P.L.U.R. - ORIGIN & HISTORY
The opening video captures my style that exists today. The evolution of 25 years of American Rave Culture. PLUR has become the mantra for today’s EDM scene. The history behind it will be explored and explained in great detail with pictures and videos which are accurate and detailed. It’s time to break down what is “according to legend”, and paint the real picture to its history.
This story begins on July 4, 1990. On a train car painted by Adam X.
http://tinyurl.com/mkwsjrq
Mysteryland 2015 PLUR Exhibit QUOTE:
“Peace, Love, Unity, Respect or PLUR, became the catch phrase of techno DJ Frankie Bones,” says Carr. “In the UK, he’d have a crowd of 25,000, where he saw a profound, loving embrace of music. He became an ambassador for PLUR – and what it stood for – and began proselytizing the idea of building this community – and without violence. … PLUR is uniquely American.”
My first memories of life come from giving Hell’s Angels bikers Peace signs on The New York State Thruway when my parents first tried to reach Woodstock 1969. While this cannot be confirmed by a picture, the reality of it all is:
I actually played the last slot at Woodstock 1994. PLUR started as PLUM on July 4th 1990, making it 25 years old not 30 as claimed. It was created for STORMrave and really had little to do with Woodstock. If Mysterland wants to trace its history to Woodstock, God Bless. The truth is PLUR began as The Peace, Love, Unity Movement as a group of friends from Brooklyn who began promoting the culture in advance of STORMrave.
It became urgent to bring STORMrave back in 2015. Because the true message of PLUR has gotten lost in translation at the 25 year mark. Here is how all of this happened:
http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/magazine/new-york-techno
The Peace, Love, Unity Mural was created by Adam X on July 4, 1990. It was to promote awareness to a scene which could not happen in New York City in the 1980′s. One of the darkest periods in NYC history due to Aids, Crack & Racism, my Dad was murdered in Jan. 1985 driving a taxi in Brooklyn in his 16th hour of work on his second job. Racism had NYC in its grips after a subway vigilante shot four black teens just one month earlier.
In its origin as P.L.U.M. The Peace, Love & Unity Movement was created in Brooklyn, New York to promote peace & unity within a sub-culture we were about to create. The best way to prove this theory is to watch a two minute clip from “Ecstasy Rising” by Peter Jennings.
The Peace, Love & Unity Movement (Adam X, Jimmy Crash, Ray Love & Myself) opened Sonic Groove on April 21, 1990 simply as Groove Records. For the next 5 years, this would be the base of operations for the emerging culture.
What we were trying to do as The Peace, Love, Unity Movement was to promote a positive message of peace to the scene which was about to emerge as an escape to the big club commercial house scene which dominated the late 1980′s. The rave scene would emerge post 1990 on both coasts of the United States.
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn was an unlikely neighborhood for the rise of techno & rave. Home to many Mob associates and troubled with racist acts of violence, the shop itself became our base of operations until we moved to Manhattan in Jan. 1995. Yusef Hawkins was a teenager who was murdered the same weekend I discovered rave in London, and The Peace, Love, Unity Movement was partially created in wake of his name.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Yusef_Hawkins
Bensonhurst, Brooklyn in 1990 was not a very friendly place to many. Most of New York City was unaware of how dangerous it was. I mean Al Sharpton got stabbed in Bensonhurst.
http://www.nytimes.com/1990/05/15/arts/review-television-examining-the-bensonhurst-killing.html
The earliest video footage of Amercan Rave from both coasts. Dance International 1990 shows an accurate timeline. From April/May 1990 - Los Angeles at 28:50 and Brooklyn at 18:08.
Heather’s Under One Sky fanzine became one of the most popular rave fanzines of that era. It was considered the bible of rave news and stories. You also can view the original issues #5 & #6.
http://ravearchive.com/zines/underonesky/underonesky5.pdf
http://ravearchive.com/zines/underonesky/underonesky6.pdf
Arriving in Los Angeles at the birth of West Coast rave on June 1, 1990. From that moment on, we would become part of their emerging scene playing regular gigs every couple of weeks. Adam X also started his DJ career in the west.
“Call It Techno” was a song I wrote in 1989 which was meant for my first trip to the U.K. While not reaching anything more then underground status in the U.K. and the U.S., it wound up becoming the voice of Germany’s emerging Rave Scene.
The Peace, Love & Unity Movement was also having a similar effect in Germany after the Berlin Wall came down. Through underground records like “Call It Techno” our message was having a similar effect throught Europe.
