Kandi Trading Tutorial

At music festivals and raves a lot of people trade Kandi, as I have mentioned in some of my previous posts. There is a specific way to trade kandi. Sticking with PLUR. There is a four step process before trading.

PLUR: What it Means to Me.

PLUR. It's an idea sparked and passed on by those immersed in the rave culture. Although it has a simple meaning (Peace, Love, Unity, Respect) it may affect some more than others. I have seen and witnessed those who fully accept and agree with PLUR. Just this whole idea is what drew me to raving, along with the music of course. There is a lot of negative assumptions that raving has been known for. It is the idea that people ignorant of the rave culture have generated because they believe raving is bad and harmful to society. I on the other hand feel completely the opposite about that. To me raving is much more than simply a drug infested party. Rave culture is being who you want and no one is there to judge. It is just feeling complete with yourself and an outlet to express yourself. Raving to me is a form of an expression through dance, dressing up, and meeting new people. There is a reason why I make Kandi, that reason is because with each new person I meet I give them a reason to remember me by. It's either for that reason or new people I interact with just vibe and get along that I want to share with them something that took time and effort to make. Depending on the person and the connection I feel at the time determines the type of Kandi I give them. I make single bracelets, cuffs, epic cuffs, perler bead cuffs, and perler necklaces. Not bad for a guy whose only been raving for 7 months. Back to what I was saying, raving is just an outlet for me to just express myself without any judgement. Im able to do that with good music, good vibes, and with a group of people who all feel the same way. I have met so many amazing people along the way. Friends that I hope to keep close for quite some time.

But being PLUR can open your eyes to a lot of things that you wouldn't normally see. I have found that I am wanting to do something much more on a bigger scale. Spreading PLUR to everyone. Although I'm not in a position yet to do so, just the ideas I have come up with could be a potential business venture beneficial to all. I feel like a certain part of me has been sparked inside that I cannot explain. From the first time I met a group of ravers who showed me all these things and then some, I began giving back and spreading the knowledge just like those before me did. I guess ignorant people who constantly talk bad about rave culture really just don't understand why so many people rave and why it blew up so fast over the past 20 years. I think rave culture has a positive effect on people. I also believe that people who get a little taste of raving will soon want to go to more. Its addicting. I have one person to thank though. One person who has helped me realize a lot about PLUR and who is mostly by my side at every rave I venture too. My festival bestie and best friend Alex. With him he has helped me to understand the overall message raving brings up. THE TRUE MEANING OF PLUR. Which is spreading that ideology to a much greater audience outside of raves.

Escape: Psycho Circus 2015, NOS Events Center San Bernardino

Escape from Wonderland: Psycho Circus was my first ever Halloween rave. Me and my #BigLittleBrother Alex love halloween and began planning our outfits and costumes the month before. We slowly pieced together everything up until the last minute. I personally LOVE Halloween. It is my favorite Holiday. I widely use social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat) to keep in touch with all my raver friends and make new ones. I get the opportunity to meet new people and connect with them through our common interest in raving. One person who I really wanted to meet after talking on Instagram for about a week before the venue was Chris (riding on my shoulders in the pic below). He had attended other events I went to and I had come across his IG. So I initiated the conversation and said basically ill trade you Kandi. Little did I know the dialogue would continue further. I talked to Chris the remainder of the week leading up to Escape. As Halloween was getting closer and closer Alex and I made our plans with our newest friend who we call the baby, Jayden (teen wolf looking werewolf). We had happened to all like the idea of being Werewolves for the first day of the rave. So we did and me and Alex matched while Jayden took more of the Teen Wolf look. Well he was younger of course. Day one was a blast. I got to meet up again with Adam and Cael for a minute and rage together with them, as well as give them the Kandi Cuffs I made for them. I got to enjoy Dash Berlin, Benny Benassi, and Flux Pavilion (to end the night). I got to enjoy it all. Meet new friends and trade a bunch of Kandi with people. Some of those new friends included Dree (top right picture), Charli, Ryan, and Vic. Raver friends of Jayden that he introduced to Alex and I. We all just got along really well from the start and just raged the night away together. I even showed them my bag of tricks. The vibes they gave off all were positive. I could tell right away they were genuine people. That just goes to show the type of person Jayden is, a person that surrounds himself with great hearted people. So we ended our night said our goodbyes and traded information so we could hangout again.


