3 DECADES of Misbehaving

RAINDANCE – The Original Party Crew, EST. 1989

From a circus tent in a muddy field somewhere on the London–Essex border to taking over the world-famous fabric London, Raindance has evolved from illegal warehouse insurgency into one of the longest-running forces in UK rave culture.

The close of the 1980s saw the rise of the Second Summer of Love. Police and politicians alike vilified an emerging dance music scene, while a sensationalist press branded it a “sinister evil cult.” In reality, it was the biggest youth revolution in decades — a cultural shift that united a generation through rave music, freedom and shared experience.

Joining the Circus

On 16th September 1989, a circus tent was erected on a disused football pitch at Jenkins Lane, Beckton, East London. A flyer went out with a simple promise:

10,000 STRONG – DANCE TIL DAWN

An underground gathering was about to take place. Raindance had arrived.

Originally founded by Paul Nelson, Graham (Lou) Lewis and Ray Spence, it was Paul’s brother — DJ Slipmatt, later one half of SL2 — who played the first record that night. He would remain resident for years, helping shape the sound and spirit of the early events.

Around the same time, a figure who would later become known simply as “Mr Raindance”, alongside Paul Marston, was moving through the emerging warehouse scene. Together they operated sound and lighting under names such as E-Team and Special K, forming part of the underground machinery powering the movement.

Willing to risk arrest, they supplied the sound system for the second Raindance party that November.

By day, it operated as a Children in Need event filmed by the BBC. By night, despite a police raid, the music continued.

Raindance first flyer Saturday 16th September 1989
A group of young people standing and sitting near a colorful amusement park ride, with some holding drinks and others looking around, at night. 
Raindance first flyer, September 1989
People gathered around a carnival swing ride at night, some standing and others on the ride.

FIRST LEGAL RAVES

From its inception, Raindance moved with ambition. Farmers’ fields, sports centres, raceways and showgrounds — from Cambridgeshire to Peterborough, Essex to Spain — were transformed into temporary cities of sound.

On New Year’s Eve 1991, 15,000 ravers gathered at Great Dalby Airfield in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, marking one of the defining moments of the era.

Between 1989 and 1993, Raindance wrote the blueprint that would define the next generation of large-scale legal events across the country. By 1993, the breakbeat hardcore scene had begun to splinter, and mounting political pressure leading up to the Criminal Justice Act saw Raindance take a step back from hosting major events.

A black poster with green line art and text promoting an event called 'Raindance', with the words 'BELIEF!' at the top and bottom. The poster features intricate line drawings of mythical creatures or monsters, and includes the date '31 MARCH'.
A young man in a white Nike shirt and gray Adidas track pants, with a black Adidas jacket, is dancing or moving to music in a dark room. He has short brown hair and is making a fist with his right hand. There are other people in the background, including a shirtless man and a woman with glasses. The setting appears to be a lively party or club.
A young woman with short red hair and dressed in colorful, psychedelic clothing, sitting at a group event with other people. She has multiple necklaces, including one with a smiley face, and colorful accessories, and wears a headpiece with yellow and red curly sticks.

YOU’D ARRIVED

In 1995, the organisation returned with Mr Raindance at the helm, launching a new chapter at Bagley’s in King’s Cross. Events at venues such as The Pleasure Rooms, The Sanctuary, The Rocket and Camden Palace soon followed.

Anyone who was anyone passed through Raindance. From Carl Cox, Dave Angel, LTJ Bukem, Mr C, DJ Rap, John Digweed, and Kevin Saunderson, to Fabio & Grooverider, Shades of Rhythm, N-Joi and The Prodigy — the pioneers, the future icons, the sound of a cultural shift in motion.

A black and white illustration of a face with one eye and a hand in the top corner. The image contains text with lyrics about hearing bass, seeing lights, and feeling a heart beat, and features the title 'Rainance' repeatedly along.
A group of young people dancing and having fun at a crowded indoor party or concert, with some raising their hands and others talking, under dim lighting.

“You knew you’d arrived when you played at Raindance.”

— KEITH FLINT, THE PRODIGY

Crowd of people dancing and enjoying music at a concert or nightclub with dark lighting and some audience members raising their hands.
Two young men celebrating at a party or event, one wearing a black shirt with a pacifier attached to a string around his neck, and the other wearing a yellow sports jersey, both smiling and making fists. There is a woman in a neon yellow vest with writing on the back in the background.

THE DROME ERA

In early 1999, Mr Raindance was taken by a friend, Northern Paul, to view a potential new home for Raindance. The space — an unused car park beneath London Bridge — would soon become known as The Drome, later rebranded as SeOne.

It became Raindance’s home for more than a decade.

From 4th December 1999 through to New Year’s Eve 2010, Raindance staged over 40 events there, each with capacities exceeding 3,500. The cavernous, multi-room space allowed the brand to unite the different raving tribes that had evolved since the “Big Bang” of ’89.

Breakbeat hardcore. Jungle. Drum & Bass. Happy hardcore. Acid house and house music.

Under one roof.

A new playground — and a worthy successor to the Jenkins Lane era.

A woman smiling and pointing at the camera, wearing a yellow and purple jacket with smiley faces, a black cap, and earrings, at an indoor event.

NEVER STOP DANCING

It’s been over three decades since that first party and the culture never stood still. Sounds have shifted, scenes have splintered. New tribes have emerged.

Today our dancefloor is multi-generational. Those who stood in the circus tent at Jenkins Lane now share space with ravers raised on pirate radio archives, vinyl reissues and stories passed down like folklore. Foundation stands beside new sonic renegades — from Shades of Rhythm to Tim Reaper. Different eras. Same desire.

Raindance didn’t just follow the movement, it helped to shape it.

From Curtain Road to Hammersmith Apollo.
The Sanctuary to Bagleys. The Steel Yard. Electric Brixton. Berwick Manor. Brixton Academy. Heaven. And now fabric London.

The venues might have changed but the energy didn’t.

Raindance is a living part of UK rave culture - still loud, still independent, still raw.

Of the people. For the people.

Peace. Love. Unity. Raindance.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Man in a tuxedo and glasses wearing a fur coat at a party or nightclub, with other people in the background and dark lighting.
Crowd of people at a dance club with raised hands, dancing and socializing under colorful lights and a high ceiling. There is a DJ booth on an upper level with people, and large speakers and lighting equipment surround the scene.
Crowd of people dancing and socializing in a nightclub with brick walls and blue lighting.
A DJ at a club or event, smiling and raising one finger, wearing a black Nike cap and a "Pure Jungle" T-shirt with headphones around his neck, with a neon "Raindance" sign in the background.
A woman with long dark hair smiling in a crowd at a party or concert, holding a yellow smiley face sign with headphones and the text 'raindancerave.org' and 'Raindance' written on it, wearing a revealing black top, camouflage pants, and jewellery.