Video | Thursday, 29th November 2018

Watch: Lapsed clubbers share memories of legendary Manchester rave scene

A new film is the culmination of a research project into club culture

A film about Greater Manchester's original rave community has been released as part of a research project into clubbing culture. 

Lapsed Clubber is a Heritage Lottery Fund project based at Manchester Metropolitan University and led by Dr Beate Peter. 

The film features former clubbers and legendary DJs, including Rob Fletcher, DJ Paulette, Hewan Clarke and Aniff Akinola, reminiscing about Manchester’s raving heyday from 1985-1995. They share their memories of the clubs and music that made the scene so special, and the impact that rave culture had on building communities and improving wellbeing.

Although Manchester and its popular music are famous around the globe, little is known about the communities that helped create that reputation. Popular culture has referenced rave culture in Greater Manchester in print, in major films, on TV and in theatre, but almost always from the perspective of the well-known expert insider.

The audio track that Samurai Breaks made especially for the documentary is also available for free download

To enable the community to write their own history, the project also created the Lapsed Clubber Audio Map, allowing members of Greater Manchester's original rave community to upload voice clips to an interactive map, pinned to locations where their memories took place. 

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