Day two comes around and it was unfortunate that Ryan and vic were not able to come and only Charli and Dree were able to come rage again. But they all stopped by the hotel before the event. During the day since I was unable to find my San Diego Boys and LA Boys i texted the two of them and decided to go to lunch with them to give them their Kandi. Missed those guys Jesse (pictured below the werewolf and native american woman) and Justin. I go back after Lunch and start to get ready for the next days Festivities. I was a Dark Angel for the most part. Everyone was getting all ready to rage and in costume since after all it was HALLOWEEN. As it gets closer to the time we leave we get more and more excited and just can't wait to rage. Jayden, Charli, Alex, and I leave for Escape around 5:30pm to arrive by 6:30. Just in time to meet up with some people to receive Kandi and trade it too. I found most of the people I wanted to meet up with, especially Chris who I got to spend most of the night with. I met up with Chris and gave him the 3D cuff I had made for him. It was different when we met. I was nervous and shy, something that normally doesn't happen often. I met up with him early on and got a text from Alex saying to come find him. So I left Chris for the moment and gave Alex his stuff I was carrying. After that I had to go run off and find Jesse and Justin so they could give me the Kandi they made me. I loved both pieces and it made me super happy. Missed those guys. But yet again I was on the move and headed to go find Chris because I had this urge to go and rage with him. I was with him most of this night. For some reason I just didn't want to leave. But I had to get him to myself so we could just rage on without having to worry about other people. We got a second free and ran into my group of friends. It was perfect timing. We met up with them for 10 minutes before Markus Schulz set came on and I had to go. I told Alex I have to see Markus Schulz so I ran off with Chris and enjoyed that whole set while he went to Laid-back Luke. I had a blast. Markus Schulz is a trance DJ  that I had missed a Beyond Wonderland-Bay Area. So we split up again. Until EPHWURD came on and I left Chris for a minute to go and grab Alex and the group and bring them toward Chris in the middle of the crowd up until the point Martin Garrix closed out the night. As it continued on and Martin Garrix's set came on I happened to Glimpse Jesse and Justin in the corner of my eye and ran over to them without thinking. Said hello and then got fixated on dancing to the music. I realized Chris wasn't next to me so I went to go get him and introduce him to Jesse and his #bae (Jorge). I gave Jorge my first epic cuff I ever made. It was a sentimental moment because Jesse is a really good friend although he lives far away. The same with Justin. I live for moments like those. Being around good vibes and good people. Closed the night out at Martin Garrix dancing and having a blast. Great way to spend my Halloween weekend.

(Biglittlebrother Alex and myself pictured here)

Go On Air w/Giuseppe Ottovani, Alex M.O.R.P.H., Betsie Larkin, and Sied Vanriel

This event was located at a club in SF called Ruby Skye. Its a decent club in SF. It was also my first time attending that venue. I normally only go to massives (bigger events) but I love trance and had to go see this one. So the whole day while I was working I was thinking about how fun I would have at this event and how much of a stress reliever it would be. Getting closer to the hours leading up to the event I began to get more and more anxious. Finally it was time for me to get ready to leave and I was out the door and ready to go. Got to the venue a little early so I waited around for my friend Oliver before going out to get a drink, although I chose to stay sober. After they had there share of drinks we walked back to the club. The first DJ was on playing his set. It was actually pretty good but there was next to no audience. As it got later and later the club got more and more crowded leading up until Giuseppe Ottovani played his set. His set was something amazing. Slow build ups that really get you going once it drops. I enjoyed every minute of his set. Up until I left. It was my first small show that I had been too. And it was pretty good. I love trance and wanted to see Giuseppe perform so I did. I had no idea some of my friends would turn out to be going. I posted on Facebook that I was going to the event and turned out that Oliver was going too so we met up and had a blast.

