Synthetic Drugs: Cultural Worlds, Trance Music and Cyberspace

Vasco Gil Calado - ODT/IDT Research Department.
This research, of an intrinsically qualitative and exploring nature, carried out an analysis on the collected information in several virtual and eletronic spaces associated to the "trance culture".

This qualitative and exploratory research carries out a content analysis of data from several virtual settings associated to «trance culture». The methodology chosen was non-participant observation.
Psychedelic trance is a type of electronic dance music. It came to Portugal in the mid-nineties and it’s played and danced at certain types of night parties – trance parties –, where, according to the majority of authors who studied the subject, the use of drugs (especially synthetic or designer drugs) is a common practice.
Trance population makes of certain virtual settings (such as Internet homepages or electronic debate forums) a place of rendezvous, where trancers can meet, interact and debate. This cyberspace is an interface of intense traffic of information, personal stories, and also a setting of learning and socialization towards illegal substances (particularly those whose effects are proned to achieve certain objectives).
The research is not limited to an analysis of the data directly related to psychotropic abuse, it encompasses also an analysis of symbolic trance world (which is reflected in electronic documents and debate forums that were selected to be studied). This cultural universe is the context that helps to explain certain types of behavior and motivations to take drugs. Such motivations, cultural references of this symbolic world are peculiar to trance culture, which is fascinated by the fantastic, psychedelic and esoteric world to escape the ordinary daily routine and to reach the alteration of the senses seen as ultimate goals.
The drug use is seen from a utilitarian point of view, as something that allows trips, which are framed by the ideological principles and values that this subculture expresses. The psychoactive substances are of great importance during trance parties, just like music, dance, decor and clothing. Drug use has thus a symbolic meaning.
Through the analysis of trance phenomenon in the cyberspace, one can understand the meaning that the rituals of drug use has for such population, according to certain values, motivations and purposes.
Definitively, the goal of escaping reality, the idea of escaping daily routine, the festivity spirit, the hedonism for the sake of it, and the notion of “artificial paradises” are concepts that help to explain the use of some drugs, such as LSD or magic mushrooms.
Chapter 1 consists of a general introduction and a presentation of the methodology used in this research.

Chapter 2 presents the history of electronic dance music. There the reasons behind the uprising of electronic dance music, in the 80’s, are discussed, as well as the notion of rave party, the relationship between certain illegal drugs (Ecstasy, in particular) and dancing with the sound of this music in clubs and night parties.
Chapter 3 consists of an introduction to trance as a social phenomenon, discussing its connections to some social and cultural referents. Through the analysis of e-mail addresses, nicknames, guestbook messages and a specific homepage, one can conclude that the reference to psychedelic and to certain substances are permanent, pursuing the same logic of expansion of the senses and the search for “artificial paradises”.
Chapter 4 sketches a history of trance in Portugal, starting with the first party held in 1994 and ending up with the Boom Festival in 2002. The estimate of attendance in last festival was over 15,000 people. The notion of trance party was debated, as well as its core values, the motivations to attend one, and a typology of behaviors (namely the drug use) that takes place there. The evolution of trance, the ever-growing violence in trance parties, and the debate over the future of trance phenomenon are other topics discussed. The same issues are object of intense dispute in several electronic forums under scrutiny.
Chapter 5 presents a content analysis of social representations that trance population has about psychoactive substances (namely designer drugs, the most used by the trancers). Those social representations are well documented in the electronic forums of discussion. Three trends are identified: a) rejection of heroin (in minor degree, alcohol), because they are associated with other lifestyles; b) attraction for hallucinogenic and consciousness-expanding substances, namely LSD and others; c) glorification of natural substances, as magic mushrooms and psilocybin (those drugs are perceived as safe and harmless.    
Chapter 6 offers a general overview, pointing to the need of future deeper studies that will be able to identify patterns of drug use in this population. Some severe issues (as far as to the public health point of view go, but not exclusively) are also identified: the growing use of alcohol in trance parties, in contrast to the trend identified in chapter 5, cases of psychological dependence and mental disorders, cases of violence and environment of social intimidation, deviation of original ideological principles, among others.
The main purpose of this study is to search for a better “insider knowledge” of the trance subculture, especially its positioning towards legal and illegal drugs, their social representations and motivations for drug use. This attitude is based upon a theoretical point of view: it is impossible to act, prevent, reduce risks and minimize damages, in an effective manner without a real knowledge of the target subculture.
In short, the present research intends to help to understand the trance subculture, by revealing the motivations that explain the use of certain psychoactive substances.