Felt like I needed a breather from the heavier writeups preceding this one, especially given the next two topics dive even deeper into personal introspection. So! Let's unplug here with a lighter favorite for me personally: VRChat's music clubs. You might've seen them in a popular spot on the Worlds menu, or stumbled across a live performance at some public hangout, hiding in plain sight. Could've even been like me and just watched someone else documenting the rave scene before you'd ever joined VRChat.
But even after I'd been won over by those deep dives, one big question loomed... "how do we find our fit?"
That's where I found myself stuck after I'd learned the basics of how to join a rave -- and this blog preserves what happened next. What clicked out of the box, what really didn't, and my takeaways sandwiched in-between them. (Alongside how I proved them to myself!)
Lucky Firsts
May 22, 2022 -- Club Orion
This was back my very first week in VRChat, even preceding the idea of keeping this travelog!
Club Orion's a unique venue in how it regularly houses numerous public instances, each with a different DJ. That's because where most clubs control their lineups privately, Orion defaults to an open DJ stand. So it's where a lot of fresh talent seem to cut their teeth, and the ensuing popularity placed it prominently in my Worlds menu during my first night trying VRChat. I don't quite count it as the full experience because I couldn't be there long -- but I bring it up because what I witnessed unfold then compelled me to return for more. See, the instance's very new DJ had their set's audio cut out altogether a few moments after I joined. Just, mid-play, as everyone's into the groove, it all goes dark.
I waited in shocked dread for the guy, expecting the worst of an open mic night's crowd reactions... \o/ ... Yet neither chaos nor jeering ensued, as the DJ recovered from it through troubleshooting and encouragement offered by their public audience. ♡ In hindsight, it's probably the sole time I witnessed something so wholesome in my otherwise very mixed first week in social VR. So by the end of said week I again found my night starting at the doors to Orion. I sat down on a corner sofa, and started to get fully lost in the music.
... But not long after I'd found a groove, two full-body dancers came over to me. I guess they had noticed how I was practicing clapping over by myself? (i.e. Trying to not misfire my facial gestures or break my controllers...) Looming over my maybe 5ft Spice & Wolf avatar, I might've recoiled were it not for the DJ's booming EDM vibes relaxing my guard, as they wordlessly offered me glowsticks! It was lowkey the first time strangers in a public instance had reached out to me individually in a positive way. I found that deeply touching, and clearly these memories stick with me even in 2023.
All this to say that, yeah: I now knew VRChat's clubs could be as special as the videos had portrayed them. But at Orion, these DJs and kind audiences moved on just as quickly as they'd arrived. What was next? Browsing the social media landscape of vrc hashtags, a tweet for a charity event caught my eye.
May 28, 2022 -- Tube x RAD ("Rise Above the Disorder")
Set for that first weekend after I'd started VRChat, this was where I added my first friend from a club world. As Orion had reached out to me with that heartwarming gesture, so too this kind pair of strangers below let me share a spot beside them for most of the time I could be there! Perhaps it was just the similar avatar aesthetic we shared, haha. Thank you both regardless. ♡
June 4, 2022 -- DanceDanceVR
Unwittingly I'd entered at the very onset of their events, just a little after 4 PM on a Saturday afternoon. The luxurious entrance hall greeted me with penthouse-lobby energy and a big-city skyline past giant windows. Posters and arcade cabinet facades lined the walls. My gawking noticed a button revealing a row of portals to worlds for full-body avatars and the like. The far corner housed a peek at the dancehall, streaming the DJ's Twitch display on a wall-mounted television. Returning to the central red carpet, I inched into the main elevator, not yet sure of what I'd see. My view faded out, and then back in with DDVR's grand dancefloor.
Between my inexperience and how packed all the videos, Orion, and Tube instances were, this venue's early hours being so unclaustrophobic got an audible "oh!" out of me. The roomy, easygoing vibe felt inviting. I could've counted the number of users present on one hand -- including the staff and DJ! By the end of the hour and first set though, the floor had quickly filled up. 👍 Presumably people getting in from weekend errands and outings... but, perhaps in part thanks to the house-oriented set, that laidback energy persisted.
