MASSIVE music zine / rave bible

Some of the music zines from the 90s live on through web archives. My favourite of these is Massive, produced in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It documented and fed the rave scene in the midwest, with stories about local parties to interviews with disc jockeys (and whatever else they wished to share). Visually, it’s very telling of the time and contributes to a wider music history. You can see a new scene grow before your very own eyes, which is refreshing at this current time where nightlife feels so threatened. Flicking (virtually) through the pages of the zine, I find a lot of inspiration. Not everything you write has to be some incredible think piece or the most amazing story you’ve ever heard. There’s one page where a raver shares their story of their journey home, where they encounter a ‘bum’. Massive responded to the tale by sharing a “list of things to do if a bum messes wit’ cha” [even though they’re joking, I actually think some of it is good advice]. But there are also pieces like ‘5 books you should own to better understand the origins of rave’ and commentaries on the ‘state of the scene’ from then. Some people call it a rave bible, which I like because it makes it seem like something to live by. Honestly, there is such a variety from the visuals to the writing – you could probably pray to it if you really wanted to.