90s Rave Photography Archive

Before the scene was documented

The early UK rave scene was not especially well photographed. Not because nobody cared, but because the conditions made it genuinely difficult: low light, constant movement, film that punished exposure errors, and a culture that had little interest in press coverage. Most events left behind a flyer, some bootleg recordings and the memories of people who were there.

What photography existed from this period was often incidental. Snapshots taken by clubbers, promotional shots staged for magazines that were themselves finding their footing. The idea of systematic documentary coverage was largely absