A rave is a party in much the same way as a computer is a notebook with a calculator on the front. It's kind of the same thing, just much better. As we enter the 21st century, the number of people in the world continues to increase at a rate that is constantly increasing (this is to say the increase is exponential: dy/dx = k*y). Technology has been vital in providing us with the means necessary to interact with more and more people as the world's poplulation grows. One example of this is the use of email to write letters to more people than one would care to write with pen and paper.
We find another example in the rave. Modern digital technology has allowed the creation of music that is accessible to people of any cultural background. Earlier forms of music such as rock or country have lyrics that are about things that happen to people in a cultural context. Electronic music, on the other hand, is closer to classical music in that it is concerned mainly with variations on purely abstract themes. It can thus be appreciated by anyone, regardless of where they came from, what they learned in school, or what language they speak.
Some people, however, claim not to like electronic music. Again, technology comes to the rescue with designer drugs. Ecstasy, or MDMA provides us with a way to chemically alter our brain in such a way as to make electronic music irresistible. E floods the synapses with serotonin and thus greatly increases the effect of tactile stimuli. The result is that bass-heavy music like electronica (and this is true of hip-hop as well) feels very good. Ecstacy also causes dopamine to be released. The combination of serotonin and dopamine give the drug its name.
Now we have a reason for thousands of people to attend the same party (to really feel the effect, speakers pushed by about 100,000 Watts are necessary more people reduces the per person cost and thus improves the quality of music -- talent is needed as well as Wattage). Many years ago, this may have presented a problem. We all know that throughout human history, one of the primary concerns of mankind has been to alter his state of consciousness. In the past (and still to this day, due to the apparent ignorance of our lawmakers), the primary way to accomplish this task has been to drink alcoholic beverages. Alcohol, however, has been around for thousands of years and surely must be considered fairly dated for large gatherings. Its primary negative effect is ego-centrism (a disregard of others except in relation to the question "Am I getting laid tonight?").
Ecstasy differs in that the primary effect is happiness. When you put thousands of people together in a large space and make them all happy, they talk to each other and become friends. Everyone seems to melt into everyone else. This is the way the future should be: a utopia where people can put their differences aside and live together in peace. PLUR