Helter Skelter Rave
Encyclopedia
Helter Skelter are one of the longest running dance
music promoters in the UK. They are one of the few remaining rave
music brands who promote early underground styles of electronic dance music
, as opposed to the more mainstream house
clubs that followed during the 1990s.
party era - by David Pratley, after being inspired by the early Acid Bungalow clubs such as codys and lava, and the M25
Orbital raves such as the Sunrise events. Helter Skelter's first event was an illegal outdoor rave but subsequent Helter Skelter nights were held in nightclub
s.
After this, Helter Skelter began hosting events at the 3,000 capacity Sanctuary Music Arena
in Milton Keynes
. Following a lead taken by fellow rave
promoters Dreamscape, Helter Skelter's events in Milton Keynes underwent an expansion in the mid-nineties, using a roller rink adjacent to The Sanctuary, expanding the capacity to 8,000. Between the two arenas, an outdoor complex was created, which featured a SONY
PlayStation
zone, free fairground rides, cafés and other types of recreational facilities.
The success of the double-arena parties prompted the Helter Skelter team to organize their biggest party to date - Energy '97 - The Carnival of Dance. The Energy '97 festival took place at Turweston Aerodrome
in Northamptonshire
(now the site of the Gatecrasher
Summer Sound System festivals). The festival sold out, attracting 18,000 revelers in all. Huge marquees featured genres of dance music ranging from Drum and Bass
, to Techno
, to House Music
, to Hardcore
.
The event management team came to a decision to draw the Helter Skelter era to a close New Year's Eve 1999, at the turn of the century. The 'Millennium Jam' was due to be the last event of this type, but with only half of the tickets sold, Helter Skelter canceled the Rollers arena.
After a year out, the team reunited and Helter Skelter returned, with the come back event being hosted at the 5,000 capacity venue Bowlers, in Trafford
, Manchester
, in association with the Northern dance music organization Compulsion. Helter Skelter also returned to the Sanctuary Music Arena
in Milton Keynes
, but with a new music policy. Pratley collaborated with the event management team from Club Sidewinder, and introduced specialist Drum and Bass
events, branded Accelerated Culture. The events featured Drum and Bass
artists and DJs, including Kosheen
, Roni Size
, Shy FX, Craze, Grooverider
, Hype, and Fabio
many of whom have played for Helter Skelter previously. Godskitchen
, the major superclub promoter, invited Helter Skelter and Sidewinder to host a 5,000 capacity Accelerated Culture arena at their first Global Gathering
festival, held in the summer of 2001, and as such have reprised the arena at every Global Gathering since. Utilising the super club's 2,000 capacity home venue CODE
, Helter Skelter's relationship with Godskitchen continued as the rave
promoter staged a series of nights in Birmingham
, returning to the city for the first time since the mid-1990s.
Since the closure of the Sanctuary Music Arena in 2004, Helter Skelter are without a regular venue but continue to run one off parties. They have returned to Milton Keynes twice, continued with the Accelerated Culture brand in Birmingham
and brought Drum and Bass
and Old School Hardcore to a predominantly House Music
Ibiza.
In 2005, Helter Skelter teamed up with Ministry of Sound
to release a compilation CD, Hardcore Classics, mixed by Billy Daniel Bunter and Slipmatt
. Further compilations followed; United In Hardcore in 2006 and a versus mix with Raindance, in Hardcore 2007.
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
music promoters in the UK. They are one of the few remaining rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
music brands who promote early underground styles of electronic dance music
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, as opposed to the more mainstream house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
clubs that followed during the 1990s.
History
The organization was founded in September 1989 - in the midst of the Acid HouseAcid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
party era - by David Pratley, after being inspired by the early Acid Bungalow clubs such as codys and lava, and the M25
M25 motorway
The M25 motorway, or London Orbital, is a orbital motorway that almost encircles Greater London, England, in the United Kingdom. The motorway was first mooted early in the 20th century. A few sections, based on the now abandoned London Ringways plan, were constructed in the early 1970s and it ...
Orbital raves such as the Sunrise events. Helter Skelter's first event was an illegal outdoor rave but subsequent Helter Skelter nights were held in nightclub
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
s.
After this, Helter Skelter began hosting events at the 3,000 capacity Sanctuary Music Arena
Sanctuary Music Arena
The Sanctuary Music Arena was a 22,000 sq ft, 3,500 capacity music venue in Denbigh North, Milton Keynes in the UK. It opened its doors on December 6, 1991 to ESP promotions event called Dreamscape...
in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
. Following a lead taken by fellow rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
promoters Dreamscape, Helter Skelter's events in Milton Keynes underwent an expansion in the mid-nineties, using a roller rink adjacent to The Sanctuary, expanding the capacity to 8,000. Between the two arenas, an outdoor complex was created, which featured a SONY
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
zone, free fairground rides, cafés and other types of recreational facilities.
