Here are the tunes that made it all happen, rave tunes that defined a genre, in our opinion. These are the BANGERS that made the UK rave scene so influential in the history of dance music. The tracks are in no specific order, they’re all considered just as important.
Edge #1 – Compnded – 1992
It’s right up there with being the most recognised and famous rave tune ever made and no, its not a typo. Gordon Laing Matthewman, aka DJ Edge from Hull, Yorkshire, England made this monumental track and was the founder of Edge records. You couldn’t go to any club or event in 1992 without hearing this one. Rave. Royalty.
Bizarre Inc. – Such a Feeling – 1991
This is the one, the one that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end whenever I heard it, and we heard it a lot in 1991, it hit number 13 in the UK singles charts. A thumping piano vocal track that literally got me into this whole thing, once I heard this tune it was all over, this was the music for me. ‘Playing With Knives‘ was by far the more popular track by Bizarre Inc. but it came nowhere close to this banger for me.
Joey Beltram – Energy Flash – 1990
Beltram from New York was 19 years old in 1990 when he made one of the most influential dance tracks of all time.
“I sampled just a normal bass, just a plain boring bass from my “Roland JX-3” and played it back and messed with the filters in the “Casio” (sampler). Added a little attack on the resonance, so it would sound a little different depending on how you’d press the key on the velocity. I got that “Energy Flash” bass tone thing, and it just sounded great. It’s the same thing for the bassline, the lower bassline. It’s the same sound, just played two octaves lower. So it all was just coming out of the “Casio”, that was it, I’d made my little “Energy Flash” bass. I’m surprised, that people still today are interested in the record.”
Incubus – The Spirit – 1991
Massive anthem from the Netherlands, the lyrics; ‘Like A Mighty Wind, Spirit Come Down, Come Rushing In‘ taken from ‘Tramaine – Fall Down (Spirit Of Love) (Dub Version)‘
Outlander – Vamp – 1991
Outlander, Marcos Salon, was a Belgian techno and house producer & DJ who lit up UK dance floors with this monster techno 1991 banger.
Love Decade – So Real – 1991
Another rave track that was so popular it made the UK top 40, peaking at number 14 in November 1991. Beats, piano and a cracking vocal by Jerome Stokes who also ended up working with N-Trance.
SL2 – DJ’s Take Control – 1991
My favourite ever tune by DJ Slipmatt with his buddy DJ Lime as SL2, nostalgia has a lot to do with it but it was an atmospheric belter that samples ‘Let the Music Use You‘ by ‘The Nightwriters‘ with the break taken from ‘Give It Up‘ by ‘Kool & the Gang‘.
The Prodigy – Your Love – 1991
Huge piano monster from the Prodigy that lit up dancefloors in 1991 and beyond, a b-side to Charly. This was a B-SIDE!
T99 – Anasthasia – 1991
Olivier Abbeloos made this seminal banger from 1991 with a rave stab that is still sampled to this day, this tune dominated the UK rave scene in 1991.
Zero B – Lock Up – 1991
Uplifting banger that was everywhere in 1991 and beyond, plays in a hardcore or house set. I always preferred ‘Module‘ on this vinyl but I can’t deny the reach this track had.