FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Some Of The Best Parties Aren't In Your City Centre, And They're Free

We spoke to someone who organises secret raves on the outskirts of town.

Clubs tend to be in city centres, for boring reasons like there being more people, better transport and generally better amenities to create nightlife. Those simple facts should never stop you being able to party of course, in fact some of the best parties we've ever been to are in the depths of suburbia. Inside tunnels, next to the motorway and in industrial areas is where you'll find parties that operate on the fringes of the law, though their organisers tend to prefer anonymity.

Advertisement

As part of Desperados #PartyInstinct, we're trying to find out just what it is that makes the best parties just that; the very best. We spoke to a rave veteran about scouting locations, booking acts and how on earth people find out about a secret party. He asked us not to publish his name, so we didn't.

How did you get into the rave-organising business? 
It just kind of happened when a group of friends and I got the idea to host our own party. There were ten of us and most of them I knew through techno parties. Word of mouth led us to a group of legal squatters who looked after an old school building in the middle of a housing estate. It turned out to be the perfect location.

Why a disused building? What's wrong with a normal venue?
We were young and we had an urge to do something; something exciting. I had heard about raves but had never been to one. To be honest, I organised something that I would want to go to myself. It felt like an easy, cheap way to try something out, and that location was fucking sick.

Could you describe the location to us?
There was an empty, leaking basement and concrete everywhere. It was part of an open courtyard at the centre of the school building.

How did you get people to come?
The only form of communication we had was sending out an email to all of our friends.

How did you proceed organising raves from there? Did you just keep organising more and more raves after that?
I think I organised that particular party four times. Then I stopped because it was becoming too much of a hassle. A couple of years later I began another party because I started to get excited about organising a new event without permits and stuff. I really missed the simple setups, just a grassy area, a power unit and you're good to go.

Advertisement

How do you scout for locations?
We used to just drive around or take cues from other parties. Now there's Google Maps for outdoor locations. Indoor areas are more difficult to find and you need to use your network for that. There aren't many people that have great indoor locations anymore.

Is there a difference in the way people found out about your parties then, and now?
Of course now everything is done through Facebook. Our first edition of Emma was organised solely through mouth-to-mouth promotion. We handed out 150 business cards with nothing but a phone number, all other instructions were given through a voicemail message. It was really old skool but it worked because people thought it was really exciting. In the end about five hundred people turned up.

Why did you call it Emma?
We wanted to use a girl's name so that people could chat about the party while they were sitting outside with friends, without other people realising they were talking about a rave. 'Are you going to Emma's?' sounds like you're going to a birthday party. Also, this way we could have this cool, fictional character. People really though that someone called Emma was organising the party.

Did anyone ever know it was you?
Nope, only my friends. I'd prefer to keep it that way.

Any future raves in the works?
Only the fact that I can't fucking wait to organise something fun and completely crazy! It's not worth the hassle and the risk otherwise.

Advertisement

Like what?
I'm pretty busy doing my regular job so spotting a location is tricky. Next year will be the tenth anniversary of my first party. We should really celebrate it somewhere. In a basement. Or under a viaduct somewhere on the outskirts, one that hasn't been used before. At a warehouse. Something. I don't really mind as long as it fits five hundred people. Any more and there will be problems due to the nuisance.

Tell us about your wet dream of a location.
Hahaha! I would love to do a rave in an underground subway station that's still under construction. I've actually tried it before but there was security all of a sudden. Each time I'd been to the spot before, there had been nobody there. I had to cancel at the last minute.

Do you think you'll ever get there?
Probably not but never say never, hahaha!

As part of Desperados #PartyInstinct, we want THUMP readers to tell us about the most insane party you've ever experienced. Share your unbeatable party memories here for a chance to win access to their Next Level Party in London.