Second Summer of Love

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The Second Summer of Love is a name given to the period in 1988-89 in Britain, during the rise of acid house music and the euphoric explosion of unlicensed MDMA-fuelled rave parties.[1] The term generally refers to the summers of both 1988 and 1989[2][3] when electronic dance music and the prevalence of the drug MDMA fuelled an explosion in youth culture culminating in mass free parties and the era of the rave. LSD was also widely available and popular again[citation needed]. The music of this era fused dance beats with a psychedelic, 1960s flavour, and the dance culture drew parallels with the hedonism and freedom of the Summer of Love in San Francisco two decades earlier. Similarities with the Sixties included fashions such as Tie-dye. The smiley logo is synonymous with this period in the UK.

Contents

Setting [edit]

Consisting of multiple London clubs, the Second Summer of Love began in 1988.[4] The clubs that featured much of the action were Shoom and Future.[4] These were maintained and organized by Danny Rampling and Paul Oakenfold, respectively, whom were both inspired after taking a trip to Ibiza.[4] Ibiza was the location of the emergence of acid house music and the basic club scene. In the early stages of the Second Summer Love, the events and parties were underground and illegal.[5] They traveled by mouth to people that enjoyed the anonymity. The symbol of the time became a smiley face after the London crowd picked up the design when it was posted on one of the flyers during the third Shoom party.[4] Because of the dehydration effects of ecstasy and MDMA, people emphasized the presence of water and Lucozade, an energy drink made by GlaxoSmithKline, were beverages that people consumed.[4] Ice pops were commonly popular. Hana Borrowman, a frequenter to the Hacienda club, said:

Just when the hallucinogens were kicking in and the dance floor was so full with smoke you couldn't see or breathe, they'd hand out ice pops to everyone.[4]

People also wore baggy clothing to combat the heat inside of the clubs.[4]

Music [edit]

Acid house and electronic dance music were the types of music during the Second Summer of Love. Main properties of this form of music include deep and crushing bass.[5] It originated in Chicago and took on new qualities when it came to Europe.[5] Songs from the time period include "Mystery of Love" by Fingers Inc., "I've Lost Control" by Sleezy D, and "Your Only Friend" by Phuture.[6] Moving the Second Summer of Love from underground events to overground, large raves was Wayne Anthony at his warehouse party called Genesis in Aldgate of east London.[4]

Significance of drugs [edit]

MDMA was the drug of choice during the time. LSD was still present, just not as prominent as the usage of ecstasy. Mark Moore, owner of a club called S'Express, noted:

It definitely took ecstasy to change things. People would take their first ecstasy and it was almost as if they were born again.[4]

Users were often strayed away from violence due the feelings of euphoria, love and empathy caused by ecstasy.[5] The drug also increased the enjoyment of the music and encouraged widespread dancing throughout the clubs.[5] Nicky Holloway, a DJ from the time, explains:

The ecstasy and music came together. It was all part of the package... That may sound a little sad, but there's no way acid house would have taken off the way it did without ecstasy.[4]

Account of the Second Summer of Love [edit]

  • Hanif Kureshi's novel The Black Album is set during this period.
  • A number of works by Irvine Welsh, including The Acid House, are set in this period.
  • The Summer Of Rave, 1989 (2006) - Documentary by the BBC on the development of rave culture in the United Kingdom during the summer of 1989.[7]

See also [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Reynolds, Simon (1998). Energy Flash. Picador. ISBN 0-330-35056-0. 
  2. ^ Elledge, Jonn (2005-01-11). "Stuck still". AK13. Retrieved 2006-06-13. , "By the end of 1988, the second summer of love was over"
  3. ^ "History of Hard House". Retrieved 2006-06-13. "As the second "Summer of Love" arrived in 1989"
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Bainbridge, Luke (April 19, 2008). "A second summer of love". The Guardian. 
  5. ^ a b c d e Nickson, Chris (April 24, 2010). "The Second Summer of Love". Ministry of Rock. 
  6. ^ Savage, Jon (April 19, 2008). "Back to the old house". The Observer. 
  7. ^ "Jacques Peretti: History in the remaking". The Guardian (London). 2006-06-10. Retrieved 2008-12-17. 

Further reading [edit]

  • Wayne Anthony-- Class of 88. London: Virgin Books, 1998. ISBN 0-7535-0240-2. A street-level account of the warehouse party/rave scene from one of the organisers at the time.
  • Jane Bussmann-- Once in a Lifetime: The Crazy Days of Acid House and Afterwards, Virgin Books 1998. ISBN 0-7535-0260-7
  • Matthew Collin-- Altered States: The Story of Ecstasy and Acid House London: 1997 : Serpent's Tail—How rave dances began in Manchester, England in the Summer of 1988 (the [second] "Summer of Love") and the aftermath.
  • Sheryl Garratt-- Adventures In Wonderland: A Decade Of Club Culture Headline: 1999—The book chronicles the growth of house music & club culture, including a lot of detail on the 2nd Summer of Love
  • Simon Reynolds-- Generation Ecstasy: into the world of techno and rave culture. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1998. ISBN 0-316-74111-6.
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