A new Spanish documentary, "Rave Culture: A New Era," offers a high-energy and loving tribute to the UK's dance revolution of the 1980s and 1990s, capturing the infectious enthusiasm of the era while providing insightful glimpses into its lasting influence. Directed by Eduardo Cubillo Blasco, the film features a pantheon of electronic music greats, including Fabio, Orbital's Hartnoll brothers, Slipmatt, Goldie, and the Prodigy's Leeroy Thornhill, who share deep dancefloor testimony that, though sometimes unstructured, delivers copious insights into the scene's vibrant history.
Logistics and Evolution of the Rave Scene
The documentary shines in its detailed exploration of rave logistics, from artwork and promotion to booking and event organization. Cubillo Blasco's obvious fascination suggests a personal connection, perhaps from his own lost weekends. Early outdoor and warehouse parties involved artful dodging tactics, such as using decoy lorries to mislead police and exploiting legal loopholes by arguing events were unlicensed rather than illegal. Some gatherings even issued tickets with stubs for personal details to qualify as private members' clubs, showcasing the ingenuity of organizers.
In terms of personnel, the film notes that female DJs were scarce initially, but women originally dominated bookings until they were sidelined as rave became more lucrative. This shift highlights the commercialization that transformed the scene from an exhilarating free-for-all into a big business, a transition the documentary adeptly traces.
Political Context and Subversive Power
While "Rave Culture: A New Era" excels in capturing the energy and logistics, its grasp of political context is less firm. The film gives begrudging respect to Margaret Thatcher for neutering the scene in the 1980s by coercing it into indoor venues, as noted by pirate radio don Andy Swallow. However, it feels remiss that there is no mention of the later 1994 Criminal Justice Act, which had significant impacts on rave culture.
Cubillo Blasco touches on elements of rave's subversive power, such as its free and easy attitude toward race and its transformation of football hooliganism into something positive. Yet, the documentary fails to pinpoint the exact cause of its threat to the establishment. Could it have been the essentially apolitical hedonism and rejection of capitalism's structural violence? This question remains underexplored, leaving viewers to ponder the radicalism that didn't last, another aspect that could have been more deeply examined.
Creative Longevity and Global Influence
Despite these gaps, the film leaves no doubt about rave's creative longevity, charting its evolution into hardcore breakbeats and jungle. Genaside II's Kris Bones argues that evolution stopped there, with everything that followed being mere iteration, though producers of speed garage, grime, and dubstep might disagree. This debate underscores the ongoing impact of the UK's dance revolution.
One of the most compelling aspects is the documentary's emergence from Spain nearly 40 years later, demonstrating the global reach of this countercultural torrent. According to one interviewee, Andalucía currently flies the flag for breakbeat electronica, and there's a tangent on Tenerife's contribution to the Euro evangelization of rave, often overshadowed by Ibiza's fame.
Conclusion and Call to Action
"Rave Culture: A New Era" is assembled with the care of an obvious aficionado, winning over even one-time cheesy quavers with its heartfelt tribute. It doubles as a reminder to digital-native generations to keep the live club experience alive, emphasizing the importance of communal dancefloor moments. The film is set to screen at the Rio in London on March 27, followed by a tour, offering audiences a chance to relive or discover this pivotal era in music history.
Overall, while the documentary could benefit from more robust political context, it remains a loving and insightful delve into rave's lasting influence, celebrating the high-energy spirit that defined a generation and continues to resonate today.
