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East Anglian ravers are invited to take part in a new research project tracing the history of party culture in one of England's lesser-documented corners. 

The work is led by dance music journalist, author and historian Matt Anniss, who is undertaking a PhD with the aim of piecing together a "people's history". This will include both free parties and so-called 'pay-raves', which charge for entry but run without license.

Anyone who attended either type of event in areas such as Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk between 1989 and 2019 can participate. To get involved, simply fill out an online questionnaire. There is also an opportunity to volunteer for one-to-one interviews later this year, providing space to talk in-depth about experiences, memories and ideas. 

You can access the survey here. 

“British dance music history has been told many times in fantastic and genuinely must-read books, but the histories and experiences of dancers, DJs and party people in rural regions like East Anglia is missing from the narrative," said Anniss. "I know from my own research, and what I have been told by people in the region, that so much happened – and it was the rural and coastal rave scene that initially brought people together.”

In Autumn 2020 Aniss, whose portfolio includes the critically acclaimed book Join The Future: Bleep Techno and the Birth of British Rave Music, gave a lecture for Assembly House Trust in Norwich, about East Anglian parties. This has now evolved to become a more ambitious endeavour, aiming to shed light on gatherings held everywhere from beaches to abandoned air force bases, farmland to forests. 

In addition to unique locations, the East Anglian scene differs from much of the UK due to its resilience and resurgence, with a second peak from the mid-2000s to the early-2010s. Long after policing powers forced most similar events in other areas into clubs and licensed venues. 

"There has rightly been a raft of books on well-known free party crews like DIY Soundsystem and Spiral Tribe, and Aaron Trinder provided a great overview in his film 'Free Party: A Folk History'. However, East Anglia and soundsystems based in the region are missing from the movie," Anniss added. 

“It will only be possible to document what happened in East Anglia with the help of those who created, sustained and lived the culture," he continued. "It is their story to tell and I am keen to make sure it gets heard. To do that, I encourage anyone who has been to, performed at or organised a rave in East Anglia to head online and fill in the survey.”

To promote the project, a drop-in session will take place at PrimeYarc in Market Gates, Great Yarmouth, this Saturday 12th April between 12PM and 4PM. Then on Sunday 13th April Norwich micro-venue and book shop The Holloway will host a talk and reading with Anniss around the publication 'Uncovering Hidden Histories: A Brief History of Rave Culture in East Anglia'. Tickets are available now. 

In 2022, DJ Mag published a long-read by Anniss on East Anglia's untold rave history.

 

Article Originally Posted on www.djmag.com