The first thing that really got to me wasn't the people or the venue at all. It wasn't even the way that the world host was decked out in this wild blend of Star Wars clonetrooper + rave gear... it was my stamina. 💀 Because the DJ mostly used recognizable tunes on top of a standard "four to the floor" beat, you'd think it a very accessible warm-up. At least against the many VRDJs that want their drops fiery and intense. 🥵 Yet barely 15 minutes in, I had to take my first breather! I'm not peak-fitness by any metric, but as someone who usually isn't too self-aware of their physical state or surroundings, especially mid-catjam, this made me very aware of them! After grabbing some water and catching my breath, I hopped right back in. \o/
While I enjoyed messing around with the glowsticks after that -- if you like props, definitely go here -- I did have a few social frights. First, a pair of hands abruptly covered my eyes from behind! I... didn't fully know how to process turning around to a bunny-suited girl looking down at me. (still don't💦) But, they were pretty chill to dance with once they picked up on my newness. Once they'd moved on to someone a bit more flirty, a friend who said they don't even club much joined on me out of the blue! Evidently "friends list hopping"... a novel concept to me on my 2nd week in the game. They bounced as the set concluded, but I didn't expect the staff to then usher us all to a portal...? Seems changing DJs also meant changing worlds here, too! 👀
-- I ended up in a conversation with a stranger where I got a little tongue-tied, ended up adding them, and promptly fled the scene altogether... turns out I'd entirely overlooked another event starting soon. 🙃 All in all though, a fairly solid first impression! But the thing about rolling the dice... is that you can't always win.
Unlucky Firsts
June 5, 2022 (Weekend) -- Rizumu
In fact I thought that my experience with DDVR went so well that I tried my next club as soon as possible. Riding high off a big Saturday game night in a different VRChat community, it was just after midnight that I saw the next name on my list was still going: "Rizumu." And, boy howdy --
-- did I ever turn-tail-and-bail out of there in a way that sobered me up. Maybe there's a chance the human arms 💪🦆 duck avatar at spawn pretending I had to be "on their list" to get in had me on edge. Maybe I was just spent after the big event. But frankly, I think it was just the sensation of walking up to a crowd of people already formed into an impenetrable shoulder-to-shoulder mass. The overwhelming volume of voices attacking my ears (remember this for later). I'm not claustrophobic to my knowledge, but there's a reason the bulk of these early pictures are all typically behind the main cluster of people. And if you think that's bad...
June 18, 2022 (Weekend) -- SHELTER
Yeah, I frankly still feel personally embarrassed about how this night went, in large part because I feel like this was one of if not "the" club that folks I highly respect from different communities have as their "home" club.
But look at this blob of people. Combine that with re-walking the length of a football field from spawn to here, both times VRChat crashed on me. Even with shields and perf settings at their tightest, it was the lowest framerate I'd experienced in VRChat at the time. I'll concede that taking pictures makes some of it on me, but I'll rebut just a little that that's an important part of how I experience new things. And moreover, trying to virtually shove myself into this tiny room genuinely triggered a bit of social "absolutely not" in me that I'm genuinely not that used to experiencing so badly. Despite how much I enjoyed some sets, I was also wrestling with everything else. It left me deeply conflicted -- would I have to tell my new friends I dislike SHELTER?
See, even if it was too much too fast compared to DDVR, I also couldn't just move on with that bad taste left hanging around. I desire to provide these venues/communities the fairest surveying I can. So from here I'd say I learned my #1 most useful lesson, which I'll take as an opportunity to bring up the takeaways section.
Four TIPS For First-Timers
Give second chances when you can. Changing lineups, events, on/off-days can all shake up a venue. (I've even seen a club "tour" their big event night out to an apartment hangout world as a one-off!)
Mind your stamina both on the dancefloor and between clubs -- also hydrate at least between sets.
