Legendary DJs Pete Tong and Judge Jules reminisce about house music’s punk moment; the initial M25 raves and the early rave scene in London. Back in the day of seminal parties like Sunrise, Biology, and Back to the Future, there was no such thing as tickets or lists but rather 0898 numbers that had to be called from the first mobile phones before potential party animals would head off into the night; sometimes to find the party, other times to drive around the London orbital, the M25, all night.

 

Pete Tong fondly remembers the time in late 80s London when raves blew away the style-over-substance party scene of the time, centred around the Wag Club and Robert Elms, and democratised it – in Pete’s words, it didn’t matter if you couldn’t dance, it was about 1000 people queuing outside the Astoria and all of them were welcome.