The UK acid house rave scene of 1988 created a mass MDMA-fuelled dance culture that paved the way for techno's wider acceptance

By 1988, house music had exploded in the UK and acid house was increasingly popular. The Balearic party vibe from Ibiza arrived in London when Danny Rampling and Paul Oakenfold opened Shoom and Spectrum. MDMA use as a party drug gained prominence. Acid house party fever escalated in London and Manchester, with MDMA-fuelled club-goers seeking all-night warehouse parties to escape 2 AM closing hours. Within a year, commercially organised mass parties called ‘raves’ attracted up to 10,000 people at a time, creating a media storm. The success of house and acid house ‘paved the way for wider acceptance of the Detroit sound’ — techno was initially supported by a handful of house music clubs.

Examples

Shoom (Rampling) and Spectrum (Oakenfold) opened in 1988. The Haçienda in Manchester was an important proving ground for American underground dance music. The rave scene created the audience infrastructure that Detroit techno eventually fed into.

Assessment

Explain the relationship between the rave/acid house scene and the spread of Detroit techno in the UK. Why did techno need house/acid house to create its audience?