Dancing: I asked an experienced friend's advice (thanks Cream!) who said the key is to find a healthy ratio of low-energy and high-energy movements. "Try to just sway/roll your hips during slow parts instead of [jumping, shuffling, and freestyling] the whole time. Stay on beat but do things that let you regain your breath while staying on beat instead of trying to 'sprint' all night."
Between sets: you don't have to stay at one club all night! I'd felt uneasy about dipping out in the past, just out of respect, but I've even heard hardcore raver acquaintances say they hop between venues and events all the time if they're not feeling a particular set that evening.
Rave solo and/or rave together: This isn't a strict dichotomy, but try both! For example you may attend solo but to be there supporting a DJ or friend dancing for the venue. You may end up running into names you recognize, or a befriend someone new who likes the same music and venue!
Seek out genres, aesthetics, and cultures! While the roots of the scene do lie firmly in EDM, thus its saturation, if you dig a little you'll find e.g. Cannon Cove's metal and rock, Magenta's hip-hop days, etc. A personal later highlight for me would be this. There's still a big live-instrument hole, due I believe to performers desyncing thanks to latency (go to any karaoke world with a group trying to sing together). That's why recordings are played instead, else it's largely either a lone performer over a backing track a la open mic night. Or if you're quirky, a ""band"" pantomiming to a streamed song -- said with zero shade though, shoutouts to a VRCon 2022 booth I saw for "The Bandalorians." 🎸 I also feel like NA, EU, and JP club scenes bring a unique vibe from each of their cultures! Definitely worth eyeing events for concert stage lineups as well, e.g. at MusicVket, main Vket, Metafes in Japan.
Raving Rematch @ Rizumu
Where were we? Ah yes, overcoming disillusionment. -- Here I'm going to let my mostly-raw notes take over. I think that will best preserve a connection back to these times when I was still so fresh to it all!
June 7, 2022 (Weekday) -- Rizumu (reattempt -- smaller experimental "Launchpad" event)
"It was a lot better DJ-fit and crowd-wise for me this time! Still a distinct vibe from DDVR for sure, and I don't really have a preference just yet, each venue's good in their own ways + hinge very heavily on learning their DJs and styles... makes me eager to try EU/JP clubs out too."
"Also one of the staff made me feel welcome with a greeting on the way in--ty moethelawn!--a vibe I missed before by joining mid-show instead of pre-show... as might've helped DDVR click? I did feel nervous as the floor filled up again; like most just were there to chat with bgm moreso than to get lost in the music... but then I realized my inexperience with VRChat's UI contributed to that! Turns out I had my UI for Voices' volume up and my World volume down -- after reversing that, it wasn't near as big a deal.
Albeit I'm hanging back a lot, like when I showed up early to DDVR's event, but I do like my corners. As I look at the crowd, I still wonder if I'll ever see more dancers with half-body > full-body tracking. I recall TubeVR had roughly 50-50 -- but that may've been the extra casual users drawn by the fundraiser PR (e.g. PHiA/Thrillseeker/Twice on the poster). On the note of avatars though, I think like with clapping before I just learned how to punch during hype choruses/drops without misfiring my avatar's faces -- heck yeah." 🔥
"Noting a particular set I liked: https://www.twitch.tv/zakunuva - 'Future Core and Future Bass'? Had a diversity of sounds moving between hardstyle and more melodic borderline-chiptune. Even threw some string instrument timbres towards the end of the set, which popped out in a cool way from most of the EDM I'd heard so far. I think I personally enjoy that kind of melodic track more than the kind with constant bar-spitting vocal. The latter's a vibe I like in its own way, but just doesn't get me lost in it because my brain tries to discern the words on the way to getting lost in the groove. Plus they roll in an FLCL avatar, so how could I not be a fan?"
"It's also really endearing to see DJs switch out for the first time: all 3 for the night actually in-world. One's firing hearts atop a big speaker watching over how the other two trade off at the buttons. A neat change of pace you wouldn't get changing maps each set, albeit more stop and go. The moment took me back to that experience at Club Orion with the crowd cheering on the DJ setting up. I guess it just has me appreciating the decision-making depth that goes into making all this happen, producing such distinct experiences even within one genre!"
