For the past six years, United States of Consciousness (USC) has been throwing the Northwest's largest all-ages electronic-music parties. You might've seen their fliers around town--four-color foldout glossies that are so elaborate they're almost like children's pop-up books. USC's first event, "One," was held at NAFF Studios in West Seattle, and has since grown into a Northwest institution with events like "Freaknight" and anniversary parties that bring in artists like Josh Wink, Jungle Brothers, DJ Sneak, Sasha, and Carl Cox. USC's fourth anniversary was Seattle's largest electronic-music event, bringing in over 10,000 people to the Stadium Exhibition Center--not an intimate affair by any means.

This year's event doesn't seem to be shrinking in size one bit. With four stages featuring artists such as Crystal Method, DJ Swamp, Rahzel, Micro, Richard "Humpty" Vission, Donald Glaude, AK1200, Utah Saints, and Joey Beltram, BMX and skateboarding competitions, and interactive entertainment, USC 6 definitely isn't your underground "call the number to find the secret checkpoint out in the desert"-style rave. Much like Lollapalooza and the Warped Tour, the event seems to be evolving into a "culture in a can" type of experience, which isn't always a bad thing, but more like the natural progression for a successful event of this size. Not everyone has the energy to seek out every underground nook and cranny of particular music and culture scenes, and sometimes it's just easier when the event comes and smacks you upside the head. With USC's predominately underage crowd, keep in mind that the bottom line with events like this is that they're supposed to be fun. NICOLAE WHITE

USC 6, Sat June 1, Stadium Exhibition Center, 888-221-7491, www.uscevents.com.

nicolae@thestranger.com