I wanted to share a full on Throwback Thursday moment. 1989 was a pivotal year for me. I was living in London with my boyfriend. I had a part-time job as a production assistant, and had launched my own calligraphy business. For the first time it seemed like I had my ducks in a row, and was embarking on a traditional, and acceptable lifestyle.
Then I went to my first Acid House Dance Party in London, and took my first White Dove. The shackles of respectability slowly started to blur, and I started living for the weekends and an opportunity to dance until dawn—eyes as big as saucers.
These years opened my eyes, both figuratively and physically. We’d had years of miner’s strikes, police violence, nuclear disarmament demonstrations, the Iron Lady and her steely will changing Britain from socialist and more inline with the consumerism of the States. It was an era of change, discontent, and uncertainty. But once the music started, you didn’t give a shit about anything else but the music.
The freedom. The joy. The noise. The E. The heat. The sweaty bodies and soaking clothes. The copious amounts of water. The chatting to anyone and everyone we wanted. No barriers. No judgement. There was an innocence and openness I’d never experienced before.
It was liberating and exhilarating. And thirty years on, I still love listening to house music and casting my mind back to those years.
The music wasn’t the only reason 1989 was so liberating, it was the year I bought a round trip ticket to America to visit a friend for a couple of weeks, but ended up cancelling my return ticket and moving to New York full time. I abandoned my boyfriend, my flat, and all my belongings to start a new life on a new continent. This transformative act changed my life forever.
Video Trip Down Memory Lane
Last night I watched this Jeremy Deller Video looking back at the evolution of acid house parties and what was happening in the UK at the time.
This isn’t just a video about house music, it’s about the sociological impact of this era. When only a few people had cell phones and they looked more like ship to shore radios, and when digital meant music, not a virtual online life.
This video brought back so many memories, of my years in the clubs. Dancing my heart out. Not caring what I looked like or who was watching. It was and insular and solitary experience, at the same time that is was inclusive and bonding. I’m glad Acid House Parties and Warehouse Raves were such an integral part of my life. The freedom. The pure enjoyment. It was a special time.