"So if you want a more neon-underground feel than DDVR's massive ballroom-sized dancefloors, without an over-the-top walk or fancy-interactable props if those get in your way, Rizumu might be for you!"
-- Now I needed to really test that the "second chances" approach wasn't just a fluke. I wanted to give Shelter another go in time... but not just yet. My rough experience there took a hot while to work up the courage enough to surpass that highkey anxiety + lowkey guilt weighing down the idea of returning that month. (Or the next month.)
Raving Rehab
So what ultimately gave me courage? It was continuing to witness how deeply cathartic the experience can be -- some on my own, some in no small part thanks to others in my community (Ancients of VRChat!) who started to invite me as they saw me around other clubs. ♥ I heavily recommend feeling out both, there are distinct things to like about each!
-- in order, with a pinch of context and takeaway:
My first time clubbing with Ancients, since I felt familiar enough with Tube VR at that point to not get lost! 👍
A first lone peek EU-side with Vibe Tribe -- my brief take was that it's an interesting tradeoff: half+ the ravers took it chill sitting around at the back ↔ sets went way harder industrial/hardstyle 🥁🥁
Privately taken to join our community cheerleading for more of us newly getting into DJing; this in fact this was the same night that I first tried to check out Shelter. Genuinely saved me from those intrusive "not clicking with the club all my friends liked" vibes. Can't say thanks enough to "S" and "A" as well as "O" for sending the invite out of the blue. ❤ These pictures likely look no different from the rest... but to me, they hold such a unique feeling that I still get looking at these photos in particular. Not that it's "the ultimate in clubbing" or anything of that sort -- or as though I gotta know every face passing through to enjoy myself. Just that it's one different way among many in experiencing the rave scene, which I never could've felt if not for the connections I made with these people outside the club first.
Interesting run-up to a massive annual bash called "SlyFest" that definitely brought to mind a more DDVR type of approach tying events to a progression of different worlds. This time though it was a creation solely for this rave night, first in a trio of mini-narratives before opening into the grand six-stage world later at the end of that summer. (i.e. These photos are of the SlyFest Mini world!) 🚢
Club Ancients! An event series that a very cool friend I've gotten to know has helped create the world for -- we were even able to bring it to the Community Meetup for feedback just prior! If Club Orion felt like where our DJs cut their teeth performing, this evolution really validates those hours by giving the Ancients' DJ talents a dedicated spotlight and home of their own if they needed one! ❤
The last place I snuck into was a strong rebuttal to the idea that venue aesthetics felt too same-y. In contrast, ULTRAMONO may as well have been an art installation at a gallery in its own right. ✨ I'll include a couple other later-later examples of how not all venues have to look gray and grungy!
Raving Rematch @ _REALITY
August 18, 2022 -- Shelter (the final-boss reattempt)
also welcome to the part of the writeup you'll be unable to see if reading this during the day \o/
Putting what we've learned to the test by (initially) attending solo, but this time joining before the doors open:
... still gotta say, this alley's kinda intimidating to me. Like, not just in the world-aesthetic sense, but socially. In hindsight I wonder about it because I've never heard Shelter comment on why they're so keen on the claustro-nature of these spaces... all I can think is maybe they're just drawing on personal offline experiences? While I can respect that, what I don't think anyone could've accounted for is the new avatar "hider" optimization that rolled out just this week.
It works based on proximity, so because Shelter had us squeezed into this soon-80/80 dense queue, I had to really crank the hider up to save frames... and thus every couple steps, encountered a jumpscare as the barely visible avatar-hidden indicator (a transparent gray diamond) would explode into a person's back I had just clipped through. As if the already dark and gritty space needed to be more of a trial by fire for anxious patience.
After I finally found a spare inch to squat and wait for everything to start, I was greeted by a mix of folks who either (a) had to have the venue explained to them or (b) sharing how drunk and/or high they were. Or wished they were? h a h a h a ... I don't walk into bars and expect everyone to be sober, I guess. Maybe that's a little odd to call out, but I kept hearing it on loop due to the still pretty rough perf sometimes caused the audio to bug out. Like the hider, shields were again at max, even the min avatar perf rank req was fully dialed up. Thankfully the world does change your respawn location, so the only time that long walk down repeats is, well, if you crash out.
