Drug panic flashbacks by KRISTA The media must be getting bored of covering famine and devastation and waiting for the Olympics to start because I've recently noticed a resurgence in anti-rave propaganda, focusing on, of course, drugs. How shocking that one might find illicit substances being used in the realm of "the underground"--you'd think they might want to take a closer look at professional sports or the modelling industry. The unfortunate part is that all this hype seems to cause the Powers That Be to lapse into a froth about how the youth of today is spinning out of control, and their solution is to just shut everything down. I believe we've been through this once before, but it looks like it's starting again: city officials in Toronto decreed earlier this summer that all nighttime events within the city are now illegal, and there has been yet another series of drugs raids on major clubs in NYC like Tunnel, Cheetah, Roxy, and Vinyl, an alcohol-free venue where Masters at Work and Danny Tenaglia hold residencies. To top it all off, even the authorities in Ibiza, the infamous "Island of Dreams" where rules needed not apply, are now cracking down on partygoers. The latest issue of "new music manifesto" Revolution Magazine contains an article about "the war on clubs and drugs" currently being waged in cities across the U.S. Did you know that the U.S. Senate is currently tabling three bills that would make it illegal to even distribute information about ecstasy and "club drugs"? Knock on wood. Montreal doesn't seem to have anything to worry about--for now. But it's food for thought. One more word of caution: It's frosh week again. I know this because the lineup outside Angel's has once again tripled in size and the streets are filled with groups of screaming student-types wearing T-shirts that say things like "21st-Century Frosh." Molson must love this time of year. And I thought only cats had nine lives. Club China is still alive. For a while there it was looking sketchy. DJ Joubin took over the Release Friday night spot as of last week, and Laflèche is holding fast to his very intense Intense Sundays. This Friday, Sept. 1, InBeat employee of the month (kidding) DJ Rob Brown joins XL behind the decks at Stereo. This will be Rob's second time at Stereo, but for all intents and purposes we'll call it his first, because this time he's getting some proper promo. $17 at the door. Which leads me to ask: What's with the InBeat staff these days, anyhow? They're getting all the gigs. InBeat chief DJ Chris Pronovost joins the Nude crew at Jaï this Sunday, Sept. 3, where he'll hopefully pick up where he left off last Sunday after NYC's Frankie Feliciano graced the tables. The two had the place all lit up, playing everything from Martha Washington to soca and dancehall tunes.