It’s been lurking in the underground for more than a decade, but only until now has the rave scene gotten attention.

Though there has been a rave scene in Iowa for nearly that long, it has grown rapidly in the past year, and at its forefront is the production crew known as The Invasion, whose current members include Nnnothing, Kernel Scurry, Intraveinous and digitalkiller.

In celebration of its one-year anniversary and its first party, All Night, The Invasion is holding another rave Saturday called All Night II.

“I wanted to give back to the scene that kind of made me who I am,” said the Invasion’s John Hoover who goes by the bane of Intraveinous.

The original All Night had an array of talent from all over the Midwest, including DJ Storm from Milwaukee, .Com from Omaha and Double X from St. Louis. The crowd it attracted was a mix of seasoned ravers and people experiencing their first rave.

In the past year, the Invasion has thrown ten separate events, all a success in the eyes of Intraveinous.

“Seeing a kid smile and dance, or having someone come up and say `Thank you so much, this is just what I needed’ or `Another great party, as always’ makes it all worth it for me,” Intraveinous said.

Though the act of throwing a rave may not seem worthwhile, considering the amount of work that is involved, and the reality of having little or no monetary return for that work, the members of the Invasion crew find it satisfying to see the smiles on the faces of the people that show up and have a good time.

Most people, when they think of a rave, have a generally bad concept of what the rave scene is about, Intraveinous said. It’s not about getting high or drugged up, but about music, acceptance and understanding.

“Most people that come to raves looking for drugs do so because they are told everyone is on drugs, and the whole music and dancing thing is just a guise for a giant drug ring, which is the complete opposite,” Intraveinous explained about the bad rap the rave scene gets.

In its long history, the Invasion has had much success at throwing raves, however, with All Night II, there have been some complications. The original plan was to have a large two-room rave with six of the most popular past headliners from all of their raves, as chosen by the raving populace.

However, after taking a loss at the last party, plans have changed. There was to be a two part event, with the first part to be held on April 7, and the second on the 28, but after problems with the venue, the time scale had to be pushed back, with All Night II Part 1 being held on April 28, and the second part on June 9.

This has not deterred any of the Invasion, however, with many of the original talent still playing at All Night II Part 1.

“What sticks out in my mind about the kids in Iowa is their open-mindedness,” said DJ Jon Gotti, who spun at last year’s All Night and is returning to play at the sequel. “Hopefully that open-mindedness is something that endures in the scene.”

There are many DJs returning to play in Iowa that have been veterans of Invasion raves. Some of these include Indianapolis’ Chocolate, K-step, and Adam Jay; Omaha’s Kaoss and .Com, All Night’s headliner Barbarella from L.A., and Solaris from Kansas City.

“There will be ups and downs as always, but for the most part, more ups than downs,” Intraveinous said about looking toward the future of the Invasion and the rave scene.

For more information on All Night II or the Invasion, visit the group’s Web site, www.invasioncrew.com, or send an e-mail to [email protected].