Within the thrilling world the place digital music and psychedelic exploration intersect, Michelle Lhooq stands out as a trailblazer, reimagining the rave by means of her transformative occasions.
With roots in dance music journalism, Lhooq explores the deep connections between psychedelics, therapeutic practices and nightlife by advantage of her patented “Shroom Raves.” EDM.com just lately caught up together with her to delve into her journey and the influence these occasions have on the broader digital music neighborhood.
From Raving to psychedelics
Raised in Singapore, a spot the place each medicine and raving had been deeply stigmatized, Lhooq discovered herself captivated by these uncharted waters earlier than finally transferring to New York, the place she immersed herself within the dance music house as a journalist. She inadvertently turned considerably of an skilled in underground drug tradition, difficult the digital music trade’s inclination to miss the connection between raving and drug exploration.
In line with Lhooq, “rave areas are the frontier of a whole lot of underground drug tradition,” a notion she not solely acknowledges however wholeheartedly celebrates. As she eloquently places it, ravers are forward of the curve in terms of understanding what these substances are about, driving their discourse to higher perceive hurt discount.
In 2017, Lhooq moved to California to cowl the hashish legalization motion. She rapidly turned disillusioned as she witnessed the commodification of hashish by company conglomerates. Undeterred, she then redirected her focus to the rising area of psychedelic remedy and therapeutic.
The start of “Shroom Raves”
Aiming to determine dancefloors which might be as therapeutic as they’re cathartic, Lhooq threw her first “Shroom Rave” in 2021. Her mission was to indicate individuals the chances of getting enjoyable with various substances, providing a contemporary perspective on the occasion expertise.
Her journey into psychedelic areas is greater than only a collection of events—it displays her private relationship with sobriety. After being submerged on this planet of nightlife, she confronted struggles with dependancy and it was the transformative energy of psychedelics, she says, that finally freed her.
Kaya Blaze
Lhooq’s exploration of California Sober, an idea she launched in mainstream media, prompted an abundance of each criticism and assist. The constructive responses, nevertheless, gave solution to the thought for “Shroom Raves”—extra intentional, psychedelic events devoid of alcohol.
Growing these heady experiences is a enjoyable and inventive challenge for Lhooq, who conceptualizes the whole lot from the music to the design and ambiance. She additionally makes an effort to faucet into the wealthy historical past of psychedelic rave tradition impressed by actions like Goa Trance and Paradise Storage.
“I’m actually attempting to middle that form of tradition once more, however by means of a recent lens,” she stated.
Challenges and improvements
Lhooq’s “Shroom Raves” precipitate a novel problem by reshaping how nightlife sustains itself, transferring away from the normal dependence on alcohol gross sales. To realize sustainability, she goals to rupture the connection between nightlife and alcohol income.
Lhooq is attempting one thing totally different by introducing non-alcoholic bars at her events, which supply drinks with botanicals, nootropics, adaptogens and hashish. To assist this revolutionary strategy, she actively seeks sponsorships from moral manufacturers.
“It’s form of a hybrid mannequin and I’m nonetheless placing it collectively, however I believe it’s actually thrilling to determine new methods to create a sustainable occasion round psychedelics,” she stated.
The “Shroom Rave” evolution
There have been three events to date, every representing an evolution from its predecessor. The primary occasion, a secretive forest rave nestled in an LA tree glen underneath a full moon, was small, unique and invite-only. Regardless of Lhooq’s preliminary issues about potential challenges, the gathering revealed a caring and intentional ambiance. She says she realized individuals are really very supportive of one another, with a proclivity for microdosing.
Emboldened by the success of the forest occasion, Lhooq threw her first official ticketed “Shroom Rave,” aptly named “Mushwomb,” in February of this yr. Impressed by themes of rebirth, this was the primary occasion the place no alcohol was served. The dancefloor was the focus, adorned with a symbolic large “pussy portal” by means of which attendees walked to be “birthed” right into a room soundtracked by home and disco beats.
“It was simply so lovely to see how the vitality on the dancefloor actually shifted,” Lhooq gushes.
Kaya Blaze
Enamored by the expertise, a pal of Lhooq’s proposed a collaboration with DoubleBlind for the subsequent occasion. With the assist of the psychedelic journal, she was capable of dream even greater..
The third installment within the “Shroom Rave” collection manifested as a spectacular mini-festival with a concentrate on ritual and plant drugs. The festivities started with with a gap ceremony and prayer, adopted by a cannabis-guided meditation and breathwork ritual. Upstairs, attendees might take pleasure in ambient, chilled-out digital music, which included a reside saxophonist whereas a tea ceremony room served soothing drinks alongside rice balls.
