Second Summer of Love
Encyclopedia
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
("Ecstasy")-fuelled rave
parties. The term generally refers to the summers of both 1988 and 1989 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. 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.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, during the rise of acid house
Acid house
Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
music and the euphoric explosion of unlicensed MDMA
Methylenedioxymethamphetamine
MDMA is an entactogenic drug of the phenethylamine and amphetamine class of drugs. In popular culture, MDMA has become widely known as "ecstasy" , usually referring to its street pill form, although this term may also include the presence of possible adulterants...
("Ecstasy")-fuelled rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
parties. The term generally refers to the summers of both 1988 and 1989 when electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
and the prevalence of the drug MDMA fuelled an explosion in youth culture culminating in mass free parties
Free party
A free party is a party "free" from the restrictions of the legal club scene, similar to the free festival movement. It typically involves a sound system playing electronic dance music from late at night until the time when the organisers decide to go home. A free party can be composed of just one...
and the era of the rave
Rave
Rave, rave dance, and rave party are parties that originated mostly from acid house parties, which featured fast-paced electronic music and light shows. At these parties people dance and socialize to dance music played by disc jockeys and occasionally live performers...
. LSD was also widely available and popular again. The music of this era fused dance beats with a psychedelic, 1960s flavour, and the dance culture drew parallels with the hedonism
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
and freedom
Liberty
Liberty is a moral and political principle, or Right, that identifies the condition in which human beings are able to govern themselves, to behave according to their own free will, and take responsibility for their actions...
of the Summer of Love
Summer of Love
The Summer of Love was a social phenomenon that occurred during the summer of 1967, when as many as 100,000 people converged on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, creating a cultural and political rebellion...
in San Francisco two decades earlier. Similarities with the Sixties included fashions such as Tie-dye
Tie-dye
Tie-dye is a process of resist dyeing textiles or clothing which is made from knit or woven fabric, usually cotton; typically using bright colors. It is a modern version of traditional dyeing methods used in many cultures throughout the world. "Tie-dye" can also describe the resulting pattern or an...
. The smiley
Smiley
A smiley, smiley face, or happy face, is a stylized representation of a smiling human face, commonly occurring in popular culture. It is commonly represented as a yellow circle with two black dots representing eyes and a black arc representing the mouth...
logo is synonymous with this period in the UK.
Account of the Second Summer of Love
- Hanif Kureshi's novel The Black Album is set during this period.
- A number of works by Irvine WelshIrvine WelshIrvine Welsh is a contemporary Scottish novelist, best known for his novel Trainspotting. His work is characterised by raw Scottish dialect, and brutal depiction of the realities of Edinburgh life...
, including The Acid HouseThe Acid HouseThe Acid House is a 1994 book by Irvine Welsh, later made into a film. It is a collection of short stories, with each story featuring a new set of characters and scenarios.-Stories:...
, 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.
See also
- Summer of LoveSummer of LoveThe Summer of Love was a social phenomenon that occurred during the summer of 1967, when as many as 100,000 people converged on the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, creating a cultural and political rebellion...
(the first, San Francisco, 1967) - MadchesterMadchesterMadchester was a music scene that developed in Manchester, England, towards the end of the 1980s and into the early 1990s. The music that emerged from the scene mixed alternative rock, psychedelic rock and dance music...
- House musicHouse musicHouse music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
- Alternative danceAlternative danceAlternative dance or indie dance is a musical genre that mixes rock subgenres with electronic dance music...
Further reading
Listed alphabetically by last name:- 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 BussmannJane BussmannJane Bussmann is a comedian and author who has written for television and radio. Her credits include The Fast Show, Smack the Pony, Brass Eye, Jam and South Park, as well as the radio series Bussmann and Quantick Kingsize with David Quantick...
-- 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 ReynoldsSimon ReynoldsSimon Reynolds is an English music critic who is well-known for his writings on electronic dance music and for coining the term "post-rock". Besides electronic dance music, Reynolds has written about a wide range of artists and musical genres, and has written books on post-punk and rock...
-- Generation Ecstasy: into the world of techno and rave culture. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 1998. ISBN 0-316-74111-6.