Interview With Sheik, A Rave Organizer

Listen to the full interview here.

What did you say your name was?

My name is Sheik, like the shoe store back in the day.

And you’ve been doing it [raves] for 40 years?

I've been doing the scene for about 40 years. I go all the way back to the house— like back in the day with house music— which turned into techno.

What's the progression from then to now?

This right here.

Like in between it… 

In between it was just straight techno. It went house, techno, to right now’s just straight beats. You transition to certain beats… I’m kind of biased because it’s easier to do digital than vinyl. Vinyl you have to know ‘here you’re gonna put it on’ and you gotta know what the problem is you’re looking for. You have to judge a crowd. Back in the day if you could mix hip hop and old school punk rock, it’s like, you the shit… House music and techno, it used to be bands. It was like underground, you were like yeah it’s a band.

Has the atmosphere inside of them like changed over time by that?

It has but it hasn’t; because now it's more mainstream now. Like back in days [a] DJ wasn’t making a hundred dollars. Now, they make whatever the door makes. Now they can make up to a million dollars. Especially if you go to Vegas… they can easily just show up. It’s a good DJ thing, to do in Las Vegas.

How does like somewhere like here with this compare to say like Las Vegas?

Actually, it’s more open. Everybody’s more open to each other. Vegas is like, concluded. If you’re not in the ‘it’ crowd or if you don’t know this person, you know there’s trouble. It's totally different though, you know, you have a lot more younger into it. Everybody’s themselves; no matter what your gender is, what you’re associating with. That’s basically how everybody is.

This is the future of this country, you know, nobody wants to admit it.

One thing with Tucson; Tucson is more open and more liberal to this than Phoenix. Phoenix is still, like, underground. It’s like, here and there but it’s not like, open. Here it’s like nobody cares.

Do you think that it could possibly dilute it by being less underground and more mainstream?

To a point yes and to a point no. Somebody is— it’s always like youngsters like you guys coming up with something different. Coming up with something like this. Coming up with something totally accepting.

How would here compare to say, Chicago?

Oh Chicago… it’s wow! Chicago, New Orleans they play more like a blues mix but it’s, it’s biiig. There, everybody getting funky… Like I was telling… Tucson, it’s more open minded. Phoenix is closed minded. Vegas is all about money; money as long as, you know, they can pack. Here, we like, everybody’s having fun […] in other settings, you know, we have classes…

So, this is what you think the future is?

No, this is the future. Simple. Yeah it is. I remember like back in the day like say 15 years ago at a rave, everybody’s having fun. We’re not stopping till like, 10:00 on a Monday, have like 30 DJ’s coming in…

Does it come in cycles, with like people’s ages and stuff?

Yeah it comes in cycles. But one thing is, this group never dies.

How does the U.S. differ from Europe?

In Europe, it’s more acceptable… It originally started in New York, then it moved over there because it went underground. Everybody went like, fuck house music, it went back to techno then everybody said fuck, this you either you're with us or hip. They said you went hip hop. You can’t have hip hop without techno or house. They go in, they’re all underground. But they’re all expressing theirselves. You know, you come in with your own different swag. That’s what it’s all about. Create your own swag and shit. Being yourself. You can’t be yourself without it.

But the biggest scene though, believe it or not, in Florida. Miami. It’s like, rated right there with ten to thirty thousand people just rocking it out, having fun… 

It’s rare you see a fight that needs establishment. Normally when you do see it, it’s an outsider that don’t understand the people. They don’t understand the environment. That’s the sad part about it, though. When idiots come in and fuck it up for everybody. That’s not what it is, it’s not supposed to be. It’s supposed to be accepting. Everybody, you know gets tired of work [then just] have fun and you know, do whatever.

End of Interview.