My back catalog of vinyl in the 90′s is exhausting:
https://www.facebook.com/frankiebones01/media_set?set=a.677088628986182.1073741857.100000551522812&type=3
August 24, 1990, Berlin getting their first taste. Handwritten flyer has Peace signs & unity messages, House Nation UNITE!
As Germany started its Love Parade, the themes for 1990 & 1991 were named after my own records. The message was strong.
New York’s first attempt at rave happened by keeping the existing paradigm in tact. This happened on June 30, 1990.
The Los Angeles “Festival Concept” - September 7, 1990.
1990 was a groundbreaking year in terms of spreading the message. On December 23, 1989, Lenny Dee and myself handed our two year residency over to our friend Lord Michael. I had been on three London tours and Lenny would go on his third tour when he took Lord Michael with him. This part of the Limelight documentary where Lord Michael uses my Energy Video while claiming he brought the scene to Manhattan is stretching the truth.
We put our people in touch with his people. Timothy Leary shows up. A lot happened in the space of just one year.
http://www.wolfgangsvault.com/timothy-leary/handbills/handbill/LIM901221.html
You now understand in one photo how the impact of rave hit New York City. But the greed & control of the scene became apparent by 1991 and something unexpected happened.
Someone sent four thugs to do a hit. The STORMrave flyer above paints the picture. At that point without pointing any fingers came from friendly fire in a convenient way. Get rid of Bones, control the empire. The Peace, Love, Unity Movement with a message of “Stop The Violence” after someone from the Limelight camp ordered a hit.
Only one year had passed since the dream of unity began, but we were not going to let one isolated incident change the dynamics of what we were doing. STORMrave began on May 11, 1991 as a series of events thrown outdoors for free. Some were taken into clubs. In 1992 we began to get serious.
June 20, 1992. During the New Music Seminar we created the first international DJ line up ever in New York City. Sven Vath, Richie Hawtin, Doc Martin, Casper Pound. 3000+, it was official, RAVE had arrived.
See all the STORMrave events here: https://www.facebook.com/frankiebones01/media_set?set=a.118443304850720.17650.100000551522812&type=3
Frankie Bones, Dennis The Menace, Joey Fax, Mr Hyde. The original STORMrave crew and the power behind it came from Under One Sky (Heather Heart), Joint Ventures (Dennis & Fred Strong) Dave Lights, Eddie Van Raven, Chad E. Boy & RSA who did our sound & lights.
Groove Records was our base, and Peace, Love & Unity was the message. The Movement was STORMrave, and once the Movement was established, and the peace was disturbed, it wasn’t about the movement anymore, and respect took it’s spot. It’s been something many forgot in today’s EDM climate.
To be stuck in Toronto as a major blizzard swept across the entire East Coast was not something I ever expected. Prior to 1992, I never ever remember snow happening before New Years. But I predicted it on the original teaser flyer, and somehow I left Toronto at 8 a.m. on Amtrak and made my 1:00 a.m. slot. 17 hours travel time to a normal 57 minute flight.
Because of that Snow STORM, I decided that was going to be the final STORMrave. It was a sign from the Heavens, that there would be no more.
A 1993 release I produced was given away to many DJ’s & friends. If you clearly read the label it says “PEACE, LOVE, UNITY (The STORMrave Story) with RESPECT to Genlog.
Clearly and without a doubt P.L.U.M. and P.L.U.R. are exactly one and the same. Hyperreal was an early online chatroom which promoted our events in New York. Going as far back as 1993. The first link you find in Google is a P.L.U.R. link from Hyperreal. One person gives me full credit, and the next person in line shoots me down.
http://hyperreal.org/raves/spirit/plur/Origin_of_PLUR.html
Now let me be clear here. Internet promotion in 1993? I didn’t believe it myself. But this is the actual link and I only met Laura from Hyperreal once, gave her the following vinyl and never saw the woman again. Why she attacked me in that Origin of P.L.U.R. thing?
http://media.hyperreal.org/zines/run/VOL1/RUN.39
Back when Williamsburg wasn’t full of hipsters, it was barren wasteland. The PLUR mantra was created to keep people safe in these space we held events at. The 1990′s were a different time and place. Thanks to Red Bull for bringing back in 2015. It will be a special night for family and friends of the scene.
All these years later, and PLUR still resonates in the scene. It’s a blessing to say the least.
“‘So I quickly phoned Carl Cox to give him the news of how I had changed the face of dance music and his hushed, almost reverential silence before hanging up the phone seemed to suggest that he was too speechless with awe to justifiably thank me for having saved dance music”. I actually stole that quote.
To actually think that I was your favorite DJ’s favorite DJ.
It might be a good idea to take this blog one step further. Thanks for reading.
pixelskylines
dailybridgerton
snowghoul
janainaart
