Back in the early nineties l was having the time of my life. Me and a group of about twenty others would regularly travel in a convoy of cars to raves and free parties throughout the country.

It's easy to sneer at rave nowadays but at the time it really was a big deal. There is nothing quite like dancing in a field with a thousand other people during sunrise.

Looking back there were things that you can laugh about- the gurning, the big dayglo 'E' badge l had on my bandana (very tastefull), sniffing vicks inhalers, tiger balm.

l used to go to parties held by a group of travellers called Spiral Tribe. Every weekend the venue would change. We'd set off Friday evening and come home late Sunday morning. Somehow l managed to hold down a regular job but it wasn't easy.

l saw in one of the Sunday papers a few weeks ago that kids today are still raving. It tends to happen nowadays in forests rather than fields but the spirit is still the same.

I, unfortunatly was a little bit to young, but I love the music and the stories I've heard from friends and family.

This was the scene from were I am from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0-aylyV62Y

From the clothes and the music it looks like early nineties.

l used to go to warehouse parties around the Luton and Bedford area around that time as well although l never ventured as far north as Blackburn.

I came a little later, I wasn't part of the acid house scene, I came into the 'hardcore sound' around 94-96, I was part of the 'Hardcore Heaven' and 'Helter Skelter' mob at Milton Keynes.

DJ Dougal, Force and Styles, DJ Hype, I'd dance for 8 - 10 straight, a few times the glow sticks had to be prized from my hands, I used to sit in fields my whole body shaking. Thay were the best times of my life. The first time I went I wore one of them addidas all in one short thingys, I had one in red and one in black. I've still got them now.

I remember saying to my friend, 'how come it's raining when there is a roof'. Of course it wasn't rain it was sweat and the people were the most amazing, lovely, friendliest people i've ever met in my life.

I could go on for hours, those were the days

I will try and find a piccie of the thing I always wore

Got to admit thro the 90's i work nights for a club, ( live bands) so didnt really get involved in the rave scene properly until 95 ish, i used to wonder what was all the fuss about ? .

My first ever was something i'll never forget , the people were/ are fantastic and the music for me really blew me away, still does. I do mixes now and used to dj at the occasional party.

Great days, i think about those nights almost everyday..

I went to a few of the Helter Skelter nights at the Sanctuary as well. Around that time it used to be the Ratpack and Carl Cox down there a lot l think.

You're right about the sweat. It used to be dripping off the walls!!


I think it's true that the first time is almost always the best. It's just so totally different from anything you experience before.

Before l started going l read about the Orbital parties around the M25 and thought that the people who went were mad. After that first night and my first love dove that all changed.

Everybody was on the same buzz and everybody was having the time of their lives.

Did any of you guys go to Castle Morton? It was the big one that ended up on the front pages of most the daily papers. There must have been about 20,000 ravers going for it over the weekend. l stayed from Saturday morning through to Bank Holiday Monday. There were about 20 different sound systems set up on the site.

Oh happy days!

Personally never made it to castle morton, back in the day some people i knew asked me to drive them out to a rave, i picked them up and said where to ? and they all had no idea, i think half the fun back then was actually finding the places after stopping at 20 phone boxes on the way, to phone an anonymous person who would give directions to the rave. And at the time i thought they were all mad ..

One of the first i went to was in a massive warehouse , i could'nt believe how big it was , i walked into one of the rooms which seemed like the size of an aircraft hanger and people were dancing to house i shut my eyes and danced for what seemed like hours, i looked at my watch when i got there and it was 11pm i looked at my watch again, i thought it was about 12 but it was 3 in the morning the hours just disappear.
One of the nicest things was a girl i never met before, came up to me gave me her bottle of water to drink
gave me a hug and disappeared off into the darkness.

Also amsterdam is a great place, at the moment they reckon hollands rave scene is like it used to be here,supposedly house and the rave scene is in full flow over there now.

Found this link......
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=h...DUTF-8%26sa%3DX

i always used to go club kinetik
when i were like 14 15 lol
and also helter skelter

i still go raves now usually leeds bradford sheffield areas

but is now bassline or some call it speed garage i listen 2

What rave/house or speed garage ?

i love drum and base
funky house
and speed garage

lol
i love it all
but then i love most music
i love music
id die without it

l noticed that there have been a few postings knocking rave and some of it's musical derivitives.

