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 not too long ago caught up along 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 area as a journalist. She inadvertently turned considerably of an professional in underground drug tradition, difficult the digital music business’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 relation to understanding what these substances are about, driving their discourse to raised perceive hurt discount.
In 2017, Lhooq moved to California to cowl the hashish legalization motion. She shortly turned disillusioned as she witnessed the commodification of hashish by company conglomerates. Undeterred, she then redirected her focus to the rising discipline of psychedelic remedy and therapeutic.
The beginning of “Shroom Raves”
Aiming to ascertain dancefloors which are as therapeutic as they’re cathartic, Lhooq threw her first “Shroom Rave” in 2021. Her mission was to indicate folks the chances of getting enjoyable with different substances, providing a recent perspective on the get together expertise.
Her journey into psychedelic areas is greater than only a sequence of events—it displays her private relationship with sobriety. After being submerged on the planet of nightlife, she confronted struggles with habit 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 optimistic responses, nevertheless, gave strategy to the thought for “Shroom Raves”—extra intentional, psychedelic events devoid of alcohol.
Growing these heady experiences is a enjoyable and inventive venture for Lhooq, who conceptualizes all the things 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 making an attempt to heart that type of tradition once more, however by means of a up to date lens,” she mentioned.
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 making an attempt one thing completely different by introducing non-alcoholic bars at her events, which provide drinks with botanicals, nootropics, adaptogens and hashish. To assist this progressive method, she actively seeks sponsorships from moral manufacturers.
“It’s type of a hybrid mannequin and I’m nonetheless placing it collectively, however I feel it’s actually thrilling to determine new methods to create a sustainable get together round psychedelics,” she mentioned.
The “Shroom Rave” evolution
There have been three events thus far, every representing an evolution from its predecessor. The primary occasion, a secretive forest rave nestled in an LA tree glen beneath a full moon, was small, unique and invite-only. Regardless of Lhooq’s preliminary considerations about potential challenges, the gathering revealed a caring and intentional environment. She says she realized persons are truly very supportive of one another, with a proclivity for microdosing.
Emboldened by the success of the forest get together, 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 get together 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 power on the dancefloor actually shifted,” Lhooq gushes.
Kaya Blaze
Enamored by the expertise, a pal of Lhooq’s proposed a collaboration for the following get together. With that assist, she was capable of dream even larger. The third installment within the “Shroom Rave” sequence 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 get pleasure from ambient, chilled-out digital music, which included a stay 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 area staffed with psychedelic guides supplied assist for people navigating advanced 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 a large, 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 dying 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 understand, we’re truly making an attempt to attain the identical factor in some ways,” Lhooq mentioned.
Psychedelics and digital dance music
Lhooq acutely explores the distinction within the power of the dancefloor when persons 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, based on a report revealed by Berenberg Analysis.
Even DJs have overwhelmingly instructed Lhooq that after they carry out for a crowd on psychedelics, everybody appears extra linked and pays shut consideration to the music. Whereas she’s not out to vilify alcohol, Lhooq says she typically 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 alternative. The heightened consciousness prompts cautious, playful engagement, cultivating an environment of shared expertise.
Optimistic 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 stretch 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 robust device for shifting away from dangerous habits.
Curiously sufficient, Lhooq’s events have additionally grow to be locations for folks to attempt psychedelics for the primary time, showcasing the significance of offering a secure area for experimentation and communal training.
Leisure use and de-stigmatizing psychedelics
Whereas the rave scene is far more open-minded about substance use, it stays very controversial exterior of nightlife circles and Lhooq finds herself consistently explaining the values of leisure psychedelics to those that view them extra by means of a medical lens. As somebody who grew up in a particularly drug-averse surroundings, she passionately advocates for the exploration of psychedelics exterior of costly 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 typically requires firsthand expertise to understand the sweetness and advantages of those substances. With the supply of assorted 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 concerned about what she calls the “post-rave paradigm,” which does not counsel the top of raving, however fairly the way it’s altering in the meanwhile. The mainstream’s adoption of raving is optimistic 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 pattern in the direction of these new areas and is determining find out how to hold them consistent with sure values whereas staying economically sensible. Within the face of rave tradition’s hyper-visibility—particularly on-line—she’s concerned about an iconoclastic counter motion that feels current and actual with an charisma. The problem is to redefine the underground in progressive methods as conventional modes develop more and more threadbare.
“Once you’re doing psychedelics in an underground neighborhood, it’s essential be actually cautious about who’s strolling by means of the door.” she explains. “You may’t simply open it as much as anybody.”
You may comply with the “Shroom Rave” sequence right here.
