A history of rave in dance music documentaries

Underestimated (2011)

You shouldn’t underestimate Dublin drum ‘n’ bass heads, as this heart-warming film highlights. At the heart of all music and passion, and this lot have it in abundance.

The Truth About KaZantip Republic - Switch On The Night (2013)

Eastern European festival KaZantip has a cult-like following, inspiring intense, connected feelings within people through its atmosphere of spirituality and freedom.

Studio 54

Studio 54 is one of the most iconic clubs in history, with everyone from Michael Jackson to Donna Summer partying there. It was defined by its sexual freedom, and became a safe space for oppressed minorities to let themselves go.

20 years of Jungle Mania (2013)

To this day, when jungle gets pulled out in the rave its dancefloor impact is ferocious. This documentary spotlights the enduring power of UK soundsystem genre.

Dancers of Ibiza (2013)

Most of us enjoy going to raves to dance as a hobby, but what about the people who have made it a life profession? Take a look behind the scenes of Ibiza’s pro dancers.

Oceans Apart (2014)

Melbourne has arisen as a hotbed for dance music in recent years, carried on a wave of progressive attitudes that situates it in stark contrast to its north-easterly neighbour Sydney. Take the trip Down Under.

EDC 2013: Under The Electric Sky (2014)

There’s no denying EDM’s extraordinary popularity in America this decade, and the Electric Daisy Carnival festival is one of its biggest productions, summing up the outrageous, colourful nature of the phenomenon. If even for a morbid interest, it’s worth seeking out EDC 2013: Under The Electric Sky for an understanding of the mania fuelling EDM.

Waiting For The Drop (2014)

As above, this EDM film explores how DJs became the rock stars of the modern era, featuring the likes of Tiësto and Hardwell.

Pull Up: Grime Through The Eyes of Butterz (2015)

Grime’s star has risen up to the rank of chart-topping status now, but for a number of years its popularity was far more contained. Elijah & Skilliam’s label Butterz has been a driving force on pushing grime towards realising its massive potential.

Eskimo Dance (2015)

Eskimo Dance is grime’s most iconic party, in which MCs line up to clash each other into the early hours in front of electric, hyped up crowds. Can we get a reload?

Unsung (2016)

Can you feel it? No genre is deified for its emotive strength and unifying power quite like house music. Unsung traces the genre’s lineage from disco via Chicago warehouse parties and seminal selectors Frankie Knuckles and Larry Levan.

Britain’s Illegal Rave Renaissance (2016)

The UK government has been doing its best to suppress nightlife over recent years. With the legal options for partying depleting, ravers have been reviving the illegal scene of the '80s. This documentary from VICE digs into the struggles faced by illegal promoters, from London to Denbigh.

Exploring Ukraine's Underground Rave Revolution (2016)

Ukraine underwent a political revolution in 2014, with protestors taking to the streets to riot and toppling the regime of Present Viktor Yanukovych. Turmoil followed in the country, including a financial crash and widespread job losses, but from this chaos emerged a spirited underground rave scene as people sought to find new meaning in their lives, as i-D examined in the short film above.

Space Ibiza: 27 years of clubbing history (2016)

Grief and mourning greeted the closure of Space last summer, but there was also joyous feelings of celebration for the legacy of the beloved White Isle establishment. Relive 27 years of clubbing history above, with every body’s favourite person Carl Cox featuring prominently.

Woza Taxi - Gqom Secret Stash Out Of The Locations (2016)

Gqom is an explosive style of music born within South African townships and spreading across the world. Discover more in this feature, and the documentary above.

Diving into the Seoul's electronic scene: Les Siestes in Seoul (2016)

Peggy Gou became the first Korean-born DJ to play outside of the country when she began gigging around 2014. The capital city of her homeland Seoul has a population of 10 million people, but hasn’t had much of a scene to speak of for electronic music fans until recently. Now it’s growing from strength to strength, and the influence of Korean electronic music could soon be felt internationally.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, follow him on Twitter