Clubbing
Ravers are swapping dancefloors for chessboards
Knight to d-floor — As traditional club spaces come under threat, electronic music lovers are seeking out alternative ways to enjoy rolling grooves and breaks. Now, a new type of club, where chess matches are soundtracked by DJ sets and club beats, appears to be their next move.
Written by: Bella Koopman
The rave salvaging toilets for London’s queers
Happy Endings — Public bathrooms have long been contested spaces for LGBTQ+ communities, and rising transphobia is seeing them come under scrutiny. With the infamous rave-in-a-bog at an east London institution, its party-goers are claiming them for their own.
Written by: Ben Smoke
The party putting accessibility and politics centre stage
From streaming DJ sets in their kitchen during lockdown to the stage at Wembley arena Queer House Party have taken the world by storm whilst always staying true to who they are.
Written by: Ben Smoke
How protestors won the battle to save kink spaces
United in leather — Last week, Tower Hamlets council removed its nudity-restricting licensing conditions. It represents a huge win for London’s kink community, reports Bella Saltiel.
Written by: Bella Saltiel
The sex-positive party host championing consent
Queer utopia — Crossbreed – the queer, sex-positive rave – is revolutionising London’s kink scene. How does its founder Alex Warren make sure everyone’s on the same page?
Written by: Lydia Morrish
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
A photographer’s elegy to the evolution of Drum and Bass
Who say reload — Eddie Otchere remembers photographing the UK’s rave scene from the inside, and how a generation of young people built their own clubbing paradise in defiance of authority.
Written by: HUCK HQ
Heady nights in ‘89 Ibiza, a clubbing paradise
Pure ecstasy — Photographer Dave Swindells remembers shooting Ibiza's open-air superclubs and daytime beach raves at a moment when the Island was on the cusp of a rave revolution.
Written by: HUCK HQ
Why we started a club night for our teacher, Mark Fisher
For k-punk — Ahead of an event hosted at the ICA in his memory, three of the late Mark Fisher's students remember their lecturer and describe the ways they have endeavoured to keep his fierce spirit and energy of his music writing alive.
Written by: Natasha Eves, Archie Smith and Kitty McKay
A visual tribute to ’80s Chicago, where house music began
DIY designs — A new book celebrates the power of the DIY party flyer – homemade designs which helped transform the city’s dance scene.
Written by: Miss Rosen
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
Capturing the underground hedonism of Studio 54
Sex, drugs and disco — Inspired by its diverse and decadent spirit, photographer Meryl Meisler spent years shooting at the New York club. Now, she’s dusting off her archive.
Written by: Miss Rosen
