DanceSafe's topics - tribe.net

FREE DAY PARTY!!!! @ the Park

2009-09-08T00:03:00Z

<a href="http://www.gofreshyourself.com"><img src=

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HEY!!!!

2009-01-05T19:35:26Z

Holy crap, i remember you guys from a LONG time ago. I didnt know there was a tribe. I see nobodys really active anymore... Who's still around?

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Off The Cuff - Retro-Breakhouse mix

2007-10-30T06:06:22Z

http://www.overmindworks.com/synergy/NickSynergy-OffTheCuff.mp3

Here's a new mix you all might enjoy - an impromptu mix of old-ish, trippy, breaky tracks sprinkled with bits of four-on-the-floor, recorded totally and spontaneously live. It's unedited, except for my having to cut/fade out the last track because the turntables got bumped in the mix following it. But, things were going pretty swimmingly for an hour there...

01 - Spiro - Searching For Love
02 - Anoesis - Rhythmic Itch
03 - The Coffee Boys - Nipple Fish
04 - Metro - Stone Skippin'
05 - Rob Tissera - Kick Up The Volume (Electroliners Mix)
06 - Stepdisk - Furvert
07 - Wink - Higher State Of Consciousness (Tweekin Acid Funk)
08 - Micro & Vicious Vic - Electric
09 - Freaky Chakra - Living in the Future
10 - Intelstat - Coreshot
11 - Fatboy Slim - Next to Nothing

A little taste of quasi-old school - enjoy!

posted in DanceSafe - 1 reply

fliers

2007-09-30T05:00:41Z

I remeber a couple years back dancesafe had some dope fliers with the names of all kinds of drugs and thier info. What ever happened to those and where can I get a bunch to hand out? Is there neway to actualy get hired by dancesafe?

posted in DanceSafe - 2 replies

VA - Shiva vs. Kali - OUT NOW!!

2007-09-20T12:42:51Z

Sonic Tantra Records brings you their first CD! The CD started out as a remix project connecting artists from the forum of Isratrance remixing each other.

Welcome to the sounds of an intense psychedelic
music battle.

10 interpretations of ferocious Dj battle between
Shiva & Kali!
Re-live the ancient sagas, when Lord Shiva stops
Kali from destroying the universe!
To make sure the trip is an authentic dancefloor
bomb, each track has been remixed in the classic
killer style!

So watcha waitin for? Groove in to the sounds of
destruction and rebirth!

www.sonictantra.com (Label Website)

VA - Shiva vs. Kali Tracklist:

1. aGh0Ri TanTriK & Oil - Heckler's Tamasha
2. Liquidnoize - Funk U! (Kiriyama's Palinka Demix)
3. aGh0Ri TanTriK - Necrophagy (eniChkin Rmx)
4. eniChkin - Saw (aGh0Ri TanTriK Rmx)
5. Distorted Goblin - Synthronisation (Mad Silica Rmx)
6. Noized-Return to Hellbob (Devic Rmx)
7. Devic - Dead Trap (Noized Rmx)
8. Silica - New Horizons (Distorted Goblin Rmx)
9. Jetlux - Tikpa (CSX rmx)
10. CSX - Chemical Activity (Jetlux Rmx)

Distribution:
http://www.beatspace.com/dettagli/dettaglio.asp?id=3513
http://www.psyshop.com/shop/CDs/soi/soi1cd001.html
http://www.wirikuta.at/web66/product_detail.jsp;showDetail=163688
http://www.saikosounds.com/english/display_release.asp?id=6697

Distribution in India:
www.sonictantra.com (Rs. 600)

PEACE
Sonic Tantra Crew

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Disorient presents: COMPRESSOR (NYC) - Fri. Jul. 27, 2007

2007-07-27T06:28:43Z

Last year, DanceSafe had a table at Compressor.

Disorient presents: COMPRESSOR
http://wiki.disorient.info/index.php?title=Image:Compressor_D7.png

Get ready for the Playa, Disorient style.

Club Exit
http://www.club-exit.com/

147 Greenpoint Ave. Brooklyn, NY 718-349-6969
http://www.google.com/maps?q=147+Greenpoint+Ave,+Brooklyn,+NY+11222,+USA&ie=UTF8&ll=40.730218,-73.953888&spn=0.010651,0.018346&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1

Fri. Jul. 27, 2007 - 10:00PM until 6:00AM

featuring
Zev/Wolf (Wolf+Lamb)
Sub Swara
Devo+Bianca
Journeyman
FriarTuck
Reda Briki
and DJ Balls

Disorient Goggles for sale.

Live D7 T-shirt printing by Peripheral Media Projects
http://www.peripheralmediaprojects.com/

Installation by AKAirways
http://www.akairways.com/

$20 in GlamTech attire, $25 without.
$15 limited presale tickets available soon at www.disorient.com

Proceeds support Disorient camp at Burning Man

posted in DanceSafe - 1 reply

Disorient presents GLAMTECH - June 30 (NYC)

2007-07-01T23:51:29Z

Disorient presents: GLAMTECH
http://wiki.disorient.info/index.php?title=Image:Glamtech_flyer.jpg (flyer)

GLAMTECH is the style of Disorient.
GLAMTECH is pink and orange and goes blink in the night.
Take a deep breath of GLAMTECH. Feel your mind and your energy depart from your body and electrify the dance floor.
Experience the finest house, techno, and psytrance DJs of the new GLAMTECH era.

Rebel, 251 West 30th Street (bet. 7th & 8th Ave.) New York, NY
http://www.rebelnyc.com/

Sat. Jun. 30, 2007 - 10:00PM until 5:00AM

In the GLAM room (house): The Bass (Dis), Tim Fielding (Rotate), Reda Briki (Rotate), Ulrich Hagen (Rotate)
In the TECH room (techno/psytrance): Ulrich Hagen (Rotate), Arrow Chrome (Dis), 3L3tronic aka Bianca and Devo (Dis) and DJ Balls (Dis)

$15 in GLAMTECH attire, $20 without.
$15 presale tickets at http://www.disorient.com
Proceeds support Disorient camp at Burning Man

$5 Drink Specials all night.
Disorient Goggles and other GLAMTECH jewels for sale.
Get your own D7 T-shirt printed live by Peripheral Media Projects
http://www.peripheralmediaprojects.com/

In collaboration with Rotate System

posted in DanceSafe - 2 replies

Red Batman

2007-05-11T18:28:34Z

Hi everyone!!!
I'm new to the tribe. I'm going to the Lightning in a Bottle festival in Santa Barbera this weekend (put on by the Do Lab from Burning Man). Is anyone alse going?

AND....I found three pills on teh floor of a concert I went to this week! --- I know, so cool right? They are red with a bat on it (not just the batman symbol but like an vampy lookin bat. Does anyone hav eexperience with these?

Thanks
Aries

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K-System (Recieve your FREE debut PsyBreaks mix), "Happy Minds" - LIMITED SUPPLY

2007-01-30T15:35:41Z

Hi everyone,

K-System (debut PsyBreaks mix) - "Happy Minds (Break Through)"

To Receive one cd for FREE (by download)
just send us your
Email address:
Full Name:
State/Country:

PM ME (personal message) then i can send you the password with the link to your email to access the file for downloading, plus for more future downloads, discounts to events and and a lot more.

!!!! LIMITED SUPPLY !!!!

Download Link:
http://www.mediamax.com/ksystem/Links/8330081964

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Acid Everywhere?!?

2006-12-16T03:10:40Z

It was gone for a couple of years because all of the old heads got put away, but for the past 2 1/2 years it's been steadily on the rise in quantity and quality. I originally started partying in LA about 4 years ago when acid was nowhere to be found. Then in late 2004 early 2005 it started coming back again...at first by word of mouth and then in the scene. However there was much speculation to be had from the old school kids because apparently during the time of the drop off all the acid that was around seemed to be full of strychnine, and it was making people sick so they were cautious about taking any.

I took a trip in mid 2005 at EDC and with much to my surprise it was awesome! Just one dose on regular white blotter and I was Trippin for 10 hours. The come up took an hour and a half and the visuals were decent but nothing compared to the mind fuck I had on my birthday that October. This time it was at some random forest location w/ LSD-25 on rainbow family blotter at 120micrograms, it was mystical LoL. The come up seemed like it was never going to come and I was starting to wonder if I had been fooled but 2 1/2 hours later I found myself undergoing a serious spiritual quest for my inner self and had to get away from the party so I went hiking! So long and so profound was the trip that I can say its among the top ten experiences in my life.

Back to the point...LoL. I moved to phoenix 9 months ago and I noticed that people trip more than they roll these days, and it's consistently stronger than when I left. I asked my friends in Cali if they were getting the same and they asked if I was serious LoL. I ran the same question past people from other parts of the country this year at the Burn and they said the same thing...It's here, it's there, it's everywhere! But the price dose seem to be allot higher than the years past ranging from $6-$10 a hit instead of $3-$7. So what do you think? Am I alone with my observation?

posted in DanceSafe - 2 replies

MUSIC FOR ROBOTS - DEC 22 2006

2006-12-09T03:21:23Z

MUSIC FOR ROBOTS - DEC 22 2006

http://neosapiens.net

Neo Sapiens & friends
invite
you & your friends
to
Experience
some great...
music for robots
MUSIC FOR ROBOTS
music for robots
Friday
DEC 22 2006
All Night Gathering

!!! Warning !!!
!!! It will be An UNDERGROUND Warehouse Rave !!!
!!! Warning !!!

HAPPY HOLIDAZE 2006
Since the end of the summer, we have been planning an special "Underground" party for our "steady-ravers"!!!
MUSIC FOR ROBOTS
TRANCE _ JUNGLE _ GOA _ BREAKS _ HOUSE _ CORE

http://neosapiens.net

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Bids for Beats - Charity Auction - Final countdown!

2006-11-14T21:16:00Z

Join the biggest names in the dance music community raising funds for NextAid! Our goal to raise $20,000 will benefit the continuing development of our earth-friendly child support center in Dennilton, South Africa.

