P L U R

A while ago someone asked what PLUR means. The simple answer (as far as I know, someone speak up if I'm wrong!) is Peace Love Unity Respect - presumably the < attitudes / modus operandi / way of being > espoused and aspired to by 'ravers'. The long answer maybe should be in a FAQ (is there a ukmr faq? - shall I make one? contributions welcomed and attributed.) so this is a proposal for an answer to the FAQ about PLUR. OK? IMHO...

Peace
The reason we like the music that we do, and dance like we do, is because it helps us achieve a state of inner peace, particularly peace with ourselves. For me the music that catalyses this state has a sticky label on it that says 'goa trance', sometimes 'psychedelic trance', and includes 'tribal trance'. Being able to dance the way we do is being able to be four years old again, to be free of ego like we were before self consciousness took control. When we dance free of ego, we are at peace with ourselves, and at peace with all those around us. In the peace of a good trance, when someone stands on my foot I get a real buzz out of it because it's a chance to put some of that peace 'out there' as well as having it inside. With a big grin and a squeeze of their shoulder I've been able to say "Hey! Isn't this great?" without being dorky about it. Peace People!

Love
Err, the answer to this one might not fit in a FAQ downloadable in less than a day. Maybe just a few examples pertinent to our peculiar pastime. It means you can turn to a complete stranger who's sipping a bottle of water, and they'll see your sweat dripping and ears glowing and your eyes dark and deep, and they'll smile and offer you the bottle. It means people not only call out to you "Are you okay mate?" when they hear you heaving your dinner in the toilet cubicle, but they care about the answer. Love is the reason the people at Return to the Source hang crystals, sprinkle essence and otherwise prepare the space for us to be in together. Love is .... (fill in your own - hey, maybe there's a cartoon strip in there somewhere!)

Unity
I think this one shows the widest gap between the aspiration and the realization. There still seem to be anorak wars between disciples / acolytes of various stylistic sub-genres, by people who've forgotten that preferring green to blue or liking cardamom more than coriander is not a sign of intellectual underendowment and spiritual inadequacy. For me the concept of unity is not us against them, but trying to give 'them' a glimpse of the wonderful space we experience at a good party.

Respect
Sometimes I fantasize about a club with coat pegs all round the periphery, where everyone just hangs their stuff and it's still there when they come to wear it home. Hey, and you can even leave your money in the pockets - now that's *respect*.

Respect is also about realising that everyone's different. Bizarre as it may seem, not everyone thinks your whistle-blowing next to their ear enhances the total dance experience. If you really think people enjoy your trilling, and are blown away by the musical mastery evident in your one note mantra, then be fair and move around a lot. That way you leave everyone wanting more (maybe) rather than one poor bugger in front of you wanting less, much less.

plur
pd

From: ibetts@cix.compulink.co.uk ("Ian Betts")
Subject: Re: P L U R
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 13:25:08 GMT

Thanks for the posting Pete - a timely reminder of what UMR is all about. I have only started 'raving' in the last year or so, and I canot begin to describe the beneficial changes that I have experienced because of it. There realy is no finer feeling than being in a club full of like minded individuals who have no prejudices or pre-conceived ideas, and who just want to get on the floor and dance.

Hope to see you ALL at the Tribal Gathering in May (if not before), and remember.....PLUR.

Cheers

Ian

Subject: Re: P L U R
From: "hE@dC@sE" <9543505@sms.ed.ac.uk>
Date: 14 Feb 96 11:47:00 GMT

Peter Douglas wrote in a moment of clarity:

> P L U R

Yep, I *totally* agree with you too- that was really well-written and clearly and concisely summed up the whole idea (for me anyway) of all the music I love to dance to (except gabba, but that's different). Oooh... just reading that makes me want to get under the strobes and lasers as soon as possible and dance till the soles fall off my trainers! :¬) Still, only a few more days to the weekend and Wet Without A Brolly at Glasgow QM......
see you later,

*smiling all the way to the trainer shop*

Ed
sKiZm
hE@dC@sE

From: jason.thomas@ukonline.co.uk (Jason Thomas)
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 15:04:50 GMT

The more I read, listen, talk, dance and hear about this scene, the more I love it, and the more I wish I'd been around in the 60s to make a comparison. Is it just me or are there loads of parallels. I've always thought of it as like the 60s (the 60s I imagine anyway), but without the sex.

