Ultraviolet: Damage Report

As I sit outside, smoking my cheap cigarettes, I can’t help but feel a twing of come down.

This weekend my friends and I had a blast at Ultraviolet, a party down in Lithia, FL. As an outdoor rave, I expected it to be full of craziness and awesome music, which we definitely experienced plenty of.

The ride down to Lithia was easy enough, nothing major along the way but we did get caught up in a few accidents – a bikefest was going on, hopefully they’re all alright.

Missing our exit, we got a little sidetracked but we eventually found the spot.

It was being held at Jeff’s place, a ranch, with plenty of room for people to camp, park and have a good time.

My friend Paris rode out to the party with me, his first time experiencing something like this so it was a blast to introduce him to the music and parties I love.

Once he got there his eyes lit up, he knew it was going to be wild.

(This isn’t Paris but he did have the same expression – priceless)

Waiting for my friends to arrive, we took the opportunity to chat with a few people and run into some old friends.

James and company showed up, trying to flag me down by calling me, only to be a few cars away – figures.

Believe me, a 2 hour drive to a party is still a pain in the ass but it’s all worth it once everyone shows up. We went ahead and tailgated for a short while, drinking a bit and catching up to speed on everyone whose coming out and what’s everyone been up to.

It’s awesome having party friends, although you can barely ever remember everyones’ name, they’re still a welcome whenever you bump into another.

In we went.

I quickly came down to earth when I stepped in a big pile of cow shit but fuck it, shit happens.

We set up tent and low-and-behold, my bud Josh and company were right across from us, this was getting better and better.

Usually I keep my phone off (because it’s usually dead) but I kept getting texts from people I know arriving, so we did the meet and greet, caught up and decided to get the party started.

TEK throws some amazing parties, they’re really holding it down and Ultraviolet was by far one of the biggest they’ve held in a long while.

The ranch was like la-la land, there was UV art all over the place. Many times I almost feel into the brook in a drunken stagger but not this time.

Booming, the bass hit hard and fast, everyone was starting to get into it, people glowing, flashing lights, connecting and uniting.

It’s best to leave out some of the details but it started to get really crazy from then on out.

I’m glad we brought a tent because I was floored. I’m a little bummed because I got into it way to quick, I missed an act or two but it pepped me back up and I got right back into it.

Gotta love all the POI dancers, the bright light of the fire surrounded by woods feel so natural and at home. Big ups to them.

Before long we kept running into more people we knew, growing the circle more and more. Like any party, groups tend to fracture as others chill out or get to the floor – we needed to be right down with the music.

I subscribe to the ‘Fuck It’ mentality when it comes to outdoor parties. I grab a few supplies (cigs and beer), a wad of cash and show up, everything else I let the chips fall where they may.

Ultraviolet 4-24-2010

Dj Truk {TEK} = Tampa Electronic Krew | MySpace Video

This attitude generally always leads to some kind of wild nite as you begin to curse the lack of food, tent, fire and other things you generally forget to bring.

I tell myself everytime I’ll invest in a good tent, fire pit, bring food and supplies but it never happens. Oh well, the music and people are all I need.

Speaking of food, I ran into (I’m sorry, I forget your name again) the guy I met at an old party that set up a grill and made food, steakhouse style (with all the flipping and shenanigans).

It’s funny as hell watching everyone get blown up by a grill and him tossing food.

The music kept booming and by far my favorite set of the nite was by Mix Vicious (psytranceeee!). The music in general was really great, tons of great acts that brought some killer music in their mixes. Blah, I wish it was still going on.

Well, it didn’t take long for things to get a little out of hand. Although, from what I understand, the music was low enough after midnight, the neighbors hassled the cops so they had to come out.

So they wouldn’t get their gear confenscated, they had to finally shut down the music around 3am. But everyone was still going.

The groups converged and everyone stared in awe as the POI dancers did their thing. Everything became a bit intimate, we ran between camps to meet up with the people we know.

James and company had to book it around the same time, working on Sunday’s always suck but you gotta make a living so off they went.

Paris and I, however, stuck around (a major reason was that the cops were waiting around outside ha – not falling for that shit again).

The odd sense of paranoia finally started to wash over everyone. It happens. The time of the night where everyone is coming down and exhaustion is setting in, it begins to be quiet and there’s a chill vibe running through the air.

Finally, as the sun rose, we rode out, a long ass haul back to our warm beds and something to drink and eat besides booze.

Ultraviolet was a lot of fun, really put all on all our edge. Outdoor parties are always the way to go down here in Florida, it’s good to get outside the clubs and warehouses to experience nature.

All this drabble aside, Ultraviolet was fuckin kick ass.

(Check out some more pics on Truk’s page: Ultraviolet Pics)