Kaskade: Automatic Tour, San Francisco Pier 70

October 10, 2015 was the day Kaskade took over Pier 70 with the sound of his music. It was an amazing experience well spent with my #festiebestie and #BigLittleBrother Alex (the shorter one in the pic to the right) and some other good friends. The day of was a matter of waiting. Counting the minutes until we were ready to leave to the venue. Getting all dressed up and getting our Kandi ready. It was just an amazing feeling getting to see one of my favorite DJs do an amazing show close to home. Alex and our group of friends all had matching shirts with different song names on them. Mine of course was of my favorite song from Kaskade- Disarm you. I am really good at making Kandi so I made a few pieces for my friends. We had a big group going to the event and it was just a blast. Aside from the guy problems that came up. So long to that one. But the visuals, music, and lasers just made everything fall into place so well. Kaskade closed out the night after all the other Djs who started out the night. I was so enveloped by the music and sound by the time Kaskade came on that I was entranced by his music. It was just an amazing experience to feel amongst friends. As always I made new friends and traded Kandi. 

(Landry next to me on the left) 
The picture of me up in the air was the first time I had ever experienced this feeling of being on someones shoulders in a crowd of people. It was amazing exhilarating and just indescribable. I could not thank this guy enough. He became a great friend and someone who I will always be thankful for his friendship.

Beyond Wonderland-Bay Area September 26 & 27

The build up for this Rave was almost a month and it felt like forever. There were so many artists I just had to see. The big names I wanted to see were Carnage, Markus Schulz, Calvin Harris, and Tiesto. I had a blast from the very start. Getting into the venue was fairly simple on day 1 not too much of a line at all. Once I got in and met up with some of my #ravefam I was able to finally get to dancing and enjoying everything beyond had to offer. The first day was fun enjoying good company and meeting up with people I had made Kandi (rave beads for). Beyond Wonderland was fun and inviting I got too meet new people and created new friends and extended my #ravefam even more. 

The vibes given off by people at this event were much more welcoming and fun. People are more accepting, friendly, and fun. I noticed this quite a bit as I began going to more and more events. It is a great thing to meet new people and find common ground with them too. Networking and connecting on social media is a big part of this. Creating a bigger friend base where I am able to connect with others who enjoy the same things I do is all part of PLUR. This whole concept has had a positive affect on me that has changed my outlook on things. There are so many people who are quick to judge the whole music festival/rave scene based on the what they see in the news. But it is those people who are not responsible that cause the big news headlines. 

Nocturnal Wonderland 20th Anniversary: September 4-6, 2015

How do I begin, with the rave that tops anything I have been to up until now. This was a 3 day rave that changed my whole view of things. I went into this rave to expecting to run into as many people as I did. But for one sure thing I was going to meet up with Jesse (Gizmo), to say hi and rage together for a minute. That's jumping ahead tho. To start I drive down with Sahar thursday night around 10:30pm on Sept. 3rd. We get to LA around 3am, crash at Sahar's aunts house get up a little later in the day and head to our hotel. We check in and get ready to head out to the venue. In our rave outfits and Kandi we call an Uber and get taken to the venue dropped off fairly close and head to the entrance lines. We make it through and I get a Snapchat message from Gizmo telling me where he's waiting and where he is at. We start heading over to the meeting spot. Mind you its a lot harder to find someone at these events than you might think. Yet, I found Gizmo and gave him the Kandi I made him and then was introduced to all his friends he was with, Sahar right by my side. We were on the move to the next stage listening to the music and having a blast. Moved around to another stage danced enjoying everything the event had to offer. It was only a couple hours in and Jesse went with some of his friends to a different stage when I ran into another one of my friends unexpectedly. Thomas. Said our hellos and went our separate ways. Wasn't until a few moments later that Sahar and I ran into him again. This time when we ran into each other we had a weird connection that brought us together. So he introduced me to all his friends, both of which become really cool friends (Anthony: the one in the picture on top, the bottom in the middle hands extended & Gil: not pictured). Anthony would later become one of my better friends, although from a distance. So when the final set came to start, Armin Van Buren, we were just enjoying the visuals from the stage and danced together, Thomas and I.
Day 2 was a whole different ballpark the music played that day was more intense. Meaning faster paced and had so much more energy with more people in the crowds. Getting the whole #squad together made everything much better. Dancing, messing around, just enjoying everything. Day 3 was the same and then some got to spend a weekend with a great new group of people. Wouldn't change a thing for the world. Had a blast that day. Memorable for-sure wouldn't change a thing.

