At the end of the 1980s, young Londoners were suffering from Thatcher, the recession and a regimented nightlife. Acid house becomes the much-needed splash of color: house tracks and pills trigger a movement that starts in clubs and, when it gets too crowded there, moves to the fields. This is where the rave culture was born. The photographer Dave Swindells documented it, his book ACID HOUSE – AS IT HAPPENED shows a youth culture that dances back the joy of life. In the ME issue 11/2022 we show his most beautiful photos and try to clarify how this “Second Summer of Love” came about – and why acid is currently experiencing a revival. You can now get the photos here on Musikexpress.de. Plus an interview by ME author Laura Aha with Swindells about acid house.
“Can you feel it?: Dave Swindell’s photos document the birth of rave culture
Interview with Dave Swindells: “Dancing became a political act”
Dave Swindells on the characteristics of the acid house sound, the potency of the pills and why there was so much love in the air of acid house.
Dave, straight to the point: how does acid house sound?
Acid house is electronic dance music with very strange, muddy, discordant and sometimes ugly sounds. These wonderfully strange sounds come from the Roland TB-303 and -909 synthesizers. A typical sound example is the track “Acid Over” by Tyree.
Where does the name come from?
Phuture’s “Acid Tracks” was one of the first acid house tracks. It came out in 1987 and basically gave the genre its name. When you listen to these freaky sounds, you have to assume that most of them were already tripping when they danced to them. Because the music sounded so otherworldly.
Tripping: what role did drugs play?
My book could just as easily have been called ECSTASY – AS IT HAPPENED. Sure, ecstasy existed before that, but it wasn’t as easy to get hold of as it was in 1988. Ecstasy is a transformative drug that suited this music perfectly. Because the sound is so exhausting, but also because of the euphoria that comes with being high. You want to dance to repetitive music during the trip and get lost in the sound. This impartiality was not typical of the 80s: New Romantic, Goth, Post-Punk, New Wave – these styles were very self-aware with great seriousness. And suddenly there were these people who were just partying carefree.
Why is this time in 1988 called the “Second Summer of Love”?
On the one hand, this was due to ecstasy, because the drug caused euphoria and openness: There was a certain intimacy in the clubs – because they were so small, but also because of the togetherness. People shared drinks, gave each other gifts, wrote poetry, hugged and expressed their feelings very directly. It was radical, and some saw it as the beginning of a new age, especially some older hippies. The lyrics of the songs were about love and peace, like in “Promised Land” by Joe Smooth: Martin Luther King’s famous speech was sampled, dancing became a political act. And a year later, the Cold War was actually over!
Dave Swindells’ book “Acid House – As It Happened” is 192 pages, costs 60 euros and can be bought online. Be sure to follow Swindells on Instagram as well.
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