Information from commercial organisations such as labels or magazines is welcome, as is promotional information about forthcoming events. However please restrict regular postings to once a month, max.

Due to the size of sound or graphics files, encoded in .UUE format, it is suggested that these are either advertised in the group and then sent by email to those who respond, or placed on a site for either WWW or FTP access.

You are expected to "live and let live", and have respect for others' views, opinions and lifestyles. Sexual or racial harassment, personal abuse or disapproval are deemed unacceptable. If you want to say "This newsgroup's crap" you're welcome to, just explain why you think so.

However has collected together a set of definitions of some of the various types of Techno which may help explain what is what.

Q. - "What does P.L.U.R. actually mean?"

A. - As defined above it means "Peace Love Unity Respect", but what does that mean? :-) Peter Douglas was brave enough to try to describe what it means to him and, with the general agreement of the newsgroup, I reproduce it here.
PLUR - A Definition

Q. - "People keep talking about 'Munting' - what's that all about?"

A. - It's a special UMR word really, others lay claim to local usage of it but ours is the original! :) Loosely speaking it's the act of going out raving and all that it entails but here's a full definition that Fierce J. Munter put together for us.
Munting - A Definition

Q. - "I'm in Eire, does that exclude me from uk.music.rave?"

A. - Nope, certainly not! We're sorry that there wasn't a more appropriate naming method but the UK heirarchy was the most obvious place for this newsgroup, please feel free to join in and you'll find Dermott Bolger (probably our most well known Irish contributor) here - I'm sure he'll be glad to help with more specifically Irish issues and has written some excellent reviews of the Dublin clubs for our Listing section.

Q. - "Is there a uk.music.rave T-shirt available?"

A. - Susan Humphrey kindly produced a run of T-shirts in April 1996, they are still available and can be seen on the web at http://www.gold.net/users/ge75/umr1.html - please email Susan () for further information. The 'background' of this FAQ is the logo used on the T-shirts and any profits will be donated to the Freedom Network.

Q. - "How about badges?"

A. - The ever-resourceful UMR crew have been at it again, Andy Pearmund has produced some black badges with flouro bananas which you can view and order at http://www.apmicro.demon.co.uk/umr/badges/.

Q. - "What is the 'Amen Break' ?"

A. - 'Amen' refers to a tune called 'Amen Bros' by The Winstons and the 'break' is a drum pattern which came from it and became the basis of most drum & bass today. Click here to hear a sample of it.

Q. - "What are 'Return To The Source' and 'Escape From Samsara'?"

A. - They are two of the most well-known underground trance nights in London, 'Return To The Source' (RTTS) is a Goa trance club which also plays outside London from time to time while 'Escape From Samsara' (EFS) is an Uplifting techno/trance club based at The Fridge but also seen at Bagleys occasionally. UMR readers are often to be found at these events so if you're planning a visit, look out for messages (or leave one of your own) regarding meet-ups.

Q. - "What should I do if someone collapses near me at a rave?"

A. - Get help immediately. Do not give them water or anything else, don't rush them outside, get help from the security people. Follow this link for further guidelines.

Q. - "What's the name of the music that's playing in 'Trainspotting' during the sequence where he's tripping in his bedroom at his parents' house having just come out of hospital? I went out and bought the soundtrack CD but it's not on it........"

A. - It is the Dark Train mix of Dark and Long by Underworld. You can get it either on the CD single of Dark and Long, or on the second CD of the Born Slippy re-issue (the one with the slightly darker sleeve).

Q. - "Where can you buy fluro paint?"
A. - You can get it in toyshops and 'new age' type gift shops (not very long lasting), but good photographic shops (the pro ones) will sell a better version which is used to mark things (like corners, doors etc) in darkrooms. You can also get fluoro Hamerite in places like B&Q etc.

I've also put together a 'FUN-FAQ', let me know if you've got anything which ought to appear here?

• The Great Banana debate - do they prevent the "Tuesday Blues"?

• A Police spokesperson admitting they got info about raves from u.m.r

• Get-togethers at major events like Tribal Gathering and Dreamscape.

• The "Who is God, how old is he and what colour socks does he wear?" debates (originally about Carl Cox)

• Serious worries about rug abuse by uk (.music.) ravers...

And

8) Other Rave-Related References, etc.

To reduce the size of this document these sections have been moved out to a seperate file.
Select it here or call them from the Contents menu.

Help is available from:-
'Release', the National Legal and drugs helpline who produce a wide range of information including an advice line for if you get arrested, and you can also get a wallet sized card which goes through your rights on arrest. They're contactable on 0171 729 9904 (M-F 10-6) and 0171 603 8654 (other times)

ECSTACY

What follows is almost an idiot's guide to Ecstasy. It only contains the information deemed most important to ones safety. For a more detailed view on Ecstasy see the references at the end of this faq.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, Ecstasy is MethyleneDioxy- MethAmphetamine. Other names include E, X or Adam. In its raw form it is a snow white powder. Patented in 1913 by a German company called Merck. It is an hallucinogenic drug with extraordinary empathogenic qualities.

When ingested Ecstasy triggers the release of Serotonin. A chemical in the brain that affects the way we feel. The user will then experience a change in mood. Each user would describe the feeling differently but almost universally they will mention a feeling of calm, or at peace with those around them. As well as Serotonin the brain will release Endorphins. These will also relax the user and in many cases Endorphins act as pain killers. There will be a change in the heart rate of the user as the heart beats more quickly and the blood pressure increases. The main effect the drug has on people is to allow them to become more spiritually aware of the people around them, to increase one's empathy, and to make one feel 'amongst friends.' There is also a sensation known as rushing, which is similarly difficult to describe as sneezing or having an orgasm. This comes in waves all through the trip, but more often at the begining. It is a very powerful feeling of light-headedness, during which it is common to want to hold someone's hand close to you. This is also the time at which you realise how the drug got it's name.