I'm not going to lie to you and say that it is the most intellectually challenging type of music. But what you have to remember is that for most people who like it it is more that JUST about the music. You have to see it in context.

Everybody l've spoken to who used to be involved with that period of time remembers it with great fondness. Very often it was one of the best times of their lives. It was a combination of the music, the parties, the dancing and the highs.

I very rarely listen to old rave cds nowadays (but when l do the memories come flooding back) but l do listen to stuff that's come about because of rave- techno minimalists like Joey Beltram and Dave Clarke



Next week l'm going to start an official goth nostalgia thread. Who can forget Alien Sex Fiend, The Sex Gang Children, amyl nitrate and The Batcave in Covent Garden....................................... or maybe not

rave on lol
i still rave but bit different to the older raves like ten years back lol

Vicks inhalers! That takes me back - cutting a hole in masks and pushing them through so you could dance nd not hold them.

Wasnt shoving anything up my nose in those days. Nor now for that matter.

Used to drink a lot of water tho ..

yes rave thats what im talking about.we used to smear vicks inside the mask or under nose.off my head.
does anybody remember the small techno room upstairs in sanctuary.as good as it gets.poppers, burning vicks to get a full hit.drum is bass is sound(dark sub bass jungle)you dance with women or fast.anybody who never went just wont get it.it was the first time i was in party or club with out any trouble,i mixed and socialised with people and groups i never would ve interacted with if it was nt rave.vids at the start are from late 80s early 90s i think.me and flat mate are having a nostalgic time looking at those and reading comments posted here.hype,hype gimme the funk gimme the funk.ah memorys


never was a big goth(not in to the fashion)but i always found the women gorgeous

for rave and norfolk rob check this out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQjw2u8OXhk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41EvSyVo3G8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LG8OMsUBMg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rA3wShG2kk4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRHjqvfdCQg

last one is depot my stomping ground just noticed im actually on the last one dancing. yes im worldwide
i know every one of those people and i have slept with a lot of the girls.this is the best day of my life finding this. aint watched dreamscape ones but mate(hes dead now)is on start so spect i might be on threre too.

It all comes flooding back.

I used to have a few Dreamscape videos (they used to sell them in HMV) but I've lost them. It's funny it didn't occur to me to do a search on You Tube

The one from Bristol is proper hardcore/nosebleed/gabba/techno- not sure which one is Taylerz though?

One time after we got back from a weekender we switched on the news and the local bulletin was on. They had some footage from the party after locals complained about the noise and it showed about 5 of us dancing and gurning for the camera.

There never used to be any trouble at the begining but after a while a moodier element moved in. They would tax people on the way in and rip them off on the pills. We started going ot clubs like The Eclipse in Coventry and down to the Ministry. A couple of times we went up to the Hacienda.

It was different in the clubs though. People were more into looking good than dancing so we set up our own much smaller soundsystems and had parties for about 100 in Oxfordshire (where I used to live)

Blimey that deathrow techno is a bit hardcore ...do my head in that would.

ace

im on the dance floor with red adidas shirt on.now thats flat out techno.how i grew up to be a well rounded individual is beyond me.

Busting the moves there !

gettin jiggy wid it.like the street talk.i may be 32 now but im still hip.

Im a bit older, but im down wiv da peeps know what im saying .

Dude, reading this it just proves that some things just carry on down the generations.
Like I was around when the rave thing was kicking off, but I never really got into it, and the E's frankly scared me u know, I wasn't so keen on draw never mind pills.
It's like though, we might have laughed at the aging hippies slagging of the 80's/90's and moaning about how good it was in the 60's. My arse it was but people now are going to be slagging off the 90's soon and saying how the noughties were the best decade.

Went to bowlers at Trafford Park, Manchester once - that was my closest venture at mashin it up!

ow yes they were good days
will not be telling the kids thow
the may be when they get older
its good to leave somthing in erserve to shock them with