Pause for the Cause: London Rave Adverts 1991-1996, Vol. 1

"Another enthralling and nostalgic time capsule from the Death is Not the End crew, this time collecting rave ads from the era's nexus., 1991 - 1996. Picking up just about where the "London Pirate Radio Adverts" comps left off, "London Rave Adverts" focuses specifically on pirate radio rave stings, described by Simon Reynolds in the liners as "the audio equivalent of a rave flyer". And while none of us were plastering our walls with shoutouts (or making tapes of 'em), he's right that there's a similar rush of nostalgia hearing gravel-voiced MCs shouting out DJs like Grooverider and Mickey Finn over shortwave-corrupted amens and canned piano. Each ad is like a tiny echo of an era that's been so heavily mythologized by this point that it's almost entirely lost its connection to tangible history: voices are timestretched into robotic dipper wails or splattered into reverberating shimmers, euphoric fuzzed pads and wobbly subs are spliced with chipper cockney banter, sandwiched between radio static and breaks. Ignore the tidal wave of regurgitated poshnob polite-n-bass rave flatcap-to-fitted doof, this'll remind you of a time when the genre represented change, independence, hope, and genuine progression." "Back in the early ‘90s, whenever the pirate radio MC announced “a pause for the cause”, I usually pressed pause on my cassette recorder. That’s something I would regret years later, when ad breaks had become cherished mementos of the hardcore rave era. Luckily, back in the day I often left the tape running while I went off to do something else. So a fair number of ad breaks got captured accidentally for my later delectation. Not nearly enough, though. So in recent years I started combing through the immense number of pirate radio sets archived on the internet. Sometimes the tracklists would note “ad break” or “ads”, helping to narrow the search. But often I’d just stumble on a bunch in the middle of a pirate show preserved on YouTube or an oldskool blog. A few of my original unintended “saves” and latterday “finds” are included in this wonderful collection by audio archaeologist Luke Owen. It’s the latest in his series of compilations of UK pirate radio advertisements, with this volume focusing on the audio equivalent of the rave flyer: MCs breathlessly hyping a club night or upcoming rave, listing the lineup of deejays and MCs, boasting about hi-tech attractions like lasers and projections, mentioning prices and nearest landmarks to the venue, and occasionally promising “clean toilets” and “tight but polite security” (“sensible security” is another variation). Some of these ads are etched into my brain as lividly as the classic hardcore and jungle tunes of that time. (Most rave ads incorporate snippets of current music, of course – big anthems and obscure “mystery tracks” alike). Names of deejays ring out like mythological figures: who were Shaggy & Breeze, Kieran the Herbalist, Tinrib, Food Junkie? Putting on my serious hat for a moment, I think these ads are valuable deposits of sociocultural data, capturing the hustling energy of an underground micro-economy in which promoters, deejays and MCs competed for a larger slice of the dancing audience. But mostly, they are hard hits of pure nostalgic pleasure, amusing and thrilling through their blend of period charm, endearing amateurism, and contagiously manic excitement about rave music’s forward-surge into an unknown future. The best of these ads give me a memory-rush to rival the top tunes and MC routines of the era. — Simon Reynolds, author of Energy Flash: A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture." tracklist: 01. Intro (Hold Tight All Pirates) 01:00 02. Jungle Magic 01:18 03. Telepathy Man 02:09 04. Advertising Hotline 00:26 05. Rush 01:08 06. Hardcore Hellraiser 02:33 07. Generator Magazine 00:33 08. Blackmarket 00:47 09. Gas Meter 00:39 10. Sobell Rave 02:28 11. Expanse 00:58 12. Longest Music Event Ever 01:35 13. Elevation 00:53 14. Pulse Mixtapes 00:23 15. Kool Services 01:22 16. Upfront White Labels 00:43 17. Kryptonite 01:23 18. Eclipse 01:09 19. Pulse Competition 00:28 20. Calling All Promoters 00:40 21. Hardstep Jungle Shakedown 00:25 22. Wonderland 00:36 23. Brave New World 01:14 24. No Retreat No Surrender 01:02 25. Strictly Hardcore Records 01:02 26. Labyrinth 01:29 27. Creation 00:42 28. Fantasia NYE 01:55 29. Ultimate NYE Experience 01:03 30. Energy 01:09 31. Inner Glow 01:37