Elsewhere, a devoted therapeutic massage room catered to the somatic launch that accompanies psychedelic journeys. Moreover, a secure house staffed with psychedelic guides provided assist for people navigating complicated journeys, making a candlelit and cushion-laden haven. A non-alcoholic bar served botanical drinks, complemented by authorized psychoactive merchandise like kratom, kava, amanita mushrooms and hashish.
Adorned with an enormous, 12-foot amanita mushroom sculpture that lent to a forest-like really feel, the rave room under opened round sundown as DJ Ty and Carlos Souffront performed hypnotic techno and acid home. The occasion closed with a whirling dervish ceremony, a Sufi custom in search of ego loss of life by means of the artwork of dance.
“It was cool to discover these interwoven connections between the plant drugs ceremonial world and the rave world and notice, we’re really attempting to attain the identical factor in some ways,” Lhooq stated.
Psychedelics and digital dance music
Lhooq acutely explores the distinction within the vitality of the dancefloor when individuals are consuming psychedelics versus alcohol. This shift displays a broader social motion contemplating a 20% lower in alcohol consumption in Gen Z in comparison with millennials, in keeping with a report printed by Berenberg Analysis.
Even DJs have overwhelmingly instructed Lhooq that after they carry out for a crowd on psychedelics, everybody appears extra related and pays shut consideration to the music. Whereas she’s not out to vilify alcohol, Lhooq says she usually observes drinkers as numbed-out, matted and disconnected with the music.
The distinction is stark at her “Shroom Raves,” the place strangers are honest, heartfelt and open to fostering real connections.
Kaya Blaze
Lhooq additionally discusses the social drawbacks of blending alcohol with substances like cocaine, which might result in extreme sociability however lack sensitivity to others. Consider the infamous “Man Explaining” meme.
On psychedelics, Lhooq sees the other. The heightened consciousness prompts cautious, playful engagement, cultivating an environment of shared expertise.
Constructive change by means of “Shroom Raves”
Lhooq says she’s witnessed people endure profound transformations by means of her “Shroom Raves,” a lot of whom specific that the neighborhood is exactly what they’d been in search of. The occasions have solid numerous friendships that reach far past the confines of the raving neighborhood, establishing a supportive community for attendees.
This sense of camaraderie proves particularly impactful for these in restoration or exploring sobriety. Connecting with like-minded people at these gatherings serves as a strong software for shifting away from dangerous habits.
Curiously sufficient, Lhooq’s events have additionally turn out to be locations for individuals to attempt psychedelics for the primary time, showcasing the significance of offering a secure house for experimentation and communal schooling.
Leisure use and de-stigmatizing psychedelics
Whereas the rave scene is way more open-minded about substance use, it stays very controversial outdoors of nightlife circles and Lhooq finds herself continually explaining the values of leisure psychedelics to those that view them extra by means of a medical lens. As somebody who grew up in an especially drug-averse surroundings, she passionately advocates for the exploration of psychedelics outdoors of pricey clinics, and to expertise euphoria with out guilt.
Regardless of an ongoing societal awakening, concern nonetheless pervades discussions about psychedelics. Lhooq acknowledges that overcoming this trepidation usually requires firsthand expertise to comprehend the wonder and advantages of those substances. With the provision of varied avenues like retreats in Costa Rica and underground guides, she attracts from her nightlife background and goals to supply a novel gateway for people to discover psychedelics on their very own phrases.
The Way forward for raving
Lhooq is taken with what she calls the “post-rave paradigm,” which does not counsel the top of raving, however quite the way it’s altering in the mean time. The mainstream’s adoption of raving is constructive in some ways, but it surely’s led to rampant saturation and commercialization.
Lhooq envisions quieter, extra intimate and psychedelic areas, which name for secrecy and an underground setting for security and curated experiences. The emphasis is on high quality over amount, sustaining exclusivity with out exclusion.
Lhooq sees a development in the direction of these new areas and is determining tips on how to maintain them in keeping with sure values whereas staying economically sensible. Within the face of rave tradition’s hyper-visibility—particularly on-line—she’s taken with an iconoclastic counter motion that feels current and actual with an charisma. The problem is to redefine the underground in revolutionary methods as conventional modes develop more and more threadbare.
“While you’re doing psychedelics in an underground neighborhood, it is advisable be actually cautious about who’s strolling by means of the door.” she explains. “You’ll be able to’t simply open it as much as anybody.”
You’ll be able to comply with the “Shroom Rave” collection right here.