The success of the double-arena parties prompted the Helter Skelter team to organize their biggest party to date - Energy '97 - The Carnival of Dance. The Energy '97 festival took place at Turweston Aerodrome
Turweston Aerodrome
Turweston Aerodrome located near the village of Turweston, on the Northamptonshire and Buckinghamshire border, is a former Royal Air Force World War II bomber training facility, now a business park and airfield....
in Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
(now the site of the Gatecrasher
Gatecrasher
Gatecrasher is an international clubbing brand made famous by the Gatecrasher dance music events held at the Gatecrasher One nightclub in Sheffield, England during the late 1990s and early 2000s. The event received awards such as "Club Of The Year" at the Ericsson Muzik Magazine Dance Awards in...
Summer Sound System festivals). The festival sold out, attracting 18,000 revelers in all. Huge marquees featured genres of dance music ranging from Drum and Bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
, to Techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
, to House Music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
, to Hardcore
Hardcore techno
Hardcore techno is a type of electronic music typified by the rhythmic use of distorted and atonal industrial-like beats and samples...
.
The event management team came to a decision to draw the Helter Skelter era to a close New Year's Eve 1999, at the turn of the century. The 'Millennium Jam' was due to be the last event of this type, but with only half of the tickets sold, Helter Skelter canceled the Rollers arena.
After a year out, the team reunited and Helter Skelter returned, with the come back event being hosted at the 5,000 capacity venue Bowlers, in Trafford
Trafford
The Metropolitan Borough of Trafford is a metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It has a population of 211,800, covers , and includes the towns of Altrincham, Partington, Sale, Stretford, and Urmston...
, Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, in association with the Northern dance music organization Compulsion. Helter Skelter also returned to the Sanctuary Music Arena
Sanctuary Music Arena
The Sanctuary Music Arena was a 22,000 sq ft, 3,500 capacity music venue in Denbigh North, Milton Keynes in the UK. It opened its doors on December 6, 1991 to ESP promotions event called Dreamscape...
in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
, but with a new music policy. Pratley collaborated with the event management team from Club Sidewinder, and introduced specialist Drum and Bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
events, branded Accelerated Culture. The events featured Drum and Bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
artists and DJs, including Kosheen
Kosheen
Kosheen are a British trip hop, breakbeat and rock group based in Bristol, England. The trio consists of producers Markee Substance and Darren Decoder , with singer and song writer Sian Evans...
, Roni Size
Roni Size
Roni Size is a British record producer and DJ, who came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and leader of Reprazent, a drum and bass collective...
, Shy FX, Craze, Grooverider
Grooverider
Grooverider is a British drum and bass DJ.-Biography:Grooverider began his DJing at illegal raves and warehouse parties in the UK in the late 1980s, and rose to prominence with partner Fabio through his sets at nightclub nights such as 'Rage'. Grooverider was also on the London pirate radio...
, Hype, and Fabio
Fabio (DJ)
Fitzroy Heslop better known by his stage name of Fabio, is a drum and bass DJ and producer from the UK. Fabio has been described as one of the best DJ's of all time. He runs the Creative Source record label.-Biography:...
many of whom have played for Helter Skelter previously. Godskitchen
Godskitchen
Godskitchen is an international superclub brand which is associated with dance music and organises events, particularly in the UK and US. The company runs a club night of the same name at their nightclub AIR, in Birmingham, England and has an in-house music label...
, the major superclub promoter, invited Helter Skelter and Sidewinder to host a 5,000 capacity Accelerated Culture arena at their first Global Gathering
Global Gathering
GlobalGathering is an annual dance music festival by Angel Music Group. Festivals are held in countries such as the UK, Poland, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and feature leading electronica artists from across the globe...
festival, held in the summer of 2001, and as such have reprised the arena at every Global Gathering since. Utilising the super club's 2,000 capacity home venue CODE
AIR (nightclub)
AIR is a 2,000 capacity superclub located in Digbeth, Birmingham in England. AIR originally started out life as a spray shop for buses, when in 2000 the building was bought by Godskitchen and converted into a club, originally named CODE. In 2003, CODE had a complete refit and was renamed AIR, with...
, Helter Skelter's relationship with Godskitchen continued as the rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
promoter staged a series of nights in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, returning to the city for the first time since the mid-1990s.
Since the closure of the Sanctuary Music Arena in 2004, Helter Skelter are without a regular venue but continue to run one off parties. They have returned to Milton Keynes twice, continued with the Accelerated Culture brand in Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
and brought Drum and Bass
Drum and bass
Drum and bass is a type of electronic music which emerged in the late 1980s. The genre is characterized by fast breakbeats , with heavy bass and sub-bass lines...
and Old School Hardcore to a predominantly House Music
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
Ibiza.
In 2005, Helter Skelter teamed up with Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound
Ministry of Sound London, commonly referred to as simply Ministry of Sound or MoS, is a nightclub based in London, United Kingdom and an associated record label. It was ranked fourth in the 2010 DJ Magazine top 100 clubs poll 2010. As well as the nightclub in London, there is another in Egypt and...
to release a compilation CD, Hardcore Classics, mixed by Billy Daniel Bunter and Slipmatt
Slipmatt
Slipmatt is an English happy hardcore producer and DJ based in Essex, England. He was one half of rave act SL2, who had a 1992 UK hit with "On A Ragga Tip".-History:...
. Further compilations followed; United In Hardcore in 2006 and a versus mix with Raindance, in Hardcore 2007.