Acid house party

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An acid house party was a type of illegal party typically staged in abandoned warehouses between 1987 and 1989. Parties played acid house and acid techno music, electronic music genres with a distinct sound from the use of the Roland TB-303 synthesizer. [1] The origin of the term acid house party is disputed coming either from the 1987 song "Acid Tracks" by Phuture, or the consumption of MDMA and LSD that were common at the parties. [1]

Contents

Setting

Events and parties were often held in empty warehouses across the UK and were essentially illegal. Some of the most famous party promoters included Energy, Biology, Genesis'88, Sunrise, and Weekend World. [2] [3] Emerging from Danny Rampling's London club Shoom in late 1987, parties grew in northern cities like Manchester (the Madchester scene) where warehouses had closed throughout the 1970s, and up to 10,000 people attended parties in smaller places such as Blackburn. [4] [5] [6] [7] Vague flyers around towns advertised events and information travelled by word of mouth (as well as the newly popular mobile pager) between clubbers who were obliged to party incognito. For most promoters, keeping entry cheap was a political issue - many of the early parties cost just £1 to enter and prices rarely crept above £3. If police turned up to shut down a party, some would open the doors and let everyone in for free. [6]

Glaswegian DJ Tommy Smith encapsulated the scene's defiant spirit on Granada TV show 'Up Front', hosted by Tony Wilson, during a debate with disgruntled Blackburn residents and Conservative MP Ken Hind. Smith declared that he was not on drugs or alcohol, simply “high on hope” and the phrase entered the clubbers' lexicon and was widely used to market club nights. [5] [6] [8]

Music

The music was characterised by the "squelching" bass produced by the Roland TB-303 and loud repetitive beats. [3] It originated in Chicago and took on new qualities when it came to Europe. [3] Songs from the time period include "French Kiss" by Lil Louis "On & On" by Jesse Saunders, "Mystery of Love" by Fingers Inc., "Love Can't Turn Around" by Farley "Jackmaster" Funk & Jesse Saunders (featuring Darryl Pandy), "Back to Life (However Do You Want Me)" by Soul II Soul, "I've Lost Control" by Sleezy D, and "Your Only Friend" by Phuture. [9]

The catchphrase of partygoers was ‘Can you feel it?’, alluding to the Royal House cry from "Can you Party?". [6]

Decline

The prevalence of drug use at these parties was in contrast to Thatcherism at the time, sparking moral panic. Police raided parties, such as a 10,000-strong rave in Nelson in 1990. [5] In response, the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the Entertainments (Increased Penalties) Act 1990 which brought the decline of acid house parties. [6] [10] As a result, the time period is often referred to as the Second Summer of Love. Eventually, acid house parties morphed into the rave scene. [11]

See also

Further reading

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roland TB-303</span> Bass synthesizer

The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a bass synthesizer released by Roland Corporation in 1981. Designed to simulate bass guitars, it was a commercial failure and was discontinued in 1984. However, cheap second-hand units were adopted by electronic musicians, and its "squelching" or "chirping" sound became a foundation of electronic dance music genres such as acid house, Chicago house and techno. It has inspired numerous clones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rave</span> Dance party

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Chicago house refers to house music produced during the mid to late 1980s within Chicago. The term is generally used to refer to the original house music DJs and producers from the area, such as Ron Hardy and Phuture.

Altern 8 is a British electronic music act, comprising Mark Archer and Chris Peat, until Peat left the group in 1994. Best known in the early 1990s, their trademark was electronic rave music with a heavy bass line. Notable Altern 8 tracks included "Activ 8", "E-vapor 8", "Frequency", "Brutal-8-E", "Armageddon", "Move My Body", "Hypnotic St8" and "Infiltrate 202".

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Second Summer of Love</span> 1980s British social phenomenon

The Second Summer of Love was a late-1980s social phenomenon in the United Kingdom which saw the rise of acid house music and unlicensed rave parties. Although primarily referring to the summer of 1988, it lasted into the summer of 1989, when electronic dance music and the prevalence of the drug MDMA fuelled an explosion in youth culture culminating in mass free parties and the era of the rave. The music of this era fused dance beats with a psychedelic, 1960s flavour, and the dance culture drew parallels with the hedonism and freedom of the 1967 Summer of Love in San Francisco. The smiley logo is synonymous with this period in the UK.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acid Tracks</span> 1987 single by Phuture

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Danny Rampling is an English house music DJ and is widely credited as one of the original founders of the UK's rave/club scene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Pierre</span> American DJ and performer of house music

Nathaniel Pierre Jones, better known by his stage name DJ Pierre, is an American DJ and performer of house music based in Chicago. Jones' first single, "Generate Power", became standard fare for scores of producers during the next few years. Philippe Renaud, a journalist for La Presse in Montreal, states that the term acid house was coined in Chicago in 1987 to describe the sound of the Roland 303 bass machine, which made its first significant recording appearance on Phuture's Acid Trax in that year.

