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Hannah and Kevin Pickens (HVNNVH and Slim Picknz): Builders of a Safe Music Community by Allison Robertson  

    EDM is not just a scene. It’s a community. Abilene has always had EDM around and thanks to some local artists it’s expanding. In February of this year, Hannah Pickens (DJ HVNNVH), along with her husband Kevin (DJ Slim Picknz), met with some other local members of the EDM community. They came together to help form the Abilene Rave Collective that it is today. As Hannah puts it, “We traveled to Dallas for it and we thought well we have plenty of DJs and plenty of artists. Why not try to do it here? It's got to be organized.” The Collective’s mission is to prioritize safety over profit and create inclusive spaces and foster genuine social connection through music and dance. 

 

    Hannah and Kevin began their DJ careers with help from their friends. “I’ve always loved EDM music. My husband and I had a few friends from Dallas that were professional DJs. We ended up getting really close with them and we asked them, "Can you guys teach us how to DJ?" They said, "If you buy a board, we'll help you.” They got their board out during an anniversary trip last year in Arkansas and have been playing ever since. 

 

    They found there was a sound and feeling that they wanted to portray in their music. Every DJ has a different style. “We could go to shows where you have ten DJs there. You might have one of them that played the sound that we wanted, where we thrived, where we felt it.” Kevin says of EDM performances. Hannah knew that “we can create that feeling, that sound that we love.We've met so many people that we realized there's so many different sounds and different kinds of music that make people feel happy. I'm just happy to be a part of that. To see everyone else's art through music is super cool.” Hannah describes her sound as “womp womp”, very deep bass with sounds that remind the listener of outer space. The feeling that Hannah  is reaching for with her music is “that feeling of seeing everyone on beat, just having fun and dancing together.Because it's a shared connection.” 

    Her love of bass and deep tones has been with her since she was a child. When talking about doing a show for the Southwest College for Deaf and Hard of Hearing in Big Spring, Hannah says  “They reached out to me and they were looking for a female artist that plays bass music. I was very happy to do that because I can kind of resonate with that because since I was a baby I've been deaf in my left ear. So all I can feel is the bass. All I can hear is the deep tones. And so whenever. I felt like I was just meant to be.” 

 

    Among her influences are ALLEYCVT AND Zeds Dead. Hannahs says ALLEYCVT is “one of my biggest inspirations for the sound that I'm reaching for.” Zeds Dead are classic EDM artists who have Hannah’s favorite sound. At their shows, she “ could feel the energy.  There's been times I cried.I just got goosebumps thinking about that.”

    Hannah and Kevin are happy to educate a newb like me about the EDM community and some traditions and beliefs of the culture. A handshake that is done at EDM events is known as PLUR. It represents the “unspoken rule that people have at raves.” PLUR stands for Peace Love Unity and Respect. People make Kandi (beaded) bracelets and exchange them during the handshake. This exchange, especially for newcomers, helps people come out of their shell and get to know others. 

    

    Kevin describes the rave community as free of competition and as a place where “we're all supposed to be together and respect each other's boundaries.” The attributes of the PLUR are seen at every event. Hannah has “been to shows with 6,000 people where there wasn't one fight, one person in trouble. Everyone was looking out for each other.The rave community really is such a tight-knit community.So accepting of everybody from any background, you know, and that's what we really push for with that culture. It's just to be fully accepting of everyone.”

 

    Another important aspect of the EDM culture is flow art, dancers who use different items such as scarves or LED items and create a beautiful scene of movement. Hannah believes the dancers “make the scene even better.” Everybody makes room for the dancers. They are as much a part of the show as the DJs. Each member of the community is a vital part of EDM. The DJs and dancers bring the entertainment but everyone volunteers to help bring it all together. 

Hannah says “everybody from the decorating team to the door staff to the production team, like it couldn't happen without each and every one of our crew.”

 

    The Collective has been met with some skepticism and misconceptions of the EDM culture. People outside of the community have just seen the media portrayal of raves and EDM.  They think “everyone is screwed up on drugs,” says Kevin. They stay positive and they educate people, like me, who don’t know much about the scene. Hannah states she reminds the group that “anything good takes work. It's just a roadblock, it's not the end of the road.”

 

    Hannah and Kevin and the members of The Abilene Rave Collective are going to be bringing a lot of music through the Key City. They have a show on May 23rd at the Dive Bar on North 8th (formerly The Handle Bar). They will continue to have monthly shows at the B&C Patio in Baird and they are planning on having a festival in September with 2-3 stages and music for 24 hours. Make sure to follow them on social media to stay up-to-date on their future events. 

 

Links:

 

Hannah’s TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hvnnvhdj/

 

Hannah’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hvnnvhdj/

 

Hannah’s Soundcloud: https://on.soundcloud.com/tR7apAY0byE3oehv51

 

Hannah’s Radiate Profile: https://tinyurl.com/5n8u6v2r

 

Hannah’s Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/ybhasmtr

 

Abilene Rave Collective’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61587615372806

 

Abilene Rave Collective’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/abileneravecollective/

 

Upcoming Shows 

 

May 23rd-Dive Bar on North 8th (formerly The Handle Bar)

 

Monthly Shows at the B&C Patio in Baird

 

September TBA: Festival