Dance-cult: The Religion of Music

“Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music.” These were the words of Sergei Rachmaninoff, a Russian composer and pianist who was very influential in the twentieth century.  Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence.  The definition does not do justice to what music really is.  Music is more than just an art of sound; it is the expression of ideas and emotions in significant forms through an art.  Sadly, a definition will never capture the importance of music, as music is vital in a deeper level.  A dance festival is a cult like religion that is followed by a young crowd.  Listening to the beats that empowers your soul and replenishes your senses developing hypersensitivity towards the waves and frequencies the rhythm creates in your temporal lobe.  London, the universal city known for its performances and nightlife definitely wraps the sensation of music under its sleeve of entertainment.  One of the most famous and certainly one of the best clubs in the world that delivers the rave like atmosphere is the Ministry of Sound located in London.  The club “cuts it up” like no one else and is never short of a top class act to mix your night up with music, emotions, sensations, and a mind blowing fulfilling experience.

The Venue is located in an unused bus depot delivering a warehouse feel, reminiscent of early dance scene. From the outside, it's a massive concrete structure with the only the pounding bass seeping through the walls to hint at what awaits within.  With three rooms to choose from, Ministry of Sound has managed to keep that awesome warehouse feel, matched perfectly with a touch of glamour. The Baby Box packs a punch for its size: doused in disco balls and an array of lights, it always offers a cracking atmosphere, but it's The Box where all the action really happens. One of the best sound systems, minimal decor, and outrageous lighting ensures this room epitomizes the dance scene that’s made Ministry famous.  In The Box, the feeling the bass running through my body as I jumped up and down, seeing the DJ literally in close proximity to me releasing through a creation and mix of music that fueled me with a rush of euphoria. I was instantly transported to an electronic dance music festival.  The audience goes mental sharing the floor, beats, and their energy with the other euphoria-seeking “ravers.” 

The creation of such orgasmic music has created a culture named “rave.”  In the rave culture there is fashion, unity, performance of dance, and most importantly a dance floor that embodies your soul.  At these events people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and live performers. From head-to-toe, every fraction of your anatomy feels The Ministry of Sound experience. I just wanted to dance the night away and leave my soul on the dance floor.  The DJs make the Ministry grade, so every night is prone to be a good one.

The genres of electronic dance music played include house, trance, psytrance, electro house, drum and bass, breakbeat, dubstep, hardstyle and many others with the accompaniment of laser light shows, projected images and artificial fog.  The culture that raves have created is a culture that ravers embrace dearly.  Hundreds of people gathered in the Ministry of Sound to dance to music like House, Trance, and Electro with hundreds of different lights blaring in every direction that exalted the feeling of unity.  The unity in such events is embodied by the acronym “P.L.U.R” which stands for peace, love, unity, and respect.  In the performances at the Ministry very “rave” like I crossed upon so many happy, peaceful, and friendly individuals in unison.

          It’s easy to see why Ministry of Sound survives where others have diminished with the wind.  The Ministry of Sound only has world-class talent, a top-notch venue, and a certain atmosphere that makes this club a true raver super-club.  Overall, the night was packed with temporal orgasm that ringed the entire night.  For that reason I understand why all the big names have played in this room.  It is also easy to see why audience keeps coming back for more.  

Miguel Rios

University of California, Merced