We're auctioning off everything from top DJ and studio gear, music production software, midi sample and loop libraries, flyer design and recording studio services, to once-in-a-lifetime experiences with your favorite artists! Also note that a generous private donor will be matching all proceeds, so your winning bid will go twice as far as it would otherwise. Seriously, there are some great deals available and it's for a great cause to boot!

You can check out the full auction catalog at http://nextaid.cmarket.com and learn more about our organizations' efforts at http://nextaid.org -- Thanks for your time!

Inlakesh,
Elias

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Nov 11 - A S T R A L - B I T S - NEO SAPIENS 9 Years Young - STFU RAVE!!!

2006-11-02T13:45:13Z

Nov 11 - A S T R A L - B I T S - NEO SAPIENS 9 Years Young - STFU RAVE!!!

http://neosapiens.net

ASTRAL BITS
A.B.2006 _ Neo Sapiens 9 Years Young

Sat 11 NOVEMBER 2006

_ A.B.2006 _ Musical Astronauts

Trance
303 INFINITY _ Houston Texas
myspace.com/303infinity
THEE-O
JONATHAN MORNING
QUERVO
DOUBLESTAXX
MILITHOR
TECHNICIAN
CRAVER

Jungle D’N’B
DIRTY DEEDS
TOXIC
BLITZ
TEKNEEKZ
SOUNDBOMB

Goa
MICHAEL LIU _ S.F.
FEVERDREAM
EMOTION

Breaks
DEXX _ S.F.
DOWN N GOING

TwoStep House
MOUSE
POETIK SOUNDS (DJs)

...and go PLUR yourself with friends!!!

A.B.2006
LOS ANGELES
Cultural Camp-Out
@ The RANCH (Weather??? Maybe Not???)
6pm 10am
All Ages
$20+ Presales
Special Guests & Resident DJs
Multi Rooms Of Good Vibes
Top Soundsystems & Visuals
Art Craft Food Drinks Booths

"ASTRAL BITS"
was our first Neo Sapiens event
on Sat. Oct. 25 1997
@ The Ivar Theater - Hollywood

More Info: http://neosapiens.net
or
Call
310 712 6308
323 993 8618

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

Ecstasy in Bay Area hip hop

2006-09-21T06:47:18Z

Well, after weeks of procrastination, I finally finished the first draft of this goddamn presentation. Don't get me wrong. I'm excited about this conference, but I'm glad I don't have to stress over it again until the day comes closer, although feedback and merciless criticism is welcome if you have the patience to read through the whole fukin thing and actually write me a response.

Hyphy Off Thizz: Ecstasy in the Oakland Hip Hop Scene
http://www.leshengliu.com/Speeches%20Hip%20Hop.html
A Presentation at the Harm Reduction Conference
Marriott Oakland City Center Hotel, CA - November 9-12, 2006
Hosted by the Harm Reduction Coalition, HarmReduction.org

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Moondrop, August 11-13th (San Diego)

2006-07-17T18:43:14Z

Moondrop
Hosted by Generations & Madre Grande

The 5th annual Moondrop will take place at the Madre Grande Monastary in Dulzura, Ca
and is a fundraiser for this beautiful space.
Moondrop Begins Friday, August 11th, and continues through Sunday, August 13th.
Please come prepared & bring tents, food & water (none will be provided or sold), flashlights, art & drums.
Walk-in camping only. This is a leave no trace event: Pack out what you pack in.

Gates open @ 4pm on Friday August 11th
and close @ 2pm Sunday August 13th.
Participants are required to follow all Monastary rules.
For directions & complete list of rules,
log onto: www.madregrande.org
NO PETS, NO DRUGS, NO COMMERCIAL VENDING
Bring a mug! No glass or cans outside of your campspace.

Enchanted Grove
***************
FRIDAY:
Terry Mullan
Wolfie
Baquai?
Jason Tokita
Messiah & DVS
Jaywood
Wes Hoppie

SATURDAY:
Doc Martin
Mark e. Quark
Alien Tom
Dr. Bombay
Jeff Skott
Shine
Anthony Fleeman
Messiah & DVS

Circle of Drum & Breaks
***********************
FRIDAY:
Jonathan Brae
Dj Blue
20Meat & 6Fry
Traverse
Casper
Phon
Boy in tha Bubble
Arkon

SATURDAY:
Boy in tha Bubble
Ernie G.
Wallcrawler
Peacemaker
Peligro vs. Mestiza
Zero Hour
Baquai?
Garrett S

Monkey Do!'s Treehouse
**********************
Zohra Ptah
SSI
Wolfie
Garrett S
Sugarhigh
Anita Dickk
Skree
Phon
Boy in tha Bubble
Pascal

The Potion Lounge
*****************
Brutus
Jingles
Skandar
Eurotrash
B.B
Death Metal Brian
Jolt

Along with performances from:
*****************************
Techno Mania Circus

The Kirtan Chanters
w/ Lara Plumb & Bahba

Tai Chi Chuan
Freaks with beats
Stargazing
Camp out!
Yoga
Reikki Healing
Meditation
Treasure Hunt
Fly your freak flag!

Limited pre-sale availible for $35
2nd tier $50, day of $60
(sorry, 1 day passes will not be available)

Participants will be required to sign a release before entering the retreat.

Info line: (619) 819-7780

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

FA/CPR class Sunday, 4/30 at SF Citadel

2006-04-23T16:42:23Z

Hi all,

My next FA/CPR class is scheduled for Sunday, 4/30 at SF Citadel. Tentative time is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. This class is especially recommended for dunegon monitors, sex workers, dance club staff, and others, particularly from "alternative" communities, who might be called upon to deliver emergency medical care. Requested donation is $60.00 per person with nobody turned away due to lack of funds. Email me at safescene@aol.com
if you're interested in attending.

This message may be forwarded as you think appropriate.

Best,

Jay

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

Ecstasy in the Bay Area hip hop scene

2006-04-15T19:29:48Z

What's up everyone!!! During Christmas and January, I got the chance to hang out with and assist music writer Rachel Swan for her research on ecstasy use in Oakland/Bay Area's hip hop scene. The article is great. Try to read it when you get a chance. DanceSafe is featured towards the end of the piece:

EastBayExpress.com Cover Story, March 15, 2006, by Rachel Swan

It's a frigid December night in West Oakland, and the sky is as black as slag. Rain pours down in thick, oily sheets, sweeping all kinds of detritus along the road. Outside Soundwave Studios, people are loading band equipment into their vans, or huddling under the awning to smoke cigarettes and listen to the rain. That's when a car swerves by from out of nowhere. It lurches haphazardly down the block, careening so far to one side that one of the smokers flinches. The driver does a tremendous B-movie turn that makes her brakes squeal and then pulls up in front of the mortified onlookers. She rolls down her window and smiles apologetically. ¨We were thizzin',¨ she later explains.

The driver, Brittany, and her passenger, Michelle, plan to drop into a liquor store before stopping at Mingles Martini and Champagne Lounge for ¨Jeans and High Heels,¨ a weekly hip-hop party sponsored by Thizz Entertainment. True to the night's theme, the two are indeed thizzin' -- meaning, in hip-hop patois, that they're high on the drug Ecstasy. Brittany's car is cluttered with fliers, one of which advertises Thizz Entertainment's forthcoming New Year's party. Blending garish neon lettering with lurid hip-hop iconography including a "booty poppin'" contest complete with an illustration of said booty, it's a stunning example of how Ecstasy has been plucked out of the hippie-rave community and repackaged with a flashy hip-hop veneer. In the center lies a picture of the cover image from the late Mac Dre's CD Thizzelle Washington, which shows the rapper in his '70s polo shirt, aviator glasses, and Afro 'do, busting a disco pose in front of a backdrop of psychedelic colors. The Thizz Entertainment logo appears at the bottom in hazy, pixelated letters, as though to convey the feeling of fuzzy disorientation that comes with an Ecstasy high.

Granted, these promotional materials stop short of directly merchandising Ecstasy. Yet it's clear that Thizz Entertainment is capitalizing on the drug's popularity. B.M.R. Slim, who promotes "Jeans and High Heels" along with a host of other parties, credits Mac Dre for coining the word "thizz" -- a term that would come to define a new hip-hop subculture. "It's about feeling yourself," Slim says. "If you listen to the music, you'll understand."

Brittany and Michelle would certainly agree. Barreling down 7th Street, Brittany screeches through a red light into a rain-slicked intersection and nearly collides with another car. Both vehicles skid dangerously, but Brittany seems unconcerned. "It was his right of way, but he didn't have to be driving that fast," she clucks. She turns up the heat and switches the radio dial to KMEL, the Bay Area's dominant hip-hop radio station. The DJ is playing Mac Dre's ubiquitous "Feelin' Myself," followed by a sequence of visceral up-tempo numbers that includes Mistah F.A.B.'s catchy "New Oakland," which contains the line High off purple, only thizzin' off a pill. Indeed, the song sounds as if it was written in a moment of intense bliss: F.A.B. is shouting screwball rhymes over a rickety beat that could be a recording of cowbells and hubcaps being clanged together. The mood is infectious. "Oh, I'm feeling my thizzle now," Brittany says.

Over the last couple of years, more and more people have been feelin' their thizzle. These days in hip-hop clubs, the dancefloors are a morass of swollen pupils and puckering "thizz faces." Pills were changing hands when the Team -- whose hit song, "I'm on One," includes the lyric Lil' weed, lil' Ecstasy/Lil' Rémy with some lil' bitches next to me -- performed at San Jose's Ambassador's Lounge last fall. In November, a girl lounging on the waterfront deck of Zazoo's Restaurant in Jack London Square bragged that she'd been thizzing for four days. If you type "thizz" into the "display name" search box at MySpace.com, you'll get no fewer than 120 pages, one of which is wallpapered with images of Ecstasy pills. And that's not counting all the variations on the theme -- like "Da One N.A.S.T.Y. F.R.E.A.K.," who lists his general interests as "dancing, reading, thizzing, smokin', drinking, and long walks on the beach on a pill like wahhhhh yadastand?"

