Frankie Bones on the UK rave scene… [February 1990]
For US-based DJs coming to Europe in the late 80s and early 90s, the rave scene must have been eye-opening – the ‘do it yourself’ ethic, coupled with a soupçon of absolute hedonism, was somewhat different to what was going on Stateside.
For Frankie Bones, speaking here to Rave magazine in 1990, the difference was stark.. and breathtaking.
“New York people can’t accept London,” he says. “They’re not ready for London and what’s going on here. You know, thousands of people in a field doing drugs. In New York it could never happen.”
Praising the level of DJ talent in the UK at the time, Bones also suggests that the 25,000 capacity raves being staged during that period would have been a recipe for disaster in the States.
“You put 25,000 people in an aircraft hangar in Brooklyn, and you’re going to walk away with casualties. People are going to die. It’s a territorial thing. But in London, you find West End guys with East End guys, blacks with whites, all raving together. That’s nice.”
Later in the interview, he also recalls his first UK rave, an Energy event, in blissful detail.
“When we got up on the stage it was six o clock in the morning, and I was totally straight. I didn’t drink, I didn’t smoke, I didn’t do anything. It was great. It was an amazing feeling seeing how all the people reacted, and everybody was really high and they really got into the music.”
Halcyon days indeed…
[Article published in Rave magazine, February 1990. Scan taken from the It’s All About Flyers discussion forum]
About Post Author