Techno Hippy

From: fkf@ecs.ox.ac.uk (Friedrich Kruse-Fautsch)
Date: 14 Feb 1996 19:55:11 GMT

There seems to be quite a few people here who "only started 'raving' in the last year or so", myself being one of them. In fact TG96 will be quite precisely my first raving anniversary!

I gained quite a few valuable (and very pleasurable) insights (and some changes too, for sure) during that period. I'm not saying that dancing (or raving, whatever) has been the only reason for that, but it's been a major contributing factor.

Initially "all this PLUR business" seemed way too nice to be true, a bit of a fantasy world, until I realised that there's actually a huge number of people out there who share the feelings summed up by that four letter word.

Fred

From: jon@foxbox.demon.co.uk (EEZEE GEEZER)
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 23:14:44 GMT

Isn't it just the best feeling in the world to stand next to someone who you have never met before, turn to them smile at them, offer a hand to shake and a meaningful hug.

Having been on the Rave scene for over 4 years, and around 120 parties under my belt, you could say I have a good idea of what it's all about!! Peace Love Unity and Respect, is all it takes to define what it's about.

My next rave will give me the same buzz, the same rush, the same feeling of total belonging and acceptance as my very first rave did.

If raving is the what the 90's offered it's youth to follow, then it's a MASSIVE BIG RESPECT to the 90's!

An equally massive dose of PLUR to all of you out there.

EEZEE GEEZER

*~*~*~*smiling people - are happy people - are party people - are welcome people*~*~*~*

Just reading the 'clarification' made me almost be there to relive that wonderful sensation, I personally can only find at a rave or similar event.

I can remember several years ago when I attended my first events how awestruck I felt at this 'feeling' that was difficult to describe.

The significance of this should not be underestimated, it seems that our 'movement' has a lot of parallels with the 'love' culture of the 60s and 70s. That movement did seem to simmer down and loose its momentum, the reasons can only be speculated about. What is of importance to me, and I'm sure, all of you out there is that this time round the movement lives on. If the inclination to 'leave' what we have ever comes to you, make sure you pass it on first.

We must in whatever way ensure the survival of what we have, lets make it grow so big that everyone everywhere can get a taste of what PLUR really means.

If I could feel it whilst driving a car, sat on a train or bus or shopping in a supermarket, others must be too... How happy things would be.

You'd never have to get angry or feel negative about other people or other things anymore.

Hey, if it sounds Utopian and/or Idyllic to you then just wait until it gets you ... You'll know that cyniscism can be erradicated, and your faith in people will be restored. People can inherently be nice, all it takes is some PLUR.

Let's go And Rave ... now!

Psynrg

From: Matt <matt@iol-ltd.demon.co.uk>
Newsgroups: uk.music.rave
Date: Wed, 14 Feb 1996 21:44:32 GMT

Peter

All the praise you recieved for your principled post, although well deserved, came solely from those recently welcomed to our era. As an old timer I concur and would like to say thanks for spelling out so concisly a mood that I hope will continue to grow with the force it as has over the last 5 years.

BTW you're vision of the coat pegs prompted me to think of new years eve 95/96. Instead of the usual rigmorole of club/ticket/25/transport we had a celebration, more of the year we had spent clubbing together than new years eve.

After my gangs, about 20 of us, usual debauchary had passed I thought it was about time I wrapped one up. During a blurry period my puff had disappeared. After a quick search i went to the kitchen to get some more where I saw a my bag taped to the door frame with an anonymous note "Is this your's". It had been there 4.5 hours during a party. Made my 95. I never was able to thank the hero, I hope he/she thanked themselves enough.

This selfless act is the epitomy of the group I join most weekends.

P L U R

  ^
 / \  Matt at Home
 @ @     ~
  &   ~
 ---

Yes, the top of my head has blown off.

From: peter@pHreak.intermedia.co.uk (Peter Douglas)
Date: 16 Feb 1996 11:50:08 GMT

Techno Hippy (jason.thomas@ukonline.co.uk) sez
The more I read, listen, talk, dance and hear about this scene, the more I love it, and the more I wish I'd been around in the 60s to make a comparison. Is it just me or are there loads of parallels. I've always thought of it as like the 60s (the 60s I imagine anyway), but without the sex.