<i>Eurotechno</i> 2003 studio album by Stakker

Eurotechno refers to the musical soundtrack by English group Stakker for their 1989 experimental short film of the same name. The original film was an avant-garde experiment and features rapidly shifting colourful computer graphics, reflecting the influence of rave culture. Although the visuals of the film were primarily the work of Stakker members Marek Pytel, Mark McClean and Colin Scott, the musical soundtrack was largely the work of Brian Dougans, later of The Future Sound of London. The 25-minute soundtrack was recorded using a Roland TB-303, and reflects the fast-shifting momentum of the film by incorporating fragmented elements of acid house, Chicago house and Detroit techno that shift after their brief appearances, thus contributing to an intricately layered style.

Acid house is a subgenre of house music developed around the mid-1980s by DJs from Chicago. The style is defined primarily by the squelching sounds and basslines of the Roland TB-303 electronic bass synthesizer-sequencer, an innovation attributed to Chicago artists Phuture and Sleezy D circa 1986.

Techno is a genre of electronic dance music (EDM) which is generally produced for use in a continuous DJ set, with tempo often varying between 120 and 150 beats per minute (bpm). The central rhythm is typically in common time (4/4) and often characterized by a repetitive four on the floor beat. Artists may use electronic instruments such as drum machines, sequencers, and synthesizers, as well as digital audio workstations. Drum machines from the 1980s such as Roland's TR-808 and TR-909 are highly prized, and software emulations of such retro instruments are popular.

Charanjit Singh was an Indian musician from Mumbai, who performed as a session musician, often as a guitarist or synthesizer player, in numerous Bollywood soundtrack orchestras from the 1960s to 1980s, working with filmi composers such as Shankar-Jaikishan, R.D. Burman, S.D. Burman, and Laxmikant–Pyarelal.

Earl Smith Jr., known as DJ Spank Spank or Spanky, was an American musician credited with inspiring the acid house music genre. He founded the group Phuture.

Derrick Harris was a Chicago music producer and one of the pioneers of house music and acid house. He is known for the song "I've Lost Control", which was released as a 12" single on the Trax Records label, issue number TX 113. The song used a Roland TR-808 and a Roland TB-303 bass synthesizer to create the signature modulated waveform sound which would directly inspire acid house. The track is arguably the first to use this particular sound, and rose to cult underground popularity thanks to DJ Ron Hardy's Music Box club in Chicago.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoom</span> 1987–1990 dance music event

Shoom was a weekly all-nighter dance music event in London, England, between September 1987 and early 1990. It is widely credited with initiating the acid house movement in the UK. Shoom was founded by Danny Rampling, who was then an unknown DJ and record producer, and managed by his wife Jenni. It began at a 300-capacity basement gym on Southwark Street in South London. By May 1988, its growing popularity necessitated a move to the larger Raw venue on Tottenham Court Road, Central London, and a switch from Saturday to Thursday nights. Later relocations were to The Park Nightclub, Kensington and Busby's venue on Charing Cross Road.

References

  1. 1 2 "View of Along the Lines of the Roland TB-303: Three Perversions of Acid Techno | Dancecult: Journal of Electronic Dance Music Culture". dj.dancecult.net. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  2. ↑ How property owners can neutralise Acid House parties. By: Daglish, James, EG: Estates Gazette, 00141240, 8/11/2018, Issue 1832
  3. 1 2 3 Nickson, Chris (24 April 2010). "The Second Summer of Love". Ministry of Rock.
  4. ↑ Matos, Michaelangelo (2017-12-12). "Shoom: An Oral History of the London Club That Kicked Off Rave Culture". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2019-07-28.
  5. 1 2 3 Bainbridge, Luke (23 February 2014). "Acid house and the dawn of a rave new world". The Guardian.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Kinney, Fergal (28 May 2020). "Pills, mills and bellyaches: how Blackburn out-partied Manchester". The Guardian.
  7. ↑ "Acid House Flashback". Acid House Flashback. 28 June 2020.
  8. ↑ "High On Hope". High on Hope. 28 June 2020.
  9. ↑ Savage, Jon (19 April 2008). "Back to the old house". The Observer.
  10. ↑ Hill, Andrew (2003-12-01). "Acid house and Thatcherism: Contesting spaces in late 1980s Britain". Space and Polity. 7 (3): 219–232. doi:10.1080/1356257032000169695. ISSN   1356-2576. S2CID   205779258.
  11. ↑ Class of 88 - The True Acid House Experience, Wayne Anthony, Virgin. The book may also be downloaded from the - author's e-group.
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