A whole new crop of slang terms has sprung up from the Ecstasy craze. According to San Francisco Bay View writer Apollonia Jordan, "thizzing" could also be substituted for "zoning," "bustin' your head," or "stuntin'." Pills are "stunnas," a word used liberally in hip-hop to signify anything of material value. And Ecstasy references are common coin in rap lyrics: Twista's rap ballad "Girl Tonight" includes a verse beginning Make her feel like she popped a pill, got her feelin' Ecstasy/Took her to the bedroom, about to make her an overnight celebrity. Meanwhile, in 2005, the Hunters Point emcee Guce released an album whose back cover illustration depicts two outstretched palms filled with white, purple, and lime-green tablets. The title? Pill Music: "The Rico Act" Vol. 1.

Ecstasy has become enmeshed in the social F.A.B.ric of hip-hop. It is figuring into its sexual politics and amplifying some of the scene's sleazier values. Ravers may be content to cuddle and suck pacifiers, but intimacy in hip-hop clubs tends more toward bumping and grinding. Put Ecstasy in a space where everyone is freaking to Ciara's "My Goodies" or Ying Yang Twins raps that tout the godlike powers of male genitalia, and the drug starts reflecting the psychology of the space.

"If you're taking Ecstasy at a hip-hop club, you're going into it knowing you're in a setting where people are gonna be picking up on each other," says Michie Duterte, a researcher at the Institute for Scientific Analysis, a San Francisco nonprofit that studies drug policy, among other topics. Indeed, one guy who popped his first pill at a Fillmore show featuring the Team and Mistah F.A.B. spent a good portion of the night hanging out in the lobby, languidly staring at girls and mumbling about how he wanted to take someone home and make it pop off. In Dr. Dre's "Let's Get High" -- a song that's already five years old -- sex, Ecstasy, and machismo are all part of the program: Yeah -- I just took some Ecstasy, ain't no tellin what the side effects could be/All these fine bitches equal sex to me, plus I got this bad bitch layin next to me/No doubt, sit back on the couch, pants down, rubber on, set to turn that ass out. The story is nothing new; we're already accustomed to hearing rappers bluster about all the fine bitches they've spiked. But now Ecstasy is part of the plot.

Not everyone in hip-hop is popping pills, however. In fact, some people are condemning them. Crack may be on the decline, but it's wrought enough damage on black communities to make most people gun-shy around any other illegal substance -- even a "designer drug" typically festooned with a spiffy logo and a nice neon patina. Confronted with a new drug epidemic, many folks are paranoid of being rubbed raw all over again.

"From what I know, thizzin' has something to do with drugs," insists DJ Lash, who presided over the now-defunct "Jeans and High Heels" party nights at Mingles. "I don't support no thizzin', if it's used as far as drugs. It's just slang, as far as I know." A local underground emcee summed up everybody's fears while driving through West Oakland's Lower Bottoms neighborhood on a recent Friday night, his car radio blaring KMEL's street-oriented hip-hop mix program On the Block. Listening to a string of standard-issue turf songs that sounded like updated Stagger Lee boasts spat over teeth-chattering Pro Tools beats, the emcee sighed audibly. "All the songs are about how many pills they're pushing," he observed. "Ecstasy is the new crack."

Actually, it's not. UC Santa Cruz sociology professor Craig Reinarman, an expert on drugs and drug policy, explains that since crack is a fundamentally different drug than Ecstasy, the analogy is "overwhelmingly self-limiting." He writes that there is zero evidence of any criminogenic effects, and almost no evidence of danger at the dosage levels ingested by the vast majority of users. "Crack is a one-to-two-minute rush that's extremely intense, followed by a fairly intense low," Reinarman says. "People who are hooked on crack engage in increasingly violent behavior. But that's not true of Ecstasy. People use Ecstasy to have five to six hours of bliss."

Granted, not everyone buys into the idea of rave culture being tender and harmonious. Officer Keith Graves of the Livermore Police Department says he's spent several years patrolling the Bay Area's underground rave scene, where he's pretty much the only guy not dangling a pacifier or rainbow Mardi Gras beads. Graves laments that a lot of school dances have turned into mini-raves with light shows and heavy house music. "I've arrested cheerleaders, cops' kids, and kids who have stature in the community for using this type of drug," he says. The officer admits he's freaked out by the sight of so many kids shedding all their hang-ups.

Still, there's no evidence that the behavior Graves has observed has become a problem on the order of crack. Tina Bray, the nurse manager at Oakland's Highland Hospital, says Highland is still a heroin and cocaine shop. Ecstasy hasn't yet shown up in the emergency room. In 2003, the latest year for which data has been released, the Drug Abuse Warning Network recorded 91 deaths resulting from "drug misuse" in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont region, most of which involved a combination of several drugs. Forty-eight of those deaths involved opiate use, 27 involved cocaine, 26 alcohol, 22 antidepressants, and 20 stimulants. None involved Ecstasy.

In other words, Ecstasy isn't quite the new crack. But it's definitely not the old Ecstasy either.

Of course, try saying that to people who saw the best minds of their generation lost to a drug that all but decimated urban neighborhoods across the United States. Dr. Marsha Rosenbaum, director of the reform-minded Drug Policy Alliance, confronted such fears last year when she was interviewed in conjunction with a story entitled "Ecstasy, the New Crack?" that aired on KMEL's Street Soldiers, a popular black upliftment program. Rosenbaum had never dreamed that one day a string of angry radio listeners would be badgering her to explain why Ecstasy was causing violence in the black community. She certainly wasn't prepared to see her two decades of research experience so thoroughly questioned and challenged.

Rosenbaum had always thought of Ecstasy as a sensual, lovey-dovey drug -- nothing like the hardcore, speed-oriented substance callers were describing that night. It seemed as if everyone had a gripping personal testimonial about "somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody who took that stuff and went on a rampage." People spoke of friends who'd "fallen victim to the epidemic." One person who was interviewed asserted: "I'm sure that it got to do with the government flooding our community and it being coordinated," echoing the spurious conspiracy theory that suggests the CIA intentionally spread crack cocaine across black America via Los Angeles.

As the stories wore on, Rosenbaum grew increasingly rattled. "They were generally very antidrug, and they really wanted horror stories," she recalls. "It was such bullshit that it was hard to even listen." All this sermonizing struck her as both alarmist and facile. "Meth, crack -- maybe," she said. "But Ecstasy? You got it wrong."

Rosenbaum had first encountered Ecstasy back when it was identified by its chemical name, MDMA, and hardly known outside of small circles of Deadheads and yuppies. Few of them went dancing all night or took more than a single dose every few weeks or months. Rosenbaum certainly had never heard of anyone popping a pill and doing a drive-by. Barring the possibility that human brain chemistry had evolved dramatically in the last two decades, the thug drug she was hearing about that night surely wasn't the same little feel-good pill she'd started researching in 1987.

When the radio show ended, Rosenbaum called Sheigla Murphy of the Institute for Scientific Analysis and asked if her organization had ever found a link between Ecstasy and violence. Murphy said she'd seen no such correlation. Most Ecstasy experts in the academic community still perceive it as a sensual, even salutary drug -- the stuff that Deadheads, candy-ravers, and self-help devotees take so they can give each other rubdowns and talk about their feelings. Asked if Ecstasy ever induced aggression or bloodlust, UC Santa Cruz professor Reinarman also sided with Murphy and Rosenbaum. If Ecstasy truly is the new drug of choice for black urban youth, he said, "I would be very surprised if you went into hip-hop clubs these days and didn't see less edge, and more glow."

In fact, we are seeing a little more glow. Around the time that Ecstasy hit the Bay Area hip-hop community, the music shifted in tone: Rappers who once sounded nihilistic or dark and psychological suddenly became bubbly and infectious. The Bay's famously cheeky E-40, who made his name with raps about being a rugged individual who could work around the system, is now best known for "Tell Me When to Go," a call-and-response number that sounds like the "Hollaback Girl" of hyphy, an often-vapid style of up-tempo club-friendly rap. E-40's new approach goes hand in hand with the "movement" mentality and cult of brotherly love that's sweeping through Bay Area hip-hop. Once atomized and aggressive, MCs are now juvenile and boisterous, gamely talking up their DJs, promoting ginseng energy drinks, and getting down with their mostly teenage audiences.

To top it all off, they've traded the self-centered, go-it-alone gangsta rap-style of the 1990s for an evocative "we" voice. Consider Oakland's Mistah F.A.B., whose "New Oakland" anthem is all about fraternizing and romping around town: I is down with thizz/Reppin' the Bay, cuz you know it's town biz. But F.A.B. wasn't always a guy next door. His sophomore album Nig Latin featured a wrenching autobiographical song called "Worries," on which the emcee talked candidly about crack addiction in his family, his brother's incarceration, and his father's untimely death from AIDS. When F.A.B. signed to Thizz Entertainment last year, he started spitting out lighter, commercially friendly club bangers -- rattle-trap, boom-and-slap beats coupled with slangy, percussive rhymes that err more on the side of levity than gravitas, and are peppered with references to "purple and a pill." Currently, the artist's most popular lyrics are about not having a charger for his cell phone, or getting so drunk and hyphy that he's kicked out of the club. Short on substantive content, the lyrics are quite catchy nonetheless: Last fall a toddler jumped onstage during one of DJ Backside's "Blockyard" barbecues at Moses Music and started singing F.A.B.'s "New Oakland" almost verbatim. F.A.B. seems to be getting a lot more mileage celebrating drug use and "going dumb" than he did when he was decrying crack use: These days he's played on KMEL all the time.

But a lot of people in the hip-hop community see Ecstasy in a totally different light. When Youth Radio's Leon Sykes appeared on KQED's Forum the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, he cited the popularity of "designer drugs" as one obstacle in promoting nonviolence. In a 2004 San Francisco Bay View article, "Ecstasy: Ruining the Future of Our Community," staff writer Jordan also compared the Ecstasy fad to the crack-cocaine epidemic that plagued her mother's neighborhood in the '80s: "Ecstasy has hit our communities just like crack hit back when my mother was a teenager," she wrote, adding later, "We need to realize that this drug is bad, and whoever brought this into our community had plans on ruining the future of the black youth who reside in these communities." Jordan even attributed the recent spate of violence in hip-hop clubs to the exhilarating effects of Ecstasy. "I think Ecstasy is another reason why so many people are being violent nowadays and not thinking twice before they do something," she wrote. "When you're zoning, you don't care about no one else's feelings but your own. Let's put it this way: It feels so good, makes you wanna slap yo momma."