Doesn't mean I have to like the induced claustrophobia, of course... 😉 But I genuinely did have a lot more fun this time. It just feels a bit less like I'm wandering in on a group I'm not a part of when I'm experiencing the show-starter rat race all the way down into the main DJ area. So I do feel like for someone new, it's worth at least giving that method of joining from pre-show a try. ♥ That said, it wasn't like whatever brand of anxiety hit me last time had up and vanished altogether. Just that being unified in experiencing the activity of the map/event with the crowd did make me feel like, whatever I felt, they've probably felt it too.
Also yeah, shader outline "drug" interactables are a cute touch... and I did indeed crash out after that 1st set. So below's the last thing I saw, my PC again punished for my attempts at taking pictures. 😂 Special thanks to my friend here, who joined on me for a good time together maybe halfway into that first hour. They probably did help save my sanity by boosting that sense of belonging to lower the volume on my nerves.
Closing Catharsis
There's so much more I've been able to experience since I started giving myself and the people around me room to not be perfect and to try again like this. I know this particular post highlights clubs in VRChat, but part of the reason I think they're so vital is how I find those four tips often apply to anything in VRChat. Be gracious, be self-aware, be daring, and be curious.
Thanks so much for reading this far. Despite starting as a laidback fun writeup, surprise, it's now a whole 2-3 months later. 😂 I still have bad stamina, flake out and awkwardly clap-punch as my half-body shuffles away. But above all else I've felt how genuinely therapeutic it is to let go, get lost in the music, and try again should I fail to have fun the first time. -- So please, 100% feel free to share what clubs and venues you'd recommend, I'd be more than happy to give both the event and myself a respectful amount of room to not be perfect. ♥
As a bonus, here's some broad strokes for where my future's headed when it comes to clubbing:
You'd think I'd need to immediately try out the other big names -- Sanctum, Ghostclub -- but to be honest I'm pretty done with hyper-competitive raves, at least that lack overflow instance systems. I'll support those venues first because I prefer giving up the "main" instance to yoinking a diehard's spot.
A list of names to investigate: OM3 (M.A.S.S.), PK (Silent Dawn), Swa, Schism, Heist, M4LICE, CONTACT, Resonance/Claustrophobia, Origin (Kawaii Till I Die), The Liquid Vibe, RTTG, May (CONCRETE/CELL:BIND), and then onto whatever else pops up @VRChatPartyHub.
Really want to check out the JP scene because I'm told that's where I'd find the most otaku influence, e.g. songs from games/anime. I think the main catch there is overflow instances a la VRCDN aren't really a thing to my knowledge, so I'll need to go to less prominent venues than everyone's JP darling Ghostclub. I just prefer going with a group to those else it feels like I'm stealing a seat. 😅 Right now my main lead in that effort has been discovering the @vrc_mce_bot calendar. Although I did find out at some point that Ghostclub has a Twitch stream... 👀
Check out club hopping groups (just being sure to drink water, heh) either arranged via Discord or just joining people I know who do that at night via Join Friends. As experienced above I do best with pre-show energy when I'm attending solo, but that doesn't seem as necessary if I'm with friends or at familiar clubs. Sometimes it's harder to groove out if the group's on the constantly-chatty side... 😂
Tail the DJs I've connected to the music of, as they tend to advertise events I'd otherwise possibly miss through their socials! e.g. GRAZ at SlyFest Azuria, TORIENA at Shelter lowkey getting me to try going that first time. JP names like D.watt of teen me's roots in Touhou music, or new names for me like DJ Sharpnel, YSS, etc. Maybe find if any AnisonHijack DJs have a VRChat presence. 🔍
Limits
✳ Physically in stamina
✳ Socially in attendance
✳ Musically in eclecticism
✳ Aesthetically in openmindedness
-- the club catharsis
Until next time 👋
TravelingTwila
Comments