On its own MDMA is not a dangerous substance. There is always the danger that pills bought as MDMA might actually be something else.

At the doses recomended in this FAQ it is thought by the experts not to damage brain cells. If you were to double the dosage to 5mg/kg of bodyweight then from results taken from experiments on primates and rats then there is a probability that it does. There is a risk that as toxic thresholds in primates are generally different to those in humans that even with the recomended dosage there could be damage. The recomendations from the experts are to keep the dosage as low as possible i.e. 2.5mg per kg of bodyweight.

There have been deaths attributed to Ecstasy use, but sadly these were almost all caused because the users had overheated whilst dancing. These deaths could have been avoided had the users been aware of the dangers and had sufficient access to drinking water. These are the issues this faq hopes to address.

MDMA is not technically physically addictive. It is however addictive psychologically. There are many cases of people having difficulty with their lives after having taking Ecstasy for some time. It can easily become habitual. An indication of psychological dependance is a feeling of anxiousness before you are about to take it.

There are two main sources of Ecstasy pills in the U.K. Some are made in sheds or clandestine labs in the U.K. and some (probably most) come from Holland (and are smuggled in via the Channel Tunnel!). The people who make the MDMA powder are not always the people who press the pills. Some suppliers will buy the powder from one source and press with another. As far as materials are concerned the cost per pill is almost negligible, less than 50 pence.

Yes, Ecstasy is a class A drug under the Misuse Of Drugs Act 1971.

Bought in bulk from source as little as 5 pounds. In a club one pill can cost 15 pounds, but more normally 10.

For the first time it is recommended that you take no more than half. If after an hour you feel OK then try the other half. Many sensitive or small people can feel quite happy with just half all night, and these people should not go on to take more. The most pills any one person should take is two with at least 2 - 3 hours between. The optimum dosage is between 2 - 3mg/kg body weight.

As a guide this chart shows dosage @2mg/kg body weight and it is assumed that the pills contain 125mg MDMA, which is only an average.

        Kilos/lbs     mg MDMA         No Pills
        31/68           62              1/2
        47/103          94              3/4
        62/137          125             1
        78/171          156             1 1/4
        94/206          187             1 1/2
        104/274         250             2

Pills are swallowed with water. The powdered form of MDMA however can be snorted. This can reduce the time it takes to come up.

The less food you have in your stomach the quicker the effects will begin. If you're dancing all night it's a good idea to eat something beforehand. Bear in mind that food can stay in your stomach for four hours.

It depends on how hot you are, but half a litre an hour is a good starting point. Drink more if you feel that you need it but do not force the water down as that can cause problems on it's own.

The period after taking the drug is called the come down. The next day it is unlikely you will be back to normal. You may feel depressed and very tired with all the dancing you've done. You will need one and a half times the sleep you have lost to make up. If you lost 8 hours you will need 12 hours sleep in total. Some people report an altered state of consciousness for 4 - 5 days after. Others feel very happy but tired.

No, it is a criminal offence to drive whilst under the influence of Ecstasy, just as it is with any other recreational drug or alcohol.

Yes you can. Alcohol also causes dehydration and can make things worse however, so only drink in moderation. Alcohol does tend to reduce the effectiveness of MDMA by numbing the parts the drug is working on, although some people find it enhances it's effects.

Some people do feel nauseous while the drug starts to take effect. If you are sick however this will pass. People who are sick (about 10%) do not say that this has spoiled their experience too much. The nausea can be avoided by taking less of the drug at a time, for example taking two halves instead of one whole pill, although even this varies from person to person.

Normally about four hours. Longer if you take more, but if you do this, you won't prolong the pleasurable effects of the drug, only the feelings of being stoned, or out of it (being shit-faced!). The more you take, the stronger the come-down will be.

People who take the drug once a week tend to run into trouble, as other things in their lives become less and less interesting. This would technically indicate a habit. Those who only take the drug once a month or once every two weeks tend to be able to keep the rest of their lives in perspective. It is important even then to have breaks from the drug in order to let your brain recapture what it is you're doing in your life. Take advice from those around you. Often your friends can see a problem developing before you can.

There isn't any proof that it does directly. The change in moods that Ecstasy brings has affected some girls' menstruation in as much as their periods have both stopped and started at the wrong time. Most girls however do not have any problem with this.

There is no known effect to blood sugar levels but you must adjust your sugar or insulin intake to allow for physical activity. A diabetic I know used to jog with a heart monitor. This would fairly accurately indicate by counting her heart beats how many miles she had run. She wore this monitor one night whilst dancing and in the morning it had counted enough heart beats to think she had run nearly forty miles. Never under estimate how much cardio-vascular exercise you can do whilst on Ecstasy. Keeps you fit? I think so.

Try the alt.drugs archive at http://hyperreal.com/drugs, Nicholas Saunders' E For Ecstacy pages at http://www.obsolete.com/ecstasy/ or the Urban75 drugs archive at http://www.urban75.com/Drugs/index.html.

The National Drugs Helpline (0800 776600) have also issued some cards about harm reduction, here is one they issued about "Water and Ecstasy" and another about "Bad Acid Trips".