving for a long time. If you leave your name and number we will try
to get you on for the next event".
12) drugs:
you are on your own. I will not recommend anything for that.
Things I didn't do, but will next time:
1) alphabetize the guest list.
2) make sure that everyone knows the schedules (which dj's perform when and
for how long, what time the band goes on, etc.)
3) rent a better mixing board and rent a p.a. system. I didn't want to
blow my friends pa, so I ensured the volume was kept down. Next time
I'll rent one and not worry so much.
4) Everyone pays at the door. Not guests/elitism. Some people got pissed
off when they found out that others got in for free.
5) ensure that no one else in the building/area is having another party.
6) have only 1 person in-charge of the door. Only 1 person handles the
cash.
7) get more people to help do decorating ... borrow tv's, video cameras,
computers, etc. Do "installation" art. Make the place even more
visually impaired.
8) have a chill out area, with pre-recorded chill-out music (no dj).
9) think about where people will put their coat's/boots. Have coat check
or hang huge metal rod from chains from the ceiling with lots of hangers.
We still made a bit of money and everyone thought it was great. The most
important things are inviting the right people and keeping the vibe good.
I feel it is ok to make some money, but don't do it for that. Many of the
people are your friends, and you will make many more after it is over. For
the people who didn't know much about rave i said "well come as you are and
have a good time. If you want, try to dress a bit psychedelic, but don't
worry about it, people are cool and nice. Even if they look wierd. Oh and
don't expect to hear any guitar music all night".
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