Ah, the Summer of Love, a period of time in where hedonism, ecstasy and care-free raves set the precedent for everything else that followed. House, techno and acid house took over and 30 years on, we thought we'd look back on the tracks that defined a period of celebration and joy.
We asked the guys to share some of the most seminal tracks from the legendary summers of and , just when the scene starting to explode across the UK and Europe. David Seaman: The ultimate summer of love classic. He was the originator and a true gentleman to boot.
Everything started with Frankie. Danny Howells: Derrick May is someone who will inevitably feature quite prominently in this list.
Derrick May, pioneer and true genius. Darren Emerson: Without a doubt this is one of the classics of all classics. When this track was dropped at any party the place would go absolutely mental. The piano mix was the one that everyone got hooked on.
Dave Seaman: I remember hearing this for the first time on the Hacienda dance floor and it completely blew my mind. There was no Shazam back then! It was like it had just landed from out of space. A game changer. Danny Howells: The sheer definition of classic - a word that gets so badly overused, but is totally appropriate here. This was played everywhere and if my hazy memories are correct was still being caned well into the 90s. I think I heard it on the radio long before I heard it out, and it simply stopped me in my tracks.
Beyond beautiful, a true desert island tune for me. Darren Emerson: This was the game changer. Considered one of THE 1st acid trax. Pierre and Spanky RIP producing this acid belter. As soon as the kick drum and cowbell came in you knew you were up for a 11 minute acid trip.
Strobe and smoke machines at the ready. Enjoy the trip! Danny Howells: Pure euphoric hedonism, from an age long before anyone was using the T word. An early example of piano house… this jacks hard even today, a truly influential record.
Darren Emerson: Up there as my all time favourite Acid Trax. Relentless acid…rattle snake high hats. Machines are taking over Mark Imperial bang on this groove. The whole EP is amazing. This set a benchmark for deep house, and is another track that was played for many years. Dave Seaman: Starting as they meant to go on, this Hartnoll brothers debut heralded their arrival on the scene with some fanfare. They even took their name from the newly opened M25 motorway which provided easy access to the areas of outer London where most of the big Raves took place.
Dave Seaman: A vocal anthem that captured the positivity of the time. A genuine hope of better times ahead. An end-of night staple. Danny Howells: The fusion of indie and dance might not seem like much now but at the time it was a pure revelation. None more so than this Dave Seaman: An exotic, sax led, bird sampling, truly unique oddity from the Manchester outfit who were one of the first real UK dance acts to emerge from the scene.
A stone cold Hacienda classic. If you wanted the party to step up a gear, you just had to put this baby on and the place would erupt. A thing of real unadulterated beauty. Dave Seaman: To a British public unused to the concept of all-night alfresco partying, the long hot summer of was a revelation.
Thousands of revellers in a field dancing until the sun rose was suddenly not uncommon place. This crossed over into the UK pop charts in the autumn. One of the defining moments of the era.
Dave Seaman: Probably my favourite house track of all time. What a night! A thing of soulful, almost haunting beauty. Keith Thompson absolutely nailed the vocal too. The Pet Shop Boys even covered this a few years later! Has so much emotion. The acidy riff, heavy baseline and chords just work so well.
Derrick May at his best here. Heavy, heavy Detroit soul anthem. This one took the top spot in the UK charts, and listening to it today takes me straight back to It heralding a slew of similarly joyful uplifting piano tracks that sampled huge chunks from Paradise Garage classics. Danny Howells: This was huge at the time, not something I listen to regularly now though. A rough and ready sample heavy production from the man behind the Gee Street label Stereo MCs, Jungle Brothers etc that you would hear everywhere.
That distinctive opening keyboard riff was always greeted with a roar of approval. Dave Seaman: Big breakbeats, that distinctive bassline and ethnic vocal sample combined to for a weapon of mass dance floor destruction. For me this was possibly the last true great Chic production, slightly more reggaefied than their more well known hits of the late 70s. Darren Emerson: Absolute belter of a track.
Will never get bored of this. Tech House. Chill Dance. Club Night. Event Coverage. Travel Camping. Home Music.
Get Magnetic Ad-Free for 30 Days. Join Today. The journey to the outdoor rave itself was only for the initiated, following cryptic clues offered by pirate radio, phoneline or flyer. Regulars could demonstrate to newcomers the right way to respond. Local scenes grew because they took over local spaces and made them their own: invading the club or warehouse, but on the wrong nights Mondays, Thursdays , filling them with visuals, familiar faces and designated zones second rooms, chill out rooms.
Local dance music scenes in the UK were places for encountering the new, and the already known, but all at the same time. The collective experience of sound, bodies and deliberately curated ambience created a sense of belonging where you were but knowing where you were going. While certain stories that have come out of all this have become very well-known, and acquired the status of myth, we are actually only beginning to uncover their true variety and diversity, and only just starting to understand their longer-term impact for both individuals and collectives.
His research has a particular focus on the evolution of popular, material and everyday cultures since This essay was curated by The Subcultures Network , which was formed in to facilitate research on youth cultures and social change, and commissioned as part of the National Lottery Heritage Funded project to build the online Museum of Youth Culture.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund invests money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about - from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. Raves were nuts, to have that level of freedom. The spirit was amazing. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.
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