A former neo-Nazi who once spread hate through violent music has revealed an unexpected path to redemption: rave culture and electronic dance music.
Arno Michaelis was once the lead singer of a neo-Nazi metal band and a prominent member of Hammerskin Nation, one of the most dangerous white supremacist skinhead gangs in the US. Today, he works as an anti-hate activist with organizations like Parents for Peace, helping to deradicalize others caught in extremist movements.
Michaelis recently appeared on Business Insider‘s “Authorized Account” series, in which he opened up about how raves played a crucial role in his journey away from extremism.
“My deradicalization process was the Midwest rave scene,” Michaelis said. “Within a year and a half of leaving the hate group, I found myself on the South Side of Chicago, 4 in the morning on Sunday, shaking my ass to house music with 3,000 people of every possible ethnicity, socioeconomic background, gender identity, sexual orientation—and loving every minute of it.”
From 1987 to 1994, Michaelis was deeply embedded in white supremacist activities, with his band Centurion selling over 20,000 copies of its hateful albums in just six months. His days, he recalled, were marked by violence, paranoia, addiction and crime.
Michaelis said he severed ties with his hate group after seven years of living “in constant fear” and found himself attending raves in Chicago, which is universally considered the birthplace of house music. He noted that the scene “took over and filled those needs of identity, purpose and belonging” that had initially drawn him to extremism.
“In the rave scene of the ’90s, their mantra was ‘peace, love, unity and respect,'” Michaelis said, highlighting the stark contrast to his previous worldview.
You can watch his interview on Business Insider‘s “Authorized Account” series below.