But since Ecstasy is still new to the hip-hop community, there's very little quality control around the drug. Many people aren't even sure what it's going to do to them, or how they're supposed to feel when they're on it. Even the mode of ingestion is different; whereas ravers tend to take E with other uppers like speed or cocaine, most people in the hip-hop community seem to mix it with alcohol and weed, which changes the effect.

Perhaps most importantly, much of what they're taking isn't really Ecstasy. A lot of dealers are getting away with just selling whatever. Earth Erowid, who works at the pill-testing laboratory EcstasyData.org, explains the incentive for dealers to adulterate their product: It's cheaper. By cutting the drug with caffeine or speed, they're able to spread a little bit of Ecstasy a long way, thereby reducing production costs. Erowid attributes the mass-produced, impure character of Ecstasy to changes that have occurred in the market since the drug became illegal in 1986. In the 1980s, Ecstasy was a cottage industry run by small-scale producers, most of whom were either students, employees of pharmaceutical labs, or chemistry buffs with a garage setup. But after the DEA outlawed Ecstasy, Erowid believes that organized crime took over, driving out the mom-and-pops with economies of scale. "The mixing of different illegal drugs into a single distribution stream is one of the classic effects of prohibition" and results in "mixed, unregulated markets," Erowid wrote in an e-mail interview.

Duterte of the Institute for Scientific Analysis guesses that Ecstasy passes through three or four hands before it gets to the consumer. In other words, most users don't really know what they're taking, and most dealers don't even know what they're selling.

If you're not sure what you're taking, then you definitely can't foresee how you'll react to it. Bay View writer Jordan ended her anti-Ecstasy screed with an anecdote about a friend whose family called the police when they saw him hallucinating on "bad" Ecstasy: "He was talking to himself, answering questions that no one had asked him, and he even got naked and tried to put himself into a small paper bag. When he was finally released from jail he had an assault on an officer charge along with resisting arrest."

While some observers are obviously tempted to suggest that Ecstasy was planted in the black community specifically to make people revert to violence, more likely the reason people are freaking out is that they're taking whatever-the-fuck and thinking it's Ecstasy. But Jordan was definitely right about one thing: The culture of Ecstasy is changing dramatically as the drug transitions from white and Asian rave scenes to black hip-hop clubs.

Smuggling drugs into San Francisco's 1015 Folsom club isn't extremely difficult, but it's still nerve-racking. Like most large venues in the Bay Area, 1015 installs two bouncers at the door; one for patdowns and bag searches, the other to check ID. But no amount of fortressing is enough to discourage Javier, who follows a strict personal rule of never popping pills until after he gets inside the club. "I've had too many experiences of standing in line high out of my mind, and then crashing at 3 a.m.," he explains.

On a Saturday night in early January, Javier goes to 1015 to catch a show featuring the German DJ Talla 2XLC. He brings a large entourage: several cohorts from the trance scene, plus a few hip-hop heads -- including an emcee named Pablo -- lured to 1015 by the promise of really good Ecstasy and anorexic white girls. Musical tastes are still a bone of contention: Driving across the Bay Bridge, Javier and a friend sit in front bumping propulsive, atonal trance music, while a hip-hop head in the back issues threats of launching a "hyphy jihad." None of this fazes Javier, who steps in the club at the witching hour, ready for the night to begin. "I always wait until midnight to take my first hit," he says.

Once everyone passes the security check and enters the dizzying never-never land that is 1015 Folsom -- three floors of strobe lights, junk-your-trunk beats, and gyrating bodies -- all conflicts evaporate. Even some of the hip-hop heads concede that after watching DJ Talla perform, they are ready to lock horns with anyone who denigrates trance music: Look, try this shit on designer drugs, man. Talla's set is an incredible swirl of sensations. Laser projections and video streams turn the walls into a giant matrix of amoeba swirls and splashy comic-book colors. Slinky women in Catholic-school skirts and fishnet tops dance on either side of the stage. People in the audience bob their heads in intense concentration, flashing glow sticks and gazing at the DJ with giant doe-in-the-headlights pupils. And Talla is the centerpiece.

The DJ's job doesn't look that labor-intensive, but nonetheless, he has the entire audience in thrall. "Talla's sets build on each other," explains Javier -- an assessment that makes sense to someone under the influence of Ecstasy. The sounds come in layers, with each new beat crosshatched onto the one before. Every time Talla makes a slight modulation in the tone or rhythm of his music -- in trance lingo, a "break" -- he points an admonishing finger at the audience, as though preparing everyone for something really momentous. And when the break comes, the crowd heaves a collective sigh of deliverance.

Trance is an intensely visceral form of music; its low, throbbing beats and tweaky, repetitive tones are designed to amplify your Ecstasy high. The effect is both sedative and euphoric, causing people to dodder around smiling and hugging each other. Le Sheng Liu of DanceSafe -- an organization that promotes drug awareness in the rave community -- says he first gravitated to the scene because it exuded so much tenderness and sensitivity. "I grew up listening to hip-hop -- and when I say hip-hop, I mean Top 40 radio music," he says. "The rave scene seemed radically different. It wasn't about looking sexy, trying to show off your money, or being better than the next person."

Michelle, who started taking Ecstasy at raves and eventually migrated to the hip-hop scene, remembers how her old raver buddies would dress up to express their personal credos: The most flamboyant accessories were angel wings, pacifiers, and charm bracelets that read "I love you" or "I love E." The night she popped her first pill, Michelle found a California ID on the dance floor and spent hours looking for its owner. "I finally found her in a crowd of three hundred," she chuckles. "That was a little too generous of me. I could have just given it to the front desk."

Those kinds of parties still exist, but they're much harder to find these days. Javier expected to see a lot of people at a Terra Gallery trance event featuring DJs from Germany, Holland, and Britain, and was disappointed when virtually no one showed up. The scene at a recent weekend-long Love Parade benefit at San Francisco's SomArts Gallery reflected the current demographics of the rave community. Friday night's kickoff party reeled in a crowd of teens and young adults who looked like ravers of ten years ago: They wore button-up Adidas pants, had shocking pink hair, and spent a lot of time hanging out in the parking lot, huffing from aerosol cans. But the following night's show -- which featured the darker, artier trance music subgenre "psi-trance" -- attracted a much older crowd of Burning Man types and SOMA loft yuppies sporting new tweed coats or text messaging into their T-Mobile Sidekicks.

Now that ravers have grown up and their music has gotten on the radar, the scene appears to have splintered. Parties that used to be held in abandoned buildings or graffiti'd industrial warehouses are now situated in licensed, commercial venues where drugged-out seventeen-year-old techno fans must mingle with the well-heeled. The demographic and vibe of these above-ground parties is often nothing like the underground rave utopias of the mid-to-late '90s that Le and Michelle remember.

On the night DJ Talla performs at 1015, the club seems conspicuously meat-market-ish and largely reflects a Top 40 sensibility that Le says he reviles. People floss their midriffs and bling jewelry; the women try to look sexy while the guys front like ballers or mack daddies. The trance devotees are relegated to a small pocket in the basement, where attendance is sparse throughout the night. Meanwhile, most patrons gather upstairs on the ground level, where they are treated to a numbing hip-hop and reggaetón soundtrack that could have been ripped directly from Wild 94.9.

A little past 1 a.m., when DJ Talla is just picking up steam, a fight breaks out in the back of the room. The DJ tries to ignore it, even after a small army of security guards is dispatched to tear the guys off each other. Though he manages to look pretty oblivious, Talla isn't able to stave off a creepy feeling that's beginning to percolate through the room. Some of Javier's cohorts see the melee and are more transfixed by it than by the trance DJ himself. Pablo turns to the girl next to him and whispers, "Hey, if anyone messes with you, tell me. I'll kick their ass."

She grins and elbows him in response: "I'm feeling myself," she says. "Are you feeling yourself, too?"

"Yeah," he says, quoting Mac Dre, hip-hop's most famous Ecstasy enthusiast. "I'm in the building."

Meanwhile, DJ Talla's fans tiptoe toward the stage, perhaps thinking that by huddling close together they'll seal themselves off from the outside world.

A few weeks later, a 29-year-old man will be shot to death at the very same club.

Twelve hours after leaving "Jeans and High Heels," Brittany was still thizzin', but no longer wanted to be. She sat at home smoking blunts and watching TV, letting the hours vaporize. "I just wanna know if this is actually crack or something," she said.

There was only one sure way to find out. I decided to buy two pills from Brittany's dealer and test them myself. I purchased them at the bargain price of $10 apiece, which is conspicuously cheaper than the $20 per pill rate prevalent at the UC Berkeley co-ops in 2002. Nobody is quite sure why the price has dropped so much in the past four years. At any rate, I called Le and asked to use his DanceSafe pill testing kit.

Le lives in the same East Oakland apartment building where he grew up, a three-story brick tenement that also houses a Vietnamese noodle house and a DirecTV shop, both plastered with posters advertising the Lunar New Year celebration in Reno. Inside, Le's apartment is warm and clean. Piercing solution and citrus toothpaste clutter the bathroom sink, and there's a low-backed divan in the living room. The kitchen is stocked with a variety of herbal teas, and the walls are decorated with posters depicting all the different strains of several drugs, including Ecstasy. The afternoon I stop by, Le is lounging in the living room wearing baggy warmup pants, a Puma jacket, and flip-flops. He has three or four piercings in each ear. He has laid out a table with all the paraphernalia DanceSafe typically uses to test pills at parties: a jar of pens, a bowl of condoms, earplugs in sealed baggies, a sound meter to test the decibel level of the speakers, a thermometer to test the room temperature, stacks of splashy, laminated fliers with information about every recreational drug found in the club scene (plus one on heatstroke and one on protecting your hearing), and a drug testing kit consisting of three reagents -- Mecke, Marquis, and Simon, which change color when combined with Ecstasy; speed; the psychedelic 2CB; and DXM, an opiate found in many over-the-counter cold medicines. The test can tell if your pill is completely fake, but won't indicate its purity or how much Ecstasy you're taking.