What? No sex? You're hanging out with the wrong crowd JT.

Seriously but, thanks for all the positive comments about PLUR - just kinda confirms that ravers are nice people dunnit? and thanks for pointing out where the ukmr FAQ lives. I've seen it, read it, enjoyed it, then had a complete brainlock and forgot it even existed. Look, I've been injecting pure normality for decades and it's never done me any wirble squiddle poondunk.

I think (not very originally) that there is a real convergence going on with a whole bunch of threads like eco-awareness, internet/technology, 'rave' music, drugs, spirituality, mysticism and other groovy stuff. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Mayans got it right, and early next century there will be a phase shift away from our intellect-dominated modes to the next higher plane, dominated by 'spirit' or soul or whatever you want to call our better nature.

luv'n'hugs
pd

From: Tony <ISC041@isc-queens.co.uk>
Date: 18 Feb 1996 17:08:14 GMT

s'funny, since I've been raving, the words self-conscious, grumpy, weird, and inhibitions have mysteriously disappeared from my vocabulary. It's all rather bizarre, and I'm still trying to wrap my music-addled mind around it :)

Cheers

Tony

From: john@rave.co.uk (John Graham)
Date: Sun, 18 Feb 1996 20:35:33 GMT

Hmm.. yes I remember that feeling a few years ago... It was like I'd 'opened up' somehow. For me it seemed quite remarkable at the time, I felt as though I'd picked up a new perspective on life :)

John

From: kashka@demon.net (Kashka)
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 12:19:23 GMT

Edward Hicks (edward@hicks1.demon.co.uk) wrote:
PLUR - If only the scene still had this as it's motto...
There just 'aint enough plur these days...

Seriously? I think you must have been hanging out in the wrong places. I've been feeling it more and more.

S

From: jason.thomas@ukonline.co.uk (Jason Thomas)
Date: Mon, 19 Feb 1996 10:29:51 GMT

peter@pHreak.intermedia.co.uk (Peter Douglas) wrote:
What? No sex? You're hanging out with the wrong crowd JT.

I didn't mean NO sex at all - but that it was pushed into the background more. From what I've heard/read/seen of the sixties, it was a dominating theme. The Pill (the contraceptive kind that is) meant sex was more possible, and gave rise to free love. People overdosed on it, and sex was a kind of obsession. These days (post HIV) it's in a more natural place - it's not the first thing on everyone's minds. Good thing too I think. People are people first and foremost, not objects for sexual gratification - however appealing the idea may be.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if the Mayans got it right, and early next century there will be a phase shift away from our intellect-dominated modes to the next higher plane, dominated by 'spirit' or soul or whatever you want to call our better nature.

I'm sure I'm not the first to have noticed a kind millenarianism appearing as we move towards 2000. I don't mind saying I like your vision of what the next millenium holds Peter.

luv'n'hugs
times two
pd

From: Mark_Halsey@pHreak.intermedia.co.uk (Mark Halsey)
Subject: PLUR The REAL thing
Date: 15 Feb 1996 17:41:11 GMT

PLUR

I see old kiwi Peter Douglas has got everything upside down again. I mean PLUR -----
just WHAT the fuck is he on about. PLUR as us real men see it is as follows

P = pose ------ we wear all the right gear and hang on the edge of the dancefloor lookin, just plain 'ard and disinterested.

L = letch -------- never miss an opportunity to comment with a loud voice at anything wearing a skirt

U = unrest ------ now we're talking -- there's absolutely nothing like the feeling of a bit of unrest and bovver brewing -- any excuse to pick on another smaller geezer and punch his lights out -- specially if he looks like he's enjoying 'imself.

R = regurgitate ------ we always leave the best till last --- ritual regurgitation of the 10 pints of lager and vindoloo in the shop doorway --- this tops the night.

All this talk of PLUR is getting me excited, put that Jam record on, pass the DM's check me beer tokens ------ I'm off to find me mates down the pub and were going to have a big un tonite

Earwigo earwigo earwigo.

E, cid raves? fuck off and get real Douglas you hippy.

. Later (sorted)

Mad mental Mark.(seriously 'ard geezer)