From sun-splashed warehouse mornings to the pulse of fast-cut breakbeats, the Midlands rave scene between 1988 and 1995 shaped a generation, and “Hold Tight Raver” is here to tell their story. Co-directors Keith Allott and Rory Booth have just released this feature-length YouTube documentary, crowdfunded by passionate fans, that traces the region’s journey from underground drum and bass parties to the splintering of jungle techno in the mid-’90s.
What to Expect
• Insider Voices: “I’d never felt the bass hit me like that—pure freedom,” recalls one dancer, setting the tone for more than thirty interviews. You’ll hear DJs describe midnight tape-trading networks between Leicester and Birmingham, while club-goers conjure “sweat-soaked floors and makeshift light rigs” that transformed industrial spaces into euphoric havens.
• Rare Visuals: Digitised flyers, hand-painted posters and grainy camcorder clips are woven together to illustrate the DIY ethos of the era. From back-garden raves to one-off “free parties,” every frame underscores how creativity thrived under the radar.
• Scene Evolution: As jungle techno splintered into drum & bass, interviewees reflect on moments of loss and reinvention: “When the breaks spawned new subgenres, I felt both excited and nostalgic for the unity we once had.”
Why You Should Watch
Produced entirely from public donations and a sold-out proof-of-concept screening at Phoenix Cinema, Hold Tight Raver is grassroots at its core. Unlike mainstream music histories, “Hold Tight Raver” centres the voices of everyday participants—from bedroom DJs with dusty reel-to-reel decks to club-regular dancers whose careers took flight on breakbeats. You’ll discover how those “splintered genres” mirrored broader social shifts—and how nostalgia keeps that spirit alive today.
👉 Watch “Hold Tight Raver” now on YouTube and become part of the party: experience how a Midlands subculture shaped lives, sounds and memories that still reverberate across UK dance floors.