We decide to test my pills with the first two reagents, since that's all Le has on hand. The pills look a little suspect: one is pink with darker speckles, and not even totally round -- Le murmurs that it doesn't look as if it was pressed properly. The other is blue with multicolored speckles and a horizontal line pressed into one side. Neither has a logo. Le takes a ruler and measures them. The pink one is 8 millimeters in diameter and 5 millimeters deep; the blue is 8 x 4.5 mm. With a razor, he carves a tiny sliver of the pink pill onto a plate and smothers it with a drop of the Mecke reagent. After a couple seconds the pill fragment turns blue and then black, indicating the presence of Ecstasy. This would be a normal reaction, except that Le detects spots of pink in the puddle whose presence he can't explain. "It might be from the speckles," he guesses. "I've never seen a speckled pill before." The Marquis reagent also indicates Ecstasy, though again with strains of some unknown substance -- this one produces tiny yellow dots in the reaction. The blue pill is no better: Combined with the Mecke, it tests positive for Ecstasy, though the reaction glitters with tiny yellow and pink dots that defy explanation. Likewise, the Marquis reaction turns up Ecstasy-positive, but flecked with yellow spots.

Although the tests aren't very reassuring, the sight of two virginal Ecstasy pills lying before me on Le's coffee table is difficult to resist. I decide to take the pills. I cut them in half, take half of the pink one, and wait 45 minutes. When nothing happens, I take half of the blue one, too.

Having taken my fair share of Ecstasy in college, I know how warm and fuzzy it's supposed to feel. And I expect only the best -- especially after Brittany's gushing review. So I wait. Another half-hour passes. Then I start to feel flighty, though the sensation is no more intense than a caffeine rush, or two glasses of red wine on an empty stomach. My palms and the soles of my feet are sweating. Le is bumping a fizzy techno soundtrack on his stereo, and I demand that he switch over to the hyphy mix on Wild 94.9 -- after all, I want to feel myself. When we can't settle on the appropriate background music, I decamp; I catch a BART train at Lake Merritt and sit in a corner of the car by myself, feeling twitchy. Within two hours of having taken the pill, I'm morbidly depressed. Officer Gates had said something about "Suicide Tuesday" being the day that every raver comes down from his Ecstasy high. I'm not exactly ready to slit my wrists, but I can see why some people have called Ecstasy "crack for the malcontent."

We decide to try again. I buy two more pills from the same dealer, and this time they look more legit: they're light blue with Christmas tree logos, and measure a healthy 8.5 x 4.5 mm, although they still have speckles. I send one to a Sacramento lab to be tested with a mass spectrometer, which determines the relative amounts of certain substances, including caffeine, ketamine, methamphetamine, and ephedrine, but not the actual quantity of each. On its Web site, EcstasyData.org explains: "The DEA has made an unpublished administrative rule that licensed labs are not allowed to provide quantitative data to the public, reportedly for fear of providing 'quality control' to dealers and suppliers of black market products."

I take the other pill to Le's house. Once again, the Mecke and Marquis reactions both reveal Ecstasy. Without giving the matter much thought, I decide to pop this pill, too.

This one's a little better. An hour later I feel light and floaty; I'm gnashing my teeth, listlessly watching rodeo footage on TV, and trying to fraternize with Le's fellow trance scenesters -- albeit without much success. A few weeks later I check EcstasyData.org and find that my pill is one part Ecstasy, one part diphenhydramine (best known as the antihistamine Benadryl), and one part phentermine (a speedy diet pill).

I want my forty bucks back.

posted in DanceSafe - 1 reply

((( CALLING ALL ))) EX-RAVERS and OLD SCHOOL HEADS ..... ( 3.25.06 )

2006-03-11T17:34:48Z

OLD SCHOOL

dj"s

funky breaks and house

SPINNER
FRANK NITTY
KWASHI
KEVIN KIND
CORY BREDE

BUTTER
354 11th ST.
SAN FRANCISCO

$5 ---> 21/up

THE FIRST ONE LAST MONTH WAS OUTTA CONTROL FUN AND VIBES ... PLEASE TRY AND MAKE IT OUT TO THIS AS WE INTRODUCE THE SECOND INSTALLMENT IN THE REVIVAL MOVEMENT .... BLESSINGS

<img src="http://myspace-453.vo.llnwd.net/00541/35/45/541295453_m.jpg">

<img src="http://myspace-915.vo.llnwd.net/00541/51/98/541308915_m.jpg">

<img src="http://myspace-316.vo.llnwd.net/00541/61/36/541746316_m.jpg">

posted in DanceSafe - 1 reply

Announcing the 2006 First Responder class

2006-03-05T18:13:08Z

This year's First Responder class will begin on Wednesday, March 15th in San Francisco and continue with regular Wednesday night classes until June 14th. Supplemental classes will be arranged on an as-needed basis.

This is an intensive, enriched, program for people who wish to assume key roles in the management of emergencies, particularly medical emergencies. This class is transformative. At its start, you'll be a civilian; if you successfully complete it, you'll be a medic. We will cover both basic and advanced aspects of hazard control, rescue procedures, assessment, and resuscitation, as well as the management of cardiac, medical, traumatic, OB/GYN, psychiatric, and environmental emergencies, plus more. Outdoor survival, disaster care, and dealing with wilderness emergencies will also be addressed.

There is a charge for this class, but nobody will be turned away due to lack of funds.

People from alternative communities are especially encouraged to attend.

For more information, contact me at safescene@aol.com

This announcement may be forwarded as you think appropriate.

Sincerely,

Jay Wiseman,
First Responder Instructor

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

Open House (San Diego) St. Jan. 14th w/ Jon Brea, Dj Blue, Boy in tha Bubble & Skree

2006-01-06T06:19:47Z

Saturday January 14th
Monkey Do! presents....

Open House

Join us once again for another night of hardcore dancefloor jollies.

Turning the beat around:

Jonathan Brae
(viciousfactoryclothing)

Dj Blue
(sancastleevents.com)

Boy in tha Bubble
(monkey do!)

Skree
(united records/ monkey do!)

Dress code: Bubble Wrap

located @

Kadan
4696 30th St.
(corner of 30th & Adams in North Park)

21+
9pm/2am
No Cover!

Monkey Do! would like to thank all of the dj's and dancers who've continued to support Open House over the last year and a half.
It's your love and energy that have made, and continue to make this night the good time that it is.

monkeydo2u@gmail.com
http://monkeydo.tribe.net
www.kadanclub.com
www.viciousfactoryclothing.com
www.sandcastleevents.com
www.waxdj.com/boyinthabubble
www.unitedrecords.com
www.sdravers.net

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

K Cubes

2005-12-07T23:59:35Z

Hi all in Dance Safe land,

a few friends of mine have tried a new pill that's gone into circulation called a K Cube.

BEWARE OF THIS

it's white with a K imprinted on it.

It made both of them very very ill. First they start to itch then vomit, then they were sick for the rest of the week.

happy raving.

test your candy fools

posted in DanceSafe - 10 replies

Report from China

2005-12-05T21:34:24Z

Howdy, everyone!!! Well, I've been in China for two weeks and didn't get to really party until last night. Finally got a solid feel of the illicit drug market in this area. I'm currently in my hometown of Zhongshan, located in the southeast province of Guangdong, which is the only part of the country where Cantonese (instead of Mandarin) is the primary language. Let me say in advance that everything I report pertains to what's happening in Zhongshan. China is huge and has tons of people, as most of you probably know. So the drug & music scenes outside of my hometown may be quite different.

Anyway, my cousins, their friends, and I hit up one of the major clubs downtown. Inside, the DJs were playing what I would best describe as hard trance energy remixes of Chinese pop songs. The only music more popular than this are the original versions of those pop songs. If you go shopping, you would hear one or the other being played at any given store. Among Zhongshan youths, dance music is far more mainstream than rock or hip hop.

I had been at this club and others during previous returns to
Zhongshan, but never really did any blackmarket research before. There are no age restrictions, ID checks, admission fees, or even security pat-downs at the door. The catch is that as soon as you walk in, waitresses sit your party down at a table where you must order a round of beer. Funny, I never asked why, but they never offer any other kind of alcohol. And I'm not sure if patrons can walk up to the bar to order their own drinks. In any case, it seems that beer is the only
form of alcohol served and the only way these venues make $$. One does not have to be a certain age to purchase booze either, though I didn't get any sense that this has caused any problems around youth drinking. However, this business of beer at these clubs creates a much higher rate of poly-drug/alcohol use than what I've noticed in California.

The Chinese slang term for ecstasy literally means "head-shaking pill." So what you'd find at a club is a lot of people shaking their heads. I don't know if this dance style inspired the slang term, or the other way around. The point is that this is an easy way of figuring out who's rolling. Not that this is the best way to measure the rate of substance use at a party, but roughly ten percent of everyone inside were doing that dance, in addition to having that e-tarded look that I've seen on so many faces before, including my own, hehehe. Well, a lot of people who would have been on e really had no choice but to just shake their head, granted that the dance floor was relatively small. The majority of the space was filled with tables. Plus on the side, there are karaoke rooms that are rented out for the night. You and your friends can sing, or you can switch the TV to live footage & music from the dance floor. It's like having your own private rave. So I'm not surprised when folks tell me that the most drug use occurs in the karaoke rooms.

I told my cousin to score whatever he could for me. When his friend arrived, he got a pill, three joints, and a bag of k. I had picked up another pill at his house a week earlier. One is white with a V and the other tan with a C. I'm currently debating if I should spend $200+ to submit these tablets to EcstasyData.org for adulterant testing. But primarily, I wanted to see how easy it would be to get drugs inside
these clubs, and it was quite a piece of cake. Security didn't seem to give a shit about anything. The dealers were making transactions with their customers outside the restrooms with staff walking right past them. My cousin even told me I could smoke the joints out in the open. He also said that instead of smoking it orally, marijuana users inhale it nasally. In other words, snorting the joint? That was the weirdest thing I'd ever tried. The joints were also as thin as toothpicks, literally. If this is the kind of herb that's available in the area, no wonder marijuana is not the most widely used illicit substance like it is in the U.S. In Zhongshan, cocaine, e, and k all seem to be more popular than weed.

