Stray Landings

If we should be thankful for anything from the 90s UK pop culture, it should rave. The rave culture of 90s UK can be a hard one to describe. ‘Rave’ can often hold a broad definition, encircling any and all culture related to nightclubs or to dancing. But there is a specific 90s trend in music culture that ‘rave’ is home to. Inspired by the Ibiza clubs and the development of house and techno in Chicago and Detroit, rave parties and rave records began appearing in the UK at the turn of the decade. They were high-octane, anarchistic, and fuelled by kilos of MDMA. Imagine 20,000 people dancing in a field to repetitive breakbeat on a homemade sound system off the M25. This was the spirit of rave. Although seemingly trivial, this odd historical moment in UK culture sparked an explosion of dance music throughout 90s. The format of rave was ultimately responsible for the development of acid, jungle, speed garage and bassline: some of the UK’s most urgent and innovative music from the past 20 years. One common critic