[versk]

Still happening, except they wouldn't last 2 hours like OP's story. I took an american colleague to a rave (in dublin) about a year ago and he was freaking out at the fact that you had to meet someone somewhere then get passed off to a few more people before you got there. "Its like the movies man!"

Then we raved until 9 in the morning to some deep techno. There were no official photographers.

I honestly thought NY would have a majorly active underground party scene.

[laumars]

> Still happening

Not as much though. The police basically killed it completely come the beginning of the 00s. (though there's a chance that I'm now just completely out of the loop so oblivious to it all)

[scrumper]

Ah yes, the Criminal Justice Act. I think the law even has provisions about "repetitive beats." I seem to remember vaguely a techno track at the time that sampled some politician (Michael Howard, I think, the Home Secretary) reading that part of the bill. Memory is obviously a bit hazy.

There are still raves in fields, but nothing like to the extent there used to be.

[crucialfelix]

There's been a resurgence. Last year there was a huge one in London. Large sound system, illegal space, thousand people.

[nicholassmith]

I went to a warehouse rave in Manchester (because, well, par for the course), it involved calling a telephone helpline to get instructions, meeting someone who knew someone, then finally getting there.

I agree, I thought NY still had a big party scene even if it wasn't necessarily built around dance music.

[rdouble]

NYC had a good scene through the 90s but gentrification and a bunch of legislation in the mid 2000s killed it.

[toomuchtodo]

Want to make an American friend for another rave? :-D