The preferred substance to smoke, for many Chinese by the way, is tobacco. Cigarette smoking is far more prevalent and socially accepted in China than in America. Teenagers start at an average of an earlier age and adults puff right in front of children, which means even babies second-hand smoke. Fuking sucks.

Anyway, back to the illegal drugs again, which I spent about 450 yen on. One U.S. dollar equals about 7.5 yen. The average Chinese income is lower than the average American one, but so is the average cost of living. 100 yen can buy you nearly two days' worth of meals at a standard restaurant. 150 yen bought us a round of probably fifteen bottles of Calsberg at our table. A single e pill, however, ran 100 yen. So if you ever take a vacation in Zhongshan, know that shopping,
dining, housing, and commuting will all be very cheap for your
American ass. But if you wanna do drugs, get ready to exchange some serious currency. Shit, just my luck, hahaha!!!

All joking aside, China has one of the largest drug-related health crises in the world right now. The rate of drug addiction and HIV infection among syringe users has been climbing rapidly for years. This is probably one of the reasons that the cocaine scene is somewhat isolated from the other drug scenes. My cousin who had the hook-ups at the club referred me to my other cousin for coke, but that other cousin recommended against trying to find blow cuz of the heightened risks of getting caught with it. He also said that nowadays, users are sticking to e and k cuz these drugs don't have the same addiction potential that everyone has witnessed with coke, and probably heroin and speed too, though I don't hear much about them in Zhongshan.

The health problem has grown so large that official discussions for needle exchange are actually taking place, despite how repressively anti-drug the government has always been. My cousin said that capital punishment is the sentence for being caught with a kilo+ of any illegal substance. Different sources estimate that drug dealers are
executed on a daily basis in China. On at least one occassion, China has held an anti-drug summit where criminals were lined up in front of a crowd for display before being sent to the firing squad. With these type of policies being carried out, one would think that no one in his right mind would sell drugs. That my cousins and I were able to walk into the club and openly score what we did in a few hours lends much weight against the criminal injustice system known as our drug war.

To top it all off, there is practically no drug education or harm
reduction in Zhongshan. I saw a random ass commercial showing shots of patients exercising at a rehab cut with scenic shots of China. The voice-over was in Mandarin, which I don't understand, but my cousin said that they're just telling the viewer not to do drugs. If this is the only information being distributed around illegal substances, then no wonder there's a public health crisis. If DanceSafe can ever get the funding to translate its literature into Chinese, I would definitely spearhead the project. But even my contact in Hong Kong
says that our information isn't anti-drug enough to garner support from their government, which funds the outreach agencies there, so in the mainland, it would be even more impossible. But like I said, needle exchange may take place in China in the future, and since needle exchange is one of the major harm reduction services that inspired the founding of DanceSafe, the situation may not be all that impossible after all...

posted in DanceSafe - 1 reply

o

2005-11-26T11:00:54Z

Saturday December 10th come dance your toenails off
as Monkey Do! brings you another hot n' sweaty edition of

Open House.

Jonathan Brae
(viciousfactoryclothing.com)

Baquai?
(goodghost)

Garrett S.
(flooressencerecordings)

Jack Tripper
(Return to Eden)

@
Kadan
4696 Adams Ave.
(corner of 30th & Adams in North park)

9pm till 2am
No Cover
21+

Dress code: Wool

http://monkeydo.tribe.net
www.kadanclub.com
www.morefreaky.com

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

Invitation to Tribal Dance Network Retreat on Sunshine Coast BC

2005-11-23T10:52:13Z

www.intention7.com

Inviting the DanceSafe network to the 7th annual tribal dance culture network retreat on the Sunshine Coast BC from Dec.28-Jan.2.

This year we will be having psycrisis support training with the Mindbodylove Project as well as a post-integration meeting after New Years Eve inspired by the Monday Night Meetings with Steven Gaskin in the Bay Area in the 60's.

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

Report from Hong Kong

2005-11-23T10:48:54Z

Greetings DanceSafe members & supporters,

For those of you who don't already know, I am currently in my Chinese motherland on a multi-purpose trip. Before arriving to the mainland, I was in Hong Kong for five nights and got the chance to do some fascinating research on the local party drug scene. I visited the University of HK and interviewed Karen Laidler, associate dean of the Social Sciences dept. For years, she has been doing extensive studies on the illicit drug market in Hong Kong. I also got in touch with Cecelia Ho, a social worker I originally met at a conference in Seattle in 2002 who also happens to be one of Karen's students.

On Saturday night, Cecelia and her colleagues had some students in town from the nearby University of Macau. They were to take the students on a tour of the local dance clubs to show them what type of issues they encounter in their outreach work. Cecelia invited me to join them as the DanceSafe representative from America. What an honor, though I was a bit nervous since my Cantonese isn't all that great. But they all said it was fine, and I got to go club-hopping all over Hong Kong for free, so I couldn't really complain. It's hard for me to describe what the venues are like in terms of health & regulation because each one deals with age restrictions, liquor licenses, drug dealers/users, building safety codes, etc quite differently.

Although I got to check out about five different spots, the main one we visited was Cyber 8, which has been operating for about four years, is the hottest & largest club in Hong Kong, and stays open until 8am. The night before, police had arrested over thirty patrons there for possession/sales of drugs. The manager gave us a briefing of how they run the place, had us tour the facilities, and let us take a bunch of pictures. In some ways, it was much like any legitimate dance venue I've been to in the Bay Area, and in other ways, somewhat different. As the DJ switched between house, trance, hip hop, and R&B, more and more people started packing the place up. Security with a metal detector checked everyone in at the door, although they seemed a bit sloppy or lazy cuz they didn't check my bag too hard. Inside, anti-drug posters were plastered everywhere, including in the restrooms.

The one incident that occured which disappointed me was seeing a girl who couldn't even stand up straight. Her boyfriend was trying to hold her up, but to no avail cuz he was just as wasted. A security personnel told him to carry her out. As he tried his best to, and as his friends and people in my group watched him try, this asshole began scolding us to hurry and help get her out. He was simulatenously escorting us out and bitching at us for being useless & slow. Eventually, we got her outside to some fresh air where she got better. She had only drank, and another friend she was with thanked us for helping. Cecelia and I were equally saddened by the lack of compassion and professionalism on the part of that security personnel. There was a time in San Francisco when club security just dumped any fucked up patrons on the side like trash. Now, a lot of venues have on-site EMTs roaming around with security and often make sure you're all right before they kick your ass out. Being used to those type of protocols, I was caught a bit off-guard by how poorly that incident was handled by the Cyber 8 staff. Anyway, several members stayed to booth a table while the rest of us moved onto seeing the other sites. One good thing I can say about Cyber 8 is that they allow outreach booths to set up regularly.

Because the programs that serve youths are government-funded, anything that isn't 100% anti-drug (such as DanceSafe's "harm reduction" philosophy) have zero chance of operating anywhere in Hong Kong. So they are limited to distributing info that only says "Drugs kill," "Just say no," etc (such as the posters at Cyber 8). But they also do other cool stuff such as go to parties and test kids' blood pressure, respiratory rate, hydration levels, etc. Once they get the results on-site, they usually sit the kids down to discuss the results, do peer counseling, and sucker them into becoming a volunteer. Every social worker and student I met that night loves harm reduction. Some of them are former users or dealers from the dance scene. I gave Cecelia a bunch of advice on how harm reduction workers in the U.S. have gained mainstream support from authorities & established insititutions without compromising their philosophy & goals. Hope my words help her.

In terms of raves, they are close to non-existent in Hong Kong, mainly because of police crackdowns. When they did occur, they had many parallels to the Hollywood party scene in the U.S. in the sense that events are generally quite expensive and its participants includes pop celebrities. Thus, tabloid press reports on raves a lot, making media coverage of Hong Kong raves that much more sensationalistic and unreliable. Another interesting fact about the local party scene is that ketamine has surpassed ecstasy in prevalence and popularity. In fact, according to professor Karen Laidler, K can easily be found outside of dance venues, but not E. In addition, she says that most issues around substance use or abuse hasn't changed much because they have just continued at the clubs. In other words, authorities have succeeded at stopping raves, but not drugs.

So now, I'm in Canton where my research & partying continues. The scene is even more interesting here. More to come...

posted in DanceSafe - 1 reply

Juan Atkins, John Tejada $10 Guest List 4 Friday!

2005-11-20T18:29:22Z

Hey everyone,

I've got a special $10 guest list for Compression this Friday night (day after Thanksgiving).

Juan Atkins, John Tejada, and myself (Robtronik) will be throwing down at (what I hope will be) Southern California's Premier Techno and Electro night. This is Juan's only appearance on the West Coast (he flies back to Detroit the next day), so be sure to check this EDM legend out. :)

Please come join the tribe at:
http://tribes.tribe.net/compressionla

To get on the list for $10, email me with your name and number of people coming with you, at:

compression@robtronik.com

You can sign up for this list until 11/24. After that its $15 presale online, and then $20 the night of the event. So, this is a good deal, if I may say so. :)

You can find more information via my CompressionLA profile or visit the official web site at: http://www.compresssionla.com

Hope to see everyone out there!

Cheers,

Robtronik
http://www.socal-breaks.com

COMPRESSION LA
Southern California's Premier Techno & Electro Night
BEGINS FRIDAY, NOV 25
w/

J U A N . A T K I N S
[Cybotron, Model 500, Metroplex | Detroit]

J O H N . T E J A D A
[Palette Recordings | LA]

R O B T R O N I K
[Boom Box, Socal-Breaks, Red | LA]

Compression - Last Friday of Every Month
9:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m @
King King Hollywood - http://www.compressionla.com

(Detail info is listed in the events section below too.)

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

Tonight in Long Beach

2005-11-10T19:20:57Z

Hi everyone, there was a very interesting conference that is going to be held tonight in Long Beach if you’d like to attend.

