darrell_giant
pfm Member
As others are telling their story I might as well chuck mine into the mix.
My first clubbing experience was the Havana club in Derby. As young teens we would go to ‘whities night’ to hear dub on a proper sound system and smoke. This was where I learned the joy of being locked to a groove. My eyes were opened wide.
After moving to San Francisco in the 80’s I helped out with my friend who was working on the lighting rig in in the Ibeam on Haight St. Stuff that went on there opened my eyes wider (those boys!) and introduced me to house, acid and E.
Returning to Bristol it was Vision, The Thekla, Trinity, Easton Community Centre and many free parties down the Feeder. Those were great, the music wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be (too much trance), but the freedom, anarchy and danger was fabulous. It was occupation of a space without consequence in way that would be hard to consider acceptable today. I worked in record shops and with friends we managed to put on some good nights, booking some great DJ’s at knockdown prices. We never made a penny on these nights as we tried to stand against the ‘superclub’ thing that was going on. Break-even was always the target and we often fell short of that. The most we ever charged was £6 entry to see people like Mills, Richie Hawtin, Derrick Carter, Nick Holder, etc. 1996 was a great year but by 1999 we were broke. It was an interesting time trying to oppose the flatulence and glamour that had become clubbing mainstream.
I was fascinated by a communal drug experience expressed through music and dancing and in 1994 did my dissertation on ecstasy and raving, attempting to trace episodes of overt communal and social drug consumption over a history of communication technologies from the telegraph through to the internet. I tried to argue that the collapse of time and spatial boundaries through communication technologies opened a new space into which stepped communal drug consumption as a means of exploring and occupying that space. I’m not sure I would agree with what I wrote today but it got me a good degree.
It’s interesting Jack, that you mention raving at Glastonbury. From my point of view it took Glastonbury an age to get its head around raving and to become comfortable with it as a part of their thing. After the wonderful chaos of the mid 80’s traveller scene (cheers Jez), there was a period of time when it seemed that Glastonbury ravers were seriously frustrated by the lack of embracement of their scene at the event. The raves were in the travellers camps outside the fences, whilst inside you got as you say, the rock/dance fusion of the Mondays. Orbital were good though.
I still love the music and haven’t given up on going out yet as a mid fifty year old. I don’t see the sterility and staleness that some see, and I don’t nostalgically mourn the loss of a glorious raving past. For sure the euphoria of the then new experience of E and raving that came in the 80’s is gone, but it is unreasonable to expect that to last beyond the moment. This is reflected in the music in that much of the cheese has been stripped out (piano lines, big breakdowns etc), and the music has matured (mature cheese?); it is a more serious, darker and understated experience that commands a different knowledge and understanding. What is left is still that thing that calls to the human spirit, of repetitive movement to repetitive music in a communal experience. It still has and always will have that force and power to unify people if put together well. In many ways I prefer it today.
It’s great to hear that Sq225917 was raving in a field just a couple of weeks ago. I too was in a field both playing and dancing this summer and it was fantastic. One of the very best nights I have ever had was in the last year with just 200 or so people in a grubby pop up club. It’s all still out there and who knows may yet experience renewed relevance in a post Brexit Britain. I hope so.
I've really enjoyed the contributions to this thread.
Text needs a tune. If you don’t know it wait for the drop at 3:38.
My first clubbing experience was the Havana club in Derby. As young teens we would go to ‘whities night’ to hear dub on a proper sound system and smoke. This was where I learned the joy of being locked to a groove. My eyes were opened wide.
After moving to San Francisco in the 80’s I helped out with my friend who was working on the lighting rig in in the Ibeam on Haight St. Stuff that went on there opened my eyes wider (those boys!) and introduced me to house, acid and E.
Returning to Bristol it was Vision, The Thekla, Trinity, Easton Community Centre and many free parties down the Feeder. Those were great, the music wasn’t quite where I wanted it to be (too much trance), but the freedom, anarchy and danger was fabulous. It was occupation of a space without consequence in way that would be hard to consider acceptable today. I worked in record shops and with friends we managed to put on some good nights, booking some great DJ’s at knockdown prices. We never made a penny on these nights as we tried to stand against the ‘superclub’ thing that was going on. Break-even was always the target and we often fell short of that. The most we ever charged was £6 entry to see people like Mills, Richie Hawtin, Derrick Carter, Nick Holder, etc. 1996 was a great year but by 1999 we were broke. It was an interesting time trying to oppose the flatulence and glamour that had become clubbing mainstream.
I was fascinated by a communal drug experience expressed through music and dancing and in 1994 did my dissertation on ecstasy and raving, attempting to trace episodes of overt communal and social drug consumption over a history of communication technologies from the telegraph through to the internet. I tried to argue that the collapse of time and spatial boundaries through communication technologies opened a new space into which stepped communal drug consumption as a means of exploring and occupying that space. I’m not sure I would agree with what I wrote today but it got me a good degree.
It’s interesting Jack, that you mention raving at Glastonbury. From my point of view it took Glastonbury an age to get its head around raving and to become comfortable with it as a part of their thing. After the wonderful chaos of the mid 80’s traveller scene (cheers Jez), there was a period of time when it seemed that Glastonbury ravers were seriously frustrated by the lack of embracement of their scene at the event. The raves were in the travellers camps outside the fences, whilst inside you got as you say, the rock/dance fusion of the Mondays. Orbital were good though.
I still love the music and haven’t given up on going out yet as a mid fifty year old. I don’t see the sterility and staleness that some see, and I don’t nostalgically mourn the loss of a glorious raving past. For sure the euphoria of the then new experience of E and raving that came in the 80’s is gone, but it is unreasonable to expect that to last beyond the moment. This is reflected in the music in that much of the cheese has been stripped out (piano lines, big breakdowns etc), and the music has matured (mature cheese?); it is a more serious, darker and understated experience that commands a different knowledge and understanding. What is left is still that thing that calls to the human spirit, of repetitive movement to repetitive music in a communal experience. It still has and always will have that force and power to unify people if put together well. In many ways I prefer it today.
It’s great to hear that Sq225917 was raving in a field just a couple of weeks ago. I too was in a field both playing and dancing this summer and it was fantastic. One of the very best nights I have ever had was in the last year with just 200 or so people in a grubby pop up club. It’s all still out there and who knows may yet experience renewed relevance in a post Brexit Britain. I hope so.
I've really enjoyed the contributions to this thread.
Text needs a tune. If you don’t know it wait for the drop at 3:38.
