Notes On A Rave documentary chronicles early rave culture in Ireland
"This is a story of how an underground works, mutates and survives"
A new documentary titled Notes On A Rave is set to premiere at the Audi Dublin International Film Festival, showcasing the lineage of underground music culture in Ireland’s capital.
Similar to the birth of house music in the United States, Ireland’s dance music scene spawned out of the gay community during the 1980s. Notes On A Rave follows the culture as it blossomed, but also battled with crackdowns and the mainstream.
The documentary’s director James Redmond spoke with the Irish Examiner to discuss the scene highlighted in the film: “It was hugely DIY in the early days. I loved hearing the stories of people just meeting up with ghetto blasters after the clubs and continuing to rave on the streets or under railway arches. You can’t get more grassroots than that. Also, this whole thing took the industry by surprise. It built for a while and then exploded into view.”
Watch the trailer for Notes On A Rave, which includes snippets of interviews and first accounts.
Harrison is Mixmag's East Coast Editor. Follow him on Twitter here