HARD Summer Music Festival: August 1st & 2nd 2015

This was the first HARD event that I attended. It was different than the other events I have been to because it was a full weekend and not an Insomniac event. The weekend started off by the long drive down to LA, The Fairplex in Pomona, to get to the venue. It wasn't terrible because I had good company on the journey down with Sahar. We get to the hotel come Saturday before the event starts. Relax, eat, shower and get ready to head out to the venue.

We get to the Fairplex, park, and get ready to enter the chaotic lines to get in. Standard at music festivals you go through ID checks, bag checks, and pat downs. Make it through and walk through a tunnel before gazing at the grounds and what the HARD Summer has to offer. I was surprised at how hot it was outside but that didn't take away from the excitement of seeing performances/sets from some of my favorite DJs. Sahar and I start walking around just to get a feel for the venue and where everything is. Its a few hours until we meet up with some friends. Coming back from one of the different stages I luckily ran into my friend Lance. It was random but very much welcomed. He was with his friend Donna and we spent the rest of Day 1 jumping around from stage to stage. Most importantly on Day 1 we saw the Weeknd. There was so much to do at this event. Food, music, and attractions. Day 2 was hotter than the day before and was uncomfortable until the sun went down. But we pushed thru and made it as enjoyable as can be. Made the most of the weekend seeing so many different DJs.

Dada Life: The Voyage - July 18, 2015

The Voyage. My first introduction to the SoCal rave scene. It was a day event that was surprisingly an awesome experience that led meet to a great group of new people. Initially I was with my cousin, Ralph, and his friends but we got separated in the crowd. I was supposed to meet up with another one of my friends, Manny,

 and his group but we couldn't find each other and cell reception was poor.  Even after loosing my group I happened to run into someone I knew, my friend Jose, and then was introduced to some awesome new people, Jesse (Gizmo) and Justin. This was a totally different experience than the first time. A mixture of feelings and different vibes from the crowd surrounding me. It was an indescribable feeling. The atmosphere was completely different I had this sense of pure excitement that everyone surrounding me felt complete happiness, acceptance, and love. It is something that you have to experience on your own. Trading Kandi (rave beads) with new people that you meet along the way its just an atmosphere for enjoyment. But meeting new people and staying connected through different forms of social media (Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter etc.) is also a part of the vibes given off by keeping in touch and planning to meet up again in the future. Meeting new people and raving/going to festivals and seeing people you've met already just builds an even stronger sense of community. It was funny to think that I could meet such amazing people from one little event such as the voyage. I mean these are the types of friendships that could potentially last years. All from randomly meeting at an event.

From Start to finish the sets from different DJs were amazing all leading up to the closing set from DADA LIFE. It is funny to think that I only knew a few of the songs played by DADA Life  but completely enjoyed every song. I wasn't aware of too much going into the 'rave' scene but these two events alone really opened my eyes to it. I was completely drawn in and taken back by it all. Just the feeling of community and sense of belonging is unimaginable. That you are accepted with no judgments is a big part of what PLUR stands for. So how could I not fall in love with the whole ideals of it all.

Audio on the Bay: May 24, 2015

This event was located in Richmond Ca, at Craneway Pavillion. This was the first actual rave/festival I attended. What an experience. I bought my ticket way in advance just so I would be able to attend. Of course, I was money conscious at the time so I only attended one day.

So to start, it was the week leading up to the event that I was very anxious and could not get the event off my mind. Little did I know what I was getting into and what would soon be an addiction. An addiction to being surrounded by a community of people who do not care much about the simple minded things that makes individuals put off by one another. This was the event that made me fall in love with the PLUR lifestyle. I attended the event with my close friend. Just me and her. We soon were welcomed by a group of individuals who introduced us to so many new things. Things that enhanced the feeling of being surrounded by a group of people who are just there in the moment and are FREE. Its an experience that I recommend everyone should at least try out to see what it all means. Its a liberating experience that caught me off guard. I enjoy the music, the insane light shows, crazy visuals, and overall atmosphere. 

Music Festivals/Raves are much more than just people being intoxicated and incoherent. Its a lifestyle that impacts everyone around the world. It is more like a social gathering that brings individuals together as well as an opportunity to network with people around the world.