To kick off the Halloween season, The University of Rhode Island Electronic Music Association with a spooky-themed costume rave on Friday featuring three New England DJs.
The club held its first event of the year in the Memorial Union at 6 p.m. and concluded at 9 p.m. Many attendees sported their Halloween costumes on the dance floor.
Boston-based DJ i[B]unlimited kicked off the event with a high-energy set. URI alumna Tessa LeMay ’23, known on stage as badbabez, spun next. Boston-based DJ feardotcom kept the energy until the end of the night with a spooky, bass-heavy set. Students dressed as witches, cowgirls, and Y2K ravers took to the dance floor.
Among many house, dubstep, hyperpop and hard techno favorites, familiar artists were blended into the sound of the night, like Lady Gaga, Rebecca Black, Denzel Curry and others.
The Electronic Music Association is a campus club created in an inclusive environment by hosting concerts, raves, beat-making competitions and skill-sharing workshops for those interested in DJing and music production, according to their website.
Previous events held by the club included a Vampire rave last Halloween, a disco dance party and a Minecraft beat-making competition where members used sound samples from the game, according to the club’s Instagram, @uri_.ema.
“It’s a place where you can truly be yourself and expect everybody else to,” Damien Lepine, president of the EMA, said.
Lepine joined last year as a freshman, and said he quickly found community and opportunities to grow as a DJ in the club.
“Raves are kind of like an environment where it changes how people behave,” Eton Chen ’20, a graduate who participated in EMA, said. “Friendships made at raves are very easy and fast, and that’s what I really like about going to events.”
In addition to making space for students to find new friends and dance the night away, the club’s focus this year is creating workshops led by club alumni for those interested in electronic music and DJing at all skill levels, according to Lepine.
In previous years, one larger group would all participate in the same workshop activity. The club hopes that introducing smaller group settings led by producers who were once in the club will allow students at different skill levels to learn and connect with others in a judgment-free space.
“We have people we know that are alumni that are really good with production and that have experienced EMA, so we’re bringing them back,” Lepine said. “We’re not giving these people a script, but they’ve been in the position of these other people that want to come to these workshops; they know what they’re thinking and what they’re struggling with.”
Lepine said he hopes to bring together a diverse group of personalities to foster an inclusive space that allows creativity and collaboration to flourish.
“We kind of thrive on that, because that’s how good music is made,” Lepine said.
The EMA meets in Memorial Union Room 124 on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m.