I found out about it though some of my promotion contacts, and it sounded pretty fun and educational at the same time. Steve and I were going to attend if anyone would like to join us I’ll leave the details in this email. Feel free to forward this email to any of your friends or acquaintances who may be interested as well.

"E Onscreen: MDMA Use in Movies"

Film Festival/Discussion panel
TONIGHT Thursday, November 10th at 9pm

LOCATION: the Westin Long Beach
333 E. Ocean Blvd.
Long Beach, CA 90802
Barcelona/Casablanca room)

only $5 to attend!

There will be clips shown from popular movies (including Go,
Human Traffic, Garden State and others)
all the way down to independently shot
documentaries in clubs and unreleased indie films.
A couple of the filmmakers will be there to
speak, as well as the head of LA's Dance Safe
chapter and a local club promoter.

Please come out if you have opinions about how your
Scene is portrayed in film, both past and present.
And if you like fun.

PS -- at 8:30 we are screening a documentary called
The Last Two Seconds
about Dr. Alexander Shulgin and his wife Ann. Come
early if you can!

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

Open House: Shake & Breaks Sat. Nov. 12th

2005-11-04T22:46:09Z

Monkey Do! invites you to join us on Saturday November 12th for another hot 'n sweaty edition of...
Open House (San Diego)

Turning the breaks around:

Jolt
(United Records/ Bigg Butt/ kidzthatgroove.com)

The Messenger
(Monkey Do!)

along with...

Sol Good
(Monkey Do!)

Skree
(United Records/ Monkey Do!)

9pm till 2am
No Cover!!!
21+

Dress Code: Gutter

@ Kadan
4696 adams ave.
(corner of 30th & Adams)

monkeydo.tribe.net
www.kadanclub.com

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

DanceSafe Cards, Kits, and Poster Go on Display at MoMA!

2005-10-15T02:11:59Z

from the front page of DanceSafe...there is a lot more to this, keep tuned...

DanceSafe is proud to announce that our drug information cards, Adulterant Screening Kits, and poster will be going on display at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. The harm reduction-based tools we have used for years to educate and empower people around the world will be included in:

'SAFE - Design Takes on Risk' features a carefully selected array of more than 300 contemporary design objects and prototypes from all over the world designed for a variety of reasons: to protect body and mind from dangerous or stressful circumstances; respond to emergency situations; ensure clarity of information; and provide a sense of comfort and security. The objects displayed in the exhibition address the spectrum of human fears and worries, from the most exceptional to the most mundane, from the dread of earthquakes and terrorist attacks to fear of darkness and loneliness.”

DanceSafe would like to thank Jason Justice who designed the beautiful art that graces our drug information cards, ‘Is It Really Ecstasy’ poster, and instruction sheets for our adulterant screening kits. We’d also like to thank founder Emanuel Sferios and the many volunteers who helped craft the language on the back of our cards and continue to keep an open discussion on how we can always improve and update our cards on our e-board.

We will be releasing updated drug information cards and new cards and information in the very near future, If you’d like to support DanceSafe in its mission, please consider making a tax-deductible donation, purchasing one of the items now on display at MoMA, or getting involved in a chapter in your area.

If you are with the media and wish to learn more about the exhibit and/or DanceSafe, please contact DanceSafe Executive Director Marc Brandl marc@dancesafe.org.

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

Body ElectriK Internet Radio

2005-10-14T02:47:37Z

I have perceived that to be with those I like is enough,
To stop in company with the rest at evening is enough,
To be surrounded by beautiful, curious, breathing,
laughing flesh is enough,
To pass among them, or touch any one, or rest my arm
ever so lightly round his or her neck for a
moment — what is this, then?
I do not ask any more delight — I swim in it, as in a sea.
- Walt Whitman - I Sing The Body Electric

www.bodyelectrik.com

When You Dare to Rock Your Body - Resample Your Universe - and Remix Your Mind

We invite you to share the Music - explore the memes.

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

Updated pics...

2005-10-07T18:28:07Z

Including Nocturnal Wonderland and Love Parade 2005...
http://www.leshengliu.com/Pictures%20Parties.html

Plus pics of the DanceSafe table at San Francisco events...
http://www.leshengliu.com/Pictures%20DanceSafe.html

posted in DanceSafe - 2 replies

info handouts

2005-09-07T19:15:02Z

does anyone know of sources for good hand out info for tables,workshops etc?

posted in DanceSafe - 2 replies

Utah police brutally attack legal party.

2005-09-02T02:03:14Z

PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT!!!

THE VIDEO
http://homepage.mac.com/apexgrin/FileSharing2.html
http://djmuteyproductions.com/fascism.mov
http://www.angrymobclan.com/facism.mov
http://fatbaron.com/videos.html *Torrent Files here*
http://www.utrave.org/media/fascism.mov
http://www.utrave.org/media/fascism.wmv
http://www.herbix.org/facism.wmv

Utah News Coverage
http://www.co.utah.ut.us/News/DeptN...HERIFF&ID=17759
http://www.abc4.tv/local_news/local...AE-9988C45CE8A7
http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=96651
http://www.fox13.com/

User Posts
http://utah.indymedia.org/news/2005/08/11330.php
http://forums.di.fm/showthread.php?t=85779&page=2
http://flyservers.com/members5/poli...tah_police.html

TAKE A STAND!!!!!!
Orrin Hatch
857 East 970 North
Orem, Utah 84097
http://www.hatch.senate.gov/index.c...Offices.Contact

Bob Bennett
431 DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING WASHINGTON DC 20510(202) 224-5444

Mark Shurtleff ( A.G )
info@markshurtleff.com

John Valentine ( Utah County District 14)
801-224-1693

Jon Huntsman Jr ( Gov )
jon@votehuntsman.com

Welcome to UTAH COUNTY GOVERNMENT
The Utah County Commission would like to know how we can better serve you.

We welcome your suggestions in writing.

100 East Center, Suite 2200
Provo, UT 84606

Or you may call us at:

(801) 851-8600

Or you may respond via email at:

ucadm.utahcnty@state.ut.us

New york times
news-tips@nytimes.com
national@nytimes.com

CNN
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/tips/

NBC

Today@NBC.com
WT@nbc.com
Nightly@NBC.com
Dateline@NBC.com
viewerservices@msnbc.com

Fox news
Feedback@foxnews.com
go to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,77538,00.html and click "email story"

ABC news
http://abcnews.go.com/Reference/story?id=54216 (lots of shows to contact)

USA today
http://asp.usatoday.com/marketing/f...ne.aspx?type=18

LA times
http://www.latimes.com/services/sit...44908.htmlstory

http://www.aclu.org/
http://www.emdef.org/
http://www.slweekly.com/

news@abc4.tv
news@fox13.com
http://kutv.com/contact
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=205
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form11.html?1

If I missed any links please post them. Also post any new links!! Hope this helps!!!
Reply With Quote

posted in DanceSafe - 1 reply

A good guide to citizen/police encounters

2005-08-25T17:54:28Z

Hi folks,

Hmmm, this seems as good a time as any to mention it. There is a book out that is, IMO, the best guide by far for citizens in dealing with police, perhaps particularly for dealing with police officers who have "hostile" intent. The book is called: Beat the Heat: How to Handle Encounters With Law Enforcement.

Author: Katya Komisaruk
ISBN: 1-902593-55-3
Publisher: AK Press
Publish Date: 2004

It costs somewhere between $10.00 to $16.00 per copy, depending on where you buy it. It is, IMO, without question the best book currently in print on, basically, how to not serve yourself up to the cops on a silver platter. I strongly recommend it to people in "alternative" and "activist" communities.

Best regards,

Jay Wiseman, JD

posted in DanceSafe - 2 replies

Echo's

2005-08-18T06:27:58Z

has anyone heard of the Pink Echo or Ecco?

i heard it was very good but strong. Any info? I couldn't find it on

www.dancesafe.org

posted in DanceSafe - 2 replies

West Please Help East Coast

2005-08-15T04:36:57Z

http://tribes.tribe.net/northeastravers

I know most of you are from the West Coast where the scene is much more alive than on the East Coast, maybe thats because of the laid back more liberal way of life out there, but things aren't so great back East. There is a new tribe for Northeast Ravers and we need your help to unite the shattered scenes of the East Coast. The link is below, go there and post storries of East Coast experiences, favorite venues etc. Or simply join the tribe so it can be connected with the other tribes so East Coast peepz will see it on the list. We need to join together linking our candy necklaces across the continent to help our fellow brothers and sisters, uniting like the Carebears for one common cause.

I'm going to keep the tribe as up to date with info as I can, but I can't do it alone, the scene is about unity...Peace Love Unity and Respect, remember we can do anything together. By ourselvs, we are like a lone Harri Krishna in the subway...bad example they dissappeared in NYC about the same time as the scene began to die and I have never seen one in Boston where I live now...coincidence.....maybe hehehehe

xoxoxox
Jada

ps. Don't get annoyed with me, I'm gonna post this on all the connected sites to spread the word so you will be seeing it a lot. =)

http://tribes.tribe.net/northeastravers

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

expired tylonol with codene pills.

2005-07-09T00:13:45Z

found an old perscription of these bad boys... they claim to have expired in 92. could they really be that harmful? maybe they are still good? does anyone know what the breakdown period is like on em? they are 30 mgs and lookin mighty tasty. i was just wondering what the worst possible scenario would be if they were bad and only 1 was injested... at worst a bad case of nausea, right?
please let me know what you all think :)

posted in DanceSafe - 8 replies

For all my serious ravers

2005-06-19T01:14:33Z

Hey all !
Ok so for those who know Dj Seduction is one of the best djs of all time. He has a label called Impact. He throws parties called Uproar. In a couple weeks in Nottingham Englnad there is going to be the biggest Hardcore Massive of the summer. I want to go. And I go with with all of you. Ticket prices are only 25 pounds which is less than $40. NOw the scary part- the plane. It's expensive. but as a group the price goes down. Not to mention hotels or hostels- though Im assuming we'll probably meet so many cool people there we won't have to worry about getting a hotel.

www.uproar-events.com/main.html
I have never been to a rave in the UK and I want to go to this one. Imagine 10,000 people all dancing their hearts out with one another in one of Englands biggest venues. Oh the key part- It's all hardcore. Here in the states we might a couple of hours or even a whole room sometimes but even then how many people are ever there. lol
C'mon guys lets go and show them what US has to offer in vibes, style, and dance
PLURR

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

THURSDAY NIGHT SHOCKER (06/23/05) IS ON!

