vibe

A super-hero created by Gerry Conway for DC Comics

Seeing the obvious need for angry, young, male Latino super-heroes, the Justice League of America introduced Vibe, a break-dancing gang member with a heart of gold and the ability to produce shockwaves from his hands (and yes I said "break-dancing") During one of the Justice League's darker hours, the group was pared down to Martian Manhunter, Zatanna, Elongated Man and Aquaman along with a number of new comers. The group had moved to Detroit to use the bunker of Commander Steel as a headquarters.

During this time, the group met up with Paco Pamone, the leader of the Los Lobos, a local street gang. Paco was known in the gang as Vibe because of his natural ability to project shockwaves from his hands. When the rival gang the Devil Dogs (really...I'm not kidding) attacked, Vibe used his powers and some break-dance moves to defeat his rivals without hurting them. He was offered membership in the League and accepted.

Vibe's time in the League was a turbulent one. He was constantly in conflict with his fellow members, particularly some of the older members. When the League was disbanded during the Legends mini-series, Vibe took it particularly hard.

Vibe was killed by an android sent by the League villain Professor Ivo. Ivo was eventually brought to justice by Martian Manhunter and Vixen.

Vibe's brother, Amando, it was later revealed shared his brother's ability to project shockwaves and became a hero under the name Reverb. He was a member of the short-lived group the Conglomerate, lead by Booster Gold.

Among ravers, the word vibe is a topic of great discussion. Lately the debate is whether the vibe is still alive in our scene. People often say "That party had no vibe whatsoever," but what is the vibe? Why is it so important?

A vibe is a difficult concept to wrangle with words, but it's very easy to feel a vibe. A vibe is the mark of a great rave. Good parties graduate to magical status with the presence of a vibe. A vibe will imprint a night into your memory forever; you will never forget a rave that had a vibe. Of course, a vibe can exist in varying degrees. Certain parties may have a little vibe while the vibe at others can be so thick that it just envelops you.

What makes a vibe?
Is it the music? The DJ? The people? The venue?
It's everything. Excellent music is a plus. A DJ that loves what he/she does can only help. The people create and prolong the vibe. A party where everyone is up dancing, and supporting the DJ is almost guaranteed to have a vibe. Although it's nice to have a good, clean, dry venue a vibe can overcome any defects the venue may have. A vibe is a feeling that everyone at the party is somehow connected. Everyone smiles at each other. There is no drama or animosity towards one another. You don't have to ask for water, people offer you water or soda or juice. People give you candy (wearable or edible), or acknowledge your presence with a smile and a nod. You can go up to anyone and talk to them. When a DJ is spinning and your dancing your ass off you can't help but smile. The next day your face hurts because you smiled all night.

A lot of people would say that there is no vibe at a rave; everyone's on drugs and none of the feelings are real. That is horrifically untrue. Yes, drugs can help a vibe along, but they are not necessary for a vibe to exist. I have been to many parties completely sober, and the vibe was overwhelming, and I have been to parties fucked up beyond belief where a vibe was barely traceable.

This past Friday, I felt a vibe like none other at a party in Springfield, MO where DJ Spree was spinning. He spun a two-hour set, and I don’t think a person in that place sat down for those entire two hours. People sang the words of the familiar anthems to one another. “Only love can set you free” “Can you feel the passion running through my veins, driving me insane” The words are cheesy, but with a vibe they seem to be the most perfect truths ever uttered. Ravers have been criticized for being a bunch of drugged up delinquents, but with my experience I have never found a place with more love, care, and acceptance than a rave that has a vibe. Our love for music brings us together in a way that transcends time and space. For one magical night we all love each other and the world is perfect.

Vibe is also the name of NBTel's residential ASDL and formerly HFC) service. Currently it is only available in the cities of New Brunswick and their suburbs. It is functionally identical to Bell Canada's Sympatico High Speed Edition.

There is a companion digital cable service called Vibe Vision which uses the ADSL lines and special hardware and software made by iMagicTV to transmit television signals.

The above mentioned rave vibe has moved into general use in the internet crowd. In the most general sense a vibe refers to the emotional tone of a place, group, person, website, or whatever else. A vibe is felt intuitively and typically resists analytical examination. Vibes can be good or bad, friendly or off putting, energetic or mellow and may be detected by some while being completely absent to others. The vibe of a place and the feel of a place are basically interchangeable though vibe has slightly more essentialist connotations. A vibe taken in a general sense can refer to an aesthetic absent any instantiation.

The other modern usage is as a verb. It can be used one of two ways. To vibe in isolation just means to chill or relax. It has a slightly more deliberate and active connotation than either but it basically means to have a good time in a mellow fashion. If someone is vibing with something or someone else they are involved in some positive emotional way. This can mean having an engaging conversation, feeling the message of a song, liking the atmosphere in a video game, or just enjoying people watching at a park.

Obviously, vibe in all of its incarnations has been short for vibrations. We've long attached musical language to things felt and nebulous and vibes appear to be just one more example of this tendency.

IRON NODER XVI: MORE STUBBORN-HARD THAN HAMMER'D IRON