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Rave

Photos capturing the defiant spirit of the ‘90s rave scene

Party as protest — Photographer Vinca Petersen recounts how a movement born of music and hedonism quickly became a vehicle for civil disobedience and defiance of authority.

  • Culture
  • Huck

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.

  • Culture
  • Ben Smoke

The DJ throwing virtual raves for the deaf

Beyond The Screen In Lockdown — From raves for the deaf to Black ballet dancers and ‘outcast’ amateur wrestlers, now more than ever, communities are coming together online to keep their real-life connections alive. In our latest film series, we meet organisers that are pivoting during the pandemic and finding novel ways to take action.

  • Huck Docs
  • Huck

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.

  • Music
  • Rhys Thomas

A teen's visual diary of the early-90s rave scene

Punching the Light — At 15, Simon Burstall made two discoveries that would change him forever: photography and raves. Now, having trawled through a trove of material from that time, the Australian has uncovered scenes from a subcultural oasis – and a turning point in his life.

  • Magazine
  • Cian Traynor

A visual history of America’s travelling rave scene

New age nostalgia — From 1990 to 1995, Tree Carr roamed the country documenting her psychedelic adventures on a disposable camera.

  • Photography
  • Laura Havlin

Beats and bills: how capitalism destroyed UK club culture

A love letter to ’90s rave — In the new film Beats, director Brian Welsh travels back to 1990s Aberdeen to tell the story of rave culture – why it mattered, and how it got torn apart.

  • Film
  • Colin Crummy

The history of art and rave culture in ’90s Poland

140 beats per minute — This week, the Tate Modern is celebrating the aesthetics of the country’s rave scene, with an evening of films focused on the movement‘s key figures.

  • Music
  • Eric Thorp

Why illegal raves are enjoying a renaissance in the UK

High on hope — A new documentary explores the rise of acid house culture in northern England; drawing parallels between Thatcher’s Britain and the Tory-inflicted austerity of today.

  • Music
  • Simon Doherty

Celebrating the enduring legacy of ’90s rave culture

Never turn down — Partying for free and getting smashed in a field was a rite of passage in 1990s Britain. Then the police came in and tried to spoil the fun – but people are still raving. Even Facebook can’t commodify this wayward social network.

  • Music
  • Scott Oliver

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