Ravers love machines, more than most people, and we are really, really good at it. We are probably the best on the planet at loving machines, because we get such incredible amounts of fun out of them.
You could argue that gamers are just as good as ravers at having fun with machines. I have more than 20 years of experience in the gaming industry, and the game-o-sphere is EXCELLENT at squeezing fun out of technology, for sure.
Here I am, having fun with a game inside an HTC Vive. And here I am, flying a plane inside the PSVR, which was EXTREMELY fun – at the GDC in Cologne, 2014. But this is what having fun with machines looks like from the outside for gamers. (This is Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, 2014.And this is what having fun with machines looks like from the outside for ravers. The ravers win. Again. (This is Turmbühne af Fusion, 2016).
Here’s what Turmbühne at Fusion looks like at night, like a spaceship has landed in the middle of the giant dance floor. So much machine fun. (I only use my own photos on these pages (or sometimes photos taken by people I know), but If you want to see some depictions of what the massive machinery of Turmbühne actually looks like when you are there, taken by a proper camera (that can catch all the details) and not just my iPhone, check these pics out.)
Here’s 2000F loving the machine buttons at an Ohoi! party in 2004. Pic by Vitus.Here are some fusionists enjoying the yellow submarine machine at the Tanzwütze Floor in 2018.No one is happier close to lots of machines than Stebbing. No one! Look at his happy machine smile! Private party, June 2021. (This pic is taken about an hour before Christian Eriksen suffered a heart attack on the pitch during the Euros. Eriksen now has a matchbox-sized defibrillator machine pacing his heart, which is quite techno, really).Four ravers are enjoying a light machine at the Henry’s Dream festival, 2014.Yo Akim behind a classic machine: The Roland 909!Here’s Danny, fixing a machine at Fusion 2007.Chriszka plays her favorite jungle tunes on this magic machinery.This digital camera already looks like a rare machine. As far is I remember, we are at Seebühne. This is taken with my Olympus Digital Camera. Fusion 2009.A bunch of tireless ravers dancing to fast machine beats by (and on) a big red machine – next to the windmill machines. This is the Distortion afterparty, June 2022. A wild and memorable event.Emok is explaining the exciting details of what is going on inside his Clash of Clans machine to an eager crowd on their way to Fusion 2014.
Testing some truly weird workout machines in China.Sulu excitedly takes a picture of the pig soon to be eaten with his picture machine at the Hifly Pigfest. All dj’s love machines. Here’s 2000F playing on the machines next to a big machine at the RAW After After Party, 2007.And here’s the grill set-up inside the big yellow machine at the RAW After After Party 2007.Anton, probably fixing a music playlist for the camp on his computer at Fusion 2009. Two happy fusionists, showing off their wondrous pocket machines at the Sonnendeck stage on Fusion, 2018.Lene catches a romantic moment in nature with her selfie machine at the Somewhere Festival 2017.Chriszka and Rasmus pose in front of Jonas’ Click Machine after the Jeff Mills party at Culture Box, 2006.Bjørn Svin, inside a hologram – on stage at Kulturværftet during the visual concert project Silicium. Photo by Mathias Vejerslev. You can read the article I wrote (in Danish) about the hologram concert here: Mennesker, alger og hologrammer (the link to the magazine doesn’t work anymore, though).Here’s Chriszka, flying a FPV drone for the first time. Extreme machine fun! August 2018.Being a raver, Chriszka loves the virtual reality machines more than most gamers. Here we are, walking through the horror corridors in a Virtualizer (which allows you to walk inside VR) at GDC Europe, 2014.Here’s an actual robot built by kitchen utensils, taking a walk at Fusion, 2012. ❤ I LOVE THIS!
Intermezzo: If you are confused about ravers loving BOTH nature AND machines with such intensity, dive deep into that confusion and find the small computer hero that Chriszka has hidden deep inside her drawing ‘The Garden’ (2017):
Chriszka skiing downhill through a forest of mushrooms, which is an important skill as a raver – at the VRUnicorns offices. Chriszka and Mariii use the time traveling machine to travel back to previous parties for a bit – before embarking on new adventures: This is the night of Jungle Bells 2005!Nico Defrost plans important stuff with his planning machine on Christiania.Here’s Chriszka, sucking the new generation into her Fun Game Machine World like a pied piper – in 2011.Ah yes, don’t forget, there’s a dark side to the machines as well. Here’s Niels, being sucked into the camera machine on a New Year’s Eve, while people have fun around him.Here’s Oli, getting sucked into the Distraction Machine on Fusion, 2011.Here’s Lars, trying to have an important and heartfelt conversation during the wonderful sunrise session at the Distortion Final Party 2022, but Tim is far, far away, hypnotized by his Distraction Machine.Here’s two grown-ups having an exciting conversation using their hands (which means that they communicate directly from their soul – as we learnt yesterday) – but Young Haddock misses all this, sucked into his Distraction Machine. Kødbyen 2022.Here’s Bernd Knys missing all the rain-fueled fun of the Fusion surroundings because of the Distraction Machine. Fusion, 2011.Bo tries to suck Sisse into his Distraction Machine at Byhaven. Emok is still stuck in his Clash of Clans machine. People gather to watch the battle.Chriszka, having cartoonish fun inside her first Oculus experience. This is the opposite of a Distraction Machine.
Info from the internet robots To end this selection, I got some interesting information from the internet robots today, and it seems like a perfect time to share it:
The most popular post from all the seasons of JUngLEkalenderen ever is…. drumroll… The 13 Best Darkside Jungle Tunes Ever. People just keep reading that one. Darkside jungle lovers from all over the planet, unite! 🙂
Christina Majcher 
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