Rave
We took techno legend Chris Liberator to a virtual rave, here’s what went down
Stay acid forever — With VR experience In Pursuit of Repetitive Beats currently running at London's Barbican Centre, Simon Doherty brought the acid punk figurehead along to see what he thought, and reflect on the health of the rave scene today.
Written by: Simon Doherty
New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture
Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Portraits of revellers at the birth of Northern rave culture
Party on — British photographer Steve Lazarides’s new book, Rave Captured, is a snapshot of defiant fun after a time of economic turmoil.
Written by: Ella Glover
Photos capturing the defiant spirit of the ‘90s rave scene
Party as protest — Photographer Vinca Petersen recounts how a movement born of music and hedonism quickly became a vehicle for civil disobedience and defiance of authority.
Written by: Huck
The UK's largest queer rave is defiant in the face of hate
Homobloc returns — Digital creator Aaron James, who appears in a new video released to mark the return of Homobloc, recalls a traumatic homophobic attack that reaffirmed to him the importance of queer solidarity and community.
Written by: Ben Smoke
The DJ throwing virtual raves for the deaf
Beyond The Screen In Lockdown — From raves for the deaf to Black ballet dancers and ‘outcast’ amateur wrestlers, now more than ever, communities are coming together online to keep their real-life connections alive. In our latest film series, we meet organisers that are pivoting during the pandemic and finding novel ways to take action.
Written by: Huck
A photographer’s tribute to the Welsh drum and bass scene
Rave to the grave — There’s a thriving rave community in any major UK city, and photographer Aiyush Pachnanda spent three years documenting Cardiff’s from the inside.
Written by: Rhys Thomas
A teen's visual diary of the early-90s rave scene
Punching the Light — At 15, Simon Burstall made two discoveries that would change him forever: photography and raves. Now, having trawled through a trove of material from that time, the Australian has uncovered scenes from a subcultural oasis – and a turning point in his life.
Written by: Cian Traynor
A visual history of America’s travelling rave scene
New age nostalgia — From 1990 to 1995, Tree Carr roamed the country documenting her psychedelic adventures on a disposable camera.
Written by: Laura Havlin
Beats and bills: how capitalism destroyed UK club culture
A love letter to ’90s rave — In the new film Beats, director Brian Welsh travels back to 1990s Aberdeen to tell the story of rave culture – why it mattered, and how it got torn apart.
Written by: Colin Crummy
The history of art and rave culture in ’90s Poland
140 beats per minute — This week, the Tate Modern is celebrating the aesthetics of the country’s rave scene, with an evening of films focused on the movement‘s key figures.
Written by: Eric Thorp
Why illegal raves are enjoying a renaissance in the UK
High on hope — A new documentary explores the rise of acid house culture in northern England; drawing parallels between Thatcher’s Britain and the Tory-inflicted austerity of today.
Written by: Simon Doherty
