I was born too late

This is a phrase I have found myself saying on a few occasions during my life, and it mostly happens when I listen to certain music or think about eras or experiences I missed because I either wasn't alive or was too damn young at the time to be in the midst of it. No form of revival or rebirth of a genre can do justice to the original spirit of the music, the movement or the experience and whilst I am sure to have many a post-COVID-19 night out, I will never quite be able to replicate the feeling of being at a rave, when it was at its very non-commercial, free flowing, energetic and maniacal best.

The glorious counter-point to my faux grief at not being present at the birth and evolution of rave (I was around 11 or 12 when it all truly kicked off at various warehouses, derelict buildings, fields, clubs and the like) is that the music still exists, and thanks to some absolute fucking geniuses I am able to listen to original white label vinyl rave tracks that have been uploaded to YouTube. Do some searching and you'll find an absolute cornucopia of the stuff, and it is glorious. I already had a fair selection of tracks but I have just added 40 more (see below for full list) thanks to a couple of wonderful articles by FOURFOUR magazine and the team of guys who work on www.rateyourmusic.com,

You only have to name some of the artists to know that there are some total trailblazers here: CJ Bolland, Joey Beltram, Messiah, Urban Shakedown, Jonny L. However, it's the one-off productions that stand out; as if whoever created these records poured their absolute heart and soul into a single track or EP, and then watched it spin across the clubs and venues around the UK with a wry smile. Admittedly there was some commercial crossover success (and much of it unwanted by the DJs) but the scene seemed to work best for the few scant years it was underground. Once it did hit the mainstream some lost interest, and ironically it was how I first noticed rave as a teenager. Praise be to Ebeneezer Goode, Charly, Sesame's Treat and many others because if I hadn't gone there, I wouldn't have THEN looked back to see what else I had missed.

On my travels I also happened upon Mark Archer (of Altern 8 fame)'s amazing DJ mix at The Boiler Room in Nottingham back in 2016. This is an absolute masterclass and you can watch the video here. Hit me up if you want the full set to listen to on MP3.

If you're going at this for the first time just start listening to tracks and see what you like. If you are reminiscing, have fun and you'll be stunned how many tunes you recognize even if (like me) you weren't there when they first span on the decks.

Badger x

I Heart The 90's (Volume 3)

1. Awesome 3 - Don't Go

2. Bryan Zentz - D-Clash

3. Channel X - Rave The Rhythm

4. Cybersonik - Technarchy

5. Jaydee - Plastic Dreams HQ (Original Long Version)

6. Joey Beltram - Energy Flash

7. New Atlantic - I Know (Love Decade Original Mix)

8. Origin Unknown - Valley Of The Shadows

9. Vamp - Outlander

10. Soul Central - Strings Of Life

11. Subliminal Cuts - Le Voie Le Soleil

12. T99 - Anasthasia

13. Together - Hardcore Uproar

14. Human Resource - Dominator

15. L.A. Style - James Brown Is Dead

16. Blame - Music Takes You

17. The House Crew - We Are Hardcore

18. Terrorize - It's Just A Feeling

19. Program 2 Beltram - The Omen

20. Timebase - Unity

21. CJ Bolland - Ravesignal (Horsepower Exclusive Remix)

22. Cubic 22 - Night In Motion

23. D.J.P.C - Inssomniak

24. The Kick Squad - Soundclash (Champion Squad)

25. Urban Shakedown feat. Micky Finn - Some Justice

26. Nebula II - Seance

27. Nebula II - Atheama

28. Congress - 40 Miles

29. The Cleptomaniacs - Positive Feedback (Climax Mix)

30. Rhythm Quest - Closer To All Your Dreams

31. Messiah - Temple Of Dreams

32. Razor Boy & Mirror Man - Cutter Mix

33. Spectrum - Brazil

34. Messiah - There Is No Law

35. Jonny L - Hurt You So

36. Isotonik - Different Stroke

37. Twin Head - U Said U

38. E.Q. - Total Xstacy

39. Egyptian Empire - The Horn Track

40. Metalheads - Terminator