To All Who Are Concerned-


I am writing this letter to everyone who considers themselves involved in the electronic music scene. You know who you are. After this past weekend at a music festival nearby, my heart was deeply saddened by a plethora of bad realizations and even worse realities that came closer to home and my heart.

I cannot believe the direction this scene has gone. All of the reports that have been done on the culture seem to have become true. I thought the point of our scene was to combat all that went wrong with previous generations and music cultures. I thought the goal that we were all trying to attain was PLUR (peace, love, unity, and respect)! Then again, maybe that is just another way of closing a letter like, sincerely or yours truly. Maybe it is just as empty. All I keep seeing is deceit, jealousy, greed, and hypocrisy. What is wrong with this picture?

Last year I went to a party in Atlanta and saw Paul Oakenfold. Even though he has a reputation for being an asshole, he played a beautiful set that did something I had never seen or heard of before. I saw fraternity brothers, hippies, ravers, and so on embracing because of the music he was playing. The music. The whole reason I thought we all committed to this lifestyle. After that party I made the committment of becoming a dj to do the same very thing he did, bringing people of all walks of life together.

A few months later I realized I wanted to throw parties for the same reason. I slowly met others with the same vision that I had, and we began our quest of bringing positive vibes back to the party scene. We had one goal in mind: changing people's lives everyday for the good of each other and ourselves. WE didn't do it for money or fame or power, only the greater good, only to achieve PLUR!

Our predecessors asked our generation to solve the problems they left us with, and thought that we would rather watch TV and talk on the internet than fix the things they messed up. Well, our response was parties. Saturday night masses of people of all ages coming together for true fellowship unadulterated by corruption, greed, and envy. People coming together to play music, dance, and rejoice in their lives together no matter who they were. Our answer was not what they wanted, but nonetheless, it was our answer. Now I see it becoming just as corrupt as everything our previous generations had tainted. I see kids being friends for a night while under the influence of a pill that allows them to just be themselves, and then forgeting the same friends they had such wonderful experiences with the night before. I still see people fishing out in the middle of thousands of kid's splendor, and ruining more and more people's lives. I continue to see dj's getting too messed up to play their sets and ruining entire evenings and experiences for kids and the promoters. I still believe there are honest and caring kids out there, but come on. Are we going to let the reports on Dateline continue to be true. What kind of an answer is this to our predecessors?

Our job as promoters is to give kids options. Every dj at every party in every city is just a different option for kids...a different experience! I can't believe that I am going to parties where the headliners aren't getting to play because the parties are getting shut down. Dj's aren't getting paid, but not only that there expenses aren't being covered either. Promotion companies are stealing venues from other companies,not to mention glory for things they didn't even earn themselves. I understand paying your dues, but come on this is ridiculous. This isn't what the scene is about. Is it?

I hope that as you read this letter some of these things hit home with you as well. I ask you to please try to help us in our quest to be true, kind, and really strive for PLUR. Try to look back on those days when you first got into electronica, first started spinning, or throwing parties. Try to remember why you are doing anything in the scene. Please try to help in this crusade to bring a rebirth back to the scene. It is everyone from musicians to promoters to party kids who must act on this dilemma now! WE must come together for each other and the longevity of the music; the reason why we are here in the first place! Do not think that you do not make a difference. YOU do! Whoever you are. WE ALL make a difference. Get involved with your local scene. Try to change things if they are not right. Don't let it continue to creep into the scene like a virus. WE must cure this disease that has tried to infest our culture. We cannot wait until the government has outlawed parties totally, or one of your friends passes away. Let's really come together to make a difference in our world. We all know of the problems we all face, but if we do this together we can be victorious. I hope that this letter can be a conscience for some, and a wake up call for others. It is time we faced these problems. I thank all of you for your patience and understanding. Take care. Keep the vibe rollin'!

Sincerely yours,
T.K.
deeplysaddened@hotmail.com

(as received by e-mail 27.9.2000)