Rave Culture: A New Era review – high energy testimonial to the UK’s dance revolution

It could do with more robust political context, but this Spanish-made documentary is still a loving, insightful delve into rave’s lasting influence and lost-weekend logistics

This Spanish documentary about the 80s and 90s rave revolution in the UK has a similar energy to the archetypal “4am guy”: eyes shining, gabbling non-sequiturs with strangely infectious enthusiasm. A pantheon of electronic music greats – including Fabio, Orbital’s Hartnoll brothers, Slipmatt, Goldie and the Prodigy’s Leeroy Thornhill – step up to provide deep dancefloor testimony that, though it could be better structured, still manages copious insights.

Director Eduardo Cubillo Blasco’s obvious interest in rave’s logistics – the artwork, promotion, booking and myriad other aspects – suggests he may have had a lost weekend or two himself. When it came to the early outdoor and warehouse parties, there was artful dodging aplenty: as well as decoy lorries to fool police, some organisers played on legal sophistries, arguing their events were not illegal, but unlicensed; while, by issuing tickets with stubs on for ravers to fill out with personal details, many gatherings tried to qualify as private members’ clubs. In terms of personnel, female DJs were scarce – but women originally dominated the bookings, until they were shunted aside when it became clear how lucrative rave was becoming.