Pause for the Cause: London Rave Adverts 1991-1996, Vol. 2

Death Is Not The End

DEATH061

Cassette

$16.50

SHIPS BY 2026-11-13

Available on cassette
Compilation of UK pirate radio advertisements
Captures the hustling energy of the 90s underground micro-economy of rave culture

Description

Back in the early ‘90s, whenever the pirate radio MC announced “a pause for the cause”, I usually pressed pause on my cassette recorder. That’s something I would regret years later, when ad breaks had become cherished mementos of the hardcore rave era. Luckily, back in the day I often left the tape running while I went off to do something else. So a fair number of ad breaks got captured accidentally for my later delectation. Not nearly enough, though. So in recent years I started combing through the immense number of pirate radio sets archived on the internet. Sometimes the tracklists would note “ad break” or “ads”, helping to narrow the search. But often I’d just stumble on a bunch in the middle of a pirate show preserved on YouTube or an oldskool blog. A few of my original unintended “saves” and latterday “finds” are included in this wonderful collection by audio archaeologist Luke Owen. It’s the latest in his series of compilations of UK pirate radio advertisements, with this volume focusing on the audio equivalent of the rave flyer: MCs breathlessly hyping a club night or upcoming rave, listing the lineup of deejays and MCs, boasting about hi-tech attractions like lasers and projections, mentioning prices and nearest landmarks to the venue, and occasionally promising “clean toilets” and “tight but polite security” (“sensible security” is another variation). Some of these ads are etched into my brain as lividly as the classic hardcore and jungle tunes of that time. (Most rave ads incorporate snippets of current music, of course – big anthems and obscure “mystery tracks” alike). Names of deejays ring out like mythological figures: who were Shaggy & Breeze, Kieran the Herbalist, Tinrib, Food Junkie? Putting on my serious hat for a moment, I think these ads are valuable deposits of sociocultural data, capturing the hustling energy of an underground micro-economy in which promoters, deejays and MCs competed for a larger slice of the dancing audience. But mostly, they are hard hits of pure nostalgic pleasure, amusing and thrilling through their blend of period charm, endearing amateurism, and contagiously manic excitement about rave music’s forward-surge into an unknown future. The best of these ads give me a memory-rush to rival the top tunes and MC routines of the era.

— Simon Reynolds

Artist Bio

1 Intro (Don Ads)
2 Don's st Birthday
3 Telepathy Man II
4 Junglists & Junglettes
5 The Sound of the Underground
6 Boogie Beat Promo
7 Tribal Dance
8 Lost & Found
9 Music Power Ilford
10 Dance Xplosion Pt. II
11 Think of the Future
12 Advertising Eruption
13 Club Booyaka
14 The Way It Was
15 Get the Buzz
16 Washing the Dishes
17 Fusion
18 Smithy's House
19 Rumble in the Jungle
20 Bear Necessities
21 Brave New World II
22 Double Dipped & Every Picture Tells a Story
23 Halloween Spooktacular
24 Total Music
25 Atmosphere
26 Hocus Pocus
27 Don Merchandise
28 Teen Rage
29 Innersense
30 Adventures in a Land of Music
31 Hi Poison Demos
32 Telepathy Man III
33 Wax City Records
34 Energy Ads
35 Leading the Ravers Forward

Pause for the Cause: London Rave Adverts 1991-1996, Vol. 2

Preview Tracklist

1 Intro (Don Ads)

2 Don's st Birthday

3 Telepathy Man II

4 Junglists & Junglettes

5 The Sound of the Underground

6 Boogie Beat Promo

7 Tribal Dance

8 Lost & Found

9 Music Power Ilford

10 Dance Xplosion Pt. II

11 Think of the Future

12 Advertising Eruption

13 Club Booyaka

14 The Way It Was

15 Get the Buzz

16 Washing the Dishes

17 Fusion

18 Smithy's House

19 Rumble in the Jungle

20 Bear Necessities

21 Brave New World II

22 Double Dipped & Every Picture Tells a Story

23 Halloween Spooktacular

24 Total Music

25 Atmosphere

26 Hocus Pocus

27 Don Merchandise

28 Teen Rage

29 Innersense

30 Adventures in a Land of Music

31 Hi Poison Demos

32 Telepathy Man III

33 Wax City Records

34 Energy Ads

35 Leading the Ravers Forward