2005-05-26T21:14:14Z

MILITANTSEXCOUNCIL.ORG & FATELESSFLOWS.COM
PRESENT

THURSDAY NIGHT SHOCKER (06/23/05)
FOR YOUR DIRTY... IN YOUR FACE... MUSICAL PLEASURES!

110 VOLTS > DJ > TECHNO.ELECTRO.TECHOUSE

EDISON ELEKTRIK
DJ FINGERS
MAD HUBAN
LUIS ROSARIO

220 VOLTS > LIVE > IDM.ELECTRO.BREAKBEATS

VIOLENTFINGERS
APPOGEE
HENRY STRANGE
DIGITAL RUST

HOLLYWOOD CANTEEN
1006 N. SEWARD ST.
HOLLYWOOD, CA 90038
WWW.HOLLYWOODCANTEENLA.COM
9PM - 2AM >> $5 AFTER 10PM >> 21+
ALSO SERVING LUNCH & DINNER

CHECK OUT FOR DETAILS
MILITANTSEXCOUNCIL TRIBE
WWW.MILITANTSEXCOUNCIL.ORG

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

FORWARD - KEN ISHII - MAY 27th - Discount List

2005-05-25T02:24:03Z

Forward - Friday May 27th - 1015 Folsom

You can sign for the $10 list @ www.forwardsf.com

The list will be open until 2am!

Main Room:

Ken Ishii (Exceptional / R&S Records / Japan) Best Techno DJ 2004

MRK aka DJ Markie Mark (Wicked / Woosh / Alumni)

Charlotte the Baroness (The EndUp)

Adnan (Forward / Tarantic / Jah Love)

Upstairs:

Hesohi Live Set (Aesoteric / Imperial Dub / Roam Recordings)

Jen? & Garth – Tagteam Seat (Wicked / Grayhound)

Corey Black & Cosmic Jason – Tagteam Seat (Smash Hit Music / Come-Unity)

Rebecca Watkins (Get Underground)

Front Room:

Omar (Fake)

Solar (Pacific Sound)

Adam Warped (Wiskey Pickle)

Nathan (Care Recordings)

Alland Byallo (Nightshift Music / Soul Monkey)

CHECK WWW.FORWARDSF.COM for LINE UP TIMES

1015 Folsom - San Francisco

10 pm to 6am - 21+ - $15 advance tickets @ www.groovetickets.com

$20 @ the door

More info @ www.forwardsf.com | www.djadnan.com

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

MindBodyLove has been going strong - just not at massives

2005-05-19T18:31:14Z

hiya,

just getting going on t.net and found the thread "ha look what I found" and thought I'd let y'all know that MBL has been going strong for a while and, since the massive scene is dead here, been focussing more on drug policy reform and keeping dance-scene issues on the table.

Since drug activism in the Vancouver scene has focussed so much on crystal meth- and heroin-related issues lately, it has been necessary to keep reminding folks at those tables that they are not the "only" users out there - even if their issues are really serious and in need of extremely urgent responses.

MBL has been able to keep building its cred, educating the poliy makers and service providers through the networks it participates in. More "traditional" MBL-style outreach and education activities are planned for this year and next than has been the case for the last while. Much of what MBL has been up to in the party scene has been within tribal dance events and multi-day gatherings and has not looked like what it used to do or like what DanceSafe does - so y'all probably haven't recognised it.

We've moved away from the idea of info tabling and more towards cultural approaches that embed the tech and ideas in the way events are structured and how people are encouraged to interact and carry themselves. Much more durable.

We will be working alongside ANKORS at Shambhala this year providing something more complementary to what they do and not duplicating it - they do what they do just fine already.

Stay tuned - more deets will come as things progress.

luv
Warren

posted in DanceSafe - 1 reply

What makes harm reduction work?

2005-05-03T03:55:43Z

i was never in Dancesafe but was in a project called Mindbodylove based in Vancouver prior to the inception of Dancesafe. Its predecessor from the same founder was/is T.R.I.P. (Toronto Raver Info Project). In my time doing harm reduction some things i see working are:

Peer support

Showing love for others in a healing respectful way (so key)

Education without a sense of absolute knowledge but looking for whatever helps.

Safe space

Trippy toys

Condoms

Workshops/Panels

Working with parents to create dialogue between youth and parents

Conscious people in influential places/allies

Vaults of Erowid

Not allowing joy of entheogens to color reducing harm in others use.

Avoiding expert labels

Avoiding being identified as a "shaman" unless you truly are one.

pill-testing

creating atmospheres of quality control

creating councils when substance use needs more discussion in a community, when someone OD's, or goes crazy or has any episode wrought of substances.

being wary of the term "medicines" unless it can be said with integrity.

reducing shame around cognative liberty.(see tribe)

posted in DanceSafe - 3 replies

Ha! Look what I found?

2005-02-12T07:09:18Z

Lots of old and new DanceSafe folks!

Hi everyone. I'm in Seattle now.

Emanuel
DanceSafe founder

posted in DanceSafe - 14 replies

what doesn't work

2005-02-07T19:26:42Z

i loved sobey's list about what works in harm reduction, but i'd like to add a list of my own.

i'd like to discuss problems or issues that have arisen during my years of supporting peers in this way. i'd like to propose a list of thing that i, personally, would like to see improve in the area of harm reduction.

so, my main challenge so far has been my struggle with suspending judgement over certain substances. i'll give you a brief example to illustrate my point:

at a recent party, a young girl (16 or so) came up to me, and asked if i had ever done ghb. my initial reaction was to say something to the effect of, "ew! gross!" but i realized that in judging her, i wouldn't be helping at all. i tried to put aside all my preconceived notions, all my bad experiences with that particular drug, and keep my mind open and receptive, but it was difficult.

it turned out that she had just drank from a water bottle that she suspected had ghb in it (turned out it did), and she was freaking out. we ended up sitting together and spending some time going through what she'd feel like, letting her friends know what had happened, working out a ride home, etc, and then i simply boogied my ass off with the girl in the middle of the dancefloor. i'm definitely glad that i didn't make that snide comment...

another challenge for me has been while working at dancesafe tables. i'd often run into kids who'd get a pill tested, find out it wasn't safe, and then pop it right in front of me. it took me awhile to get over the irritation and realize that it was still my job to support these people anyway.

anyone else got anything that's been challenging for them?

posted in DanceSafe - 2 replies

wearing substance labels

2004-12-23T06:49:31Z

Has anyone tried issuing color coded or labeled descriptions of various substances taken for parties? The idea is to make it easier for support workers to assist should there be a need for it.
How do you note people taking or not taking to this method of harm reduction?

posted in DanceSafe - 4 replies

Made you look!

2004-06-24T16:18:36Z

:)

Emanuel

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

request for input

2003-11-25T06:21:29Z

My tribal dance community Tribal Harmonix is having its 5th annual retreat following closely on the heels of the winter solstice. Intention as it is called is a time of year we gather as community to be together, share, learn, and develop our intentions in time for the new year while surrendering the last year and the things we wish to shed. Activating our intentions with dance on New Years and ending the first night with an ambient temple.

This year we are bringing in more focus on harm reduction or community wellness and awareness. We need to be better prepared to know what all the new substances coming out are and better understand their most significant and appropriate uses if being used and how not to get harmed by them or harm others. Our community has foundations in this spirit of looking after each other and "just saying know" and it seems time years later to revive this sentiment.

i am interested to hear from other communities or individuals anything they feel called to express about this in response to this intention. i feel it important to work in more global as well as local ways to achieve deeper harmony and send blessings and support to all of you out there who are sharing these times of massive ignorance and fear.

let's heal the whole.

posted in DanceSafe - 0 replies

DanceSafe's topics - tribe.net

FREE DAY PARTY!!!! @ the Park

HEY!!!!

Off The Cuff - Retro-Breakhouse mix

fliers

VA - Shiva vs. Kali - OUT NOW!!

Disorient presents: COMPRESSOR (NYC) - Fri. Jul. 27, 2007

Disorient presents GLAMTECH - June 30 (NYC)

Red Batman

K-System (Recieve your FREE debut PsyBreaks mix), "Happy Minds" - LIMITED SUPPLY

Acid Everywhere?!?

MUSIC FOR ROBOTS - DEC 22 2006

Bids for Beats - Charity Auction - Final countdown!

Nov 11 - A S T R A L - B I T S - NEO SAPIENS 9 Years Young - STFU RAVE!!!

Ecstasy in Bay Area hip hop

Moondrop, August 11-13th (San Diego)

FA/CPR class Sunday, 4/30 at SF Citadel

Ecstasy in the Bay Area hip hop scene

((( CALLING ALL ))) EX-RAVERS and OLD SCHOOL HEADS ..... ( 3.25.06 )

Announcing the 2006 First Responder class

Open House (San Diego) St. Jan. 14th w/ Jon Brea, Dj Blue, Boy in tha Bubble & Skree

K Cubes

Report from China

o

Invitation to Tribal Dance Network Retreat on Sunshine Coast BC

Report from Hong Kong

Juan Atkins, John Tejada $10 Guest List 4 Friday!

Tonight in Long Beach

Open House: Shake & Breaks Sat. Nov. 12th

DanceSafe Cards, Kits, and Poster Go on Display at MoMA!

Body ElectriK Internet Radio

Updated pics...

info handouts

Utah police brutally attack legal party.

A good guide to citizen/police encounters

Echo's

West Please Help East Coast

expired tylonol with codene pills.

For all my serious ravers

THURSDAY NIGHT SHOCKER (06/23/05) IS ON!

FORWARD - KEN ISHII - MAY 27th - Discount List

MindBodyLove has been going strong - just not at massives

What makes harm reduction work?

Ha! Look what I found?

what *doesn't* work

wearing substance labels

Made you look!

request for input

what doesn't work