Everybody in the place – An Incomplete History of Britain 1984 -1992.
In this one hour long documentary Dweller presents the history of rave culture in Britain in the context of social and political shifts in 1980s Britain that took place during and after miner’s strikes of 1984 and 1985 – a major industrial action within the coal industry.
He juxtaposed those events in UK with the rise of Chicago House and Detroit techno, which gives us a broader perspective on the mood and happenings of that time. The time, when the capitalist dream of industrialised societies, like Britain or the ultra-modern city of Detroit – The Motown, was proving to be rather a nightmare, specifically for the working class people, who, paradoxically, were the very foundation of this system.
The struggles of working-class people and growing economic disparities in conjunction with the increasing power of workers’ unions created base for the strikes that divided society even more, and left the country in tatters. Thousands of people lost their jobs ethnic minorities were the group that suffered the most, as racial tensions grew during those cruel, dark times. Areas mostly affected were the once heavily relying on the industry like Manchester and other Northern England miners’ communities. At the same time workers and civil rights unions were uniting the collective struggle and the change was inevitable.
It’s worth emphasizing that the above movements and music genres first happened within the marginalised communities. In addition to the overall feeling of despair, those groups were experiencing additional pressure caused by racial prejudice, people turning against each other and the ones that looked or spoke differently were automatically the ones to blame for the mess that has been ubiquitous. Chicago House, Detroit techno and Uk rave culture, (started as amsound system culture within Afro-Caribean communities on a DYI basis, got pushed to mainstream by wealthier white people, consequently capitalised, monetized and irretrievably wounded as an effect).
A clear line can be drown from those day until maybe couple of years before the Brexit. Although I did not live through the miners strikes and missed out on the golden days of British rave I feel like we are living in a very similar reality now. The difference is, technology is way more advanced and took over every aspect of people’s lives. I feel like those it disabled people, especially the young ones, from the willingness to resist the system or at least some parts of it that are, without a doubt, detrimental to society and the world.
On a positive note, sound was the perpetrator of all those social and cultural and technological changes. I believe that it still has the same ability, just like the other forms of art, to communicate to the subliminal and can continue to support the changes. Because change is happening all the time, it never stops whether we want it or not. what we can do is influence the change somehow or remain indifferent and let the world unfold.
Can we regain control? By regaining control I don’t mean fighting the past (although sometimes it is necessary), not by rejecting what was and what is, but rather adapting to it and seeking positive changes from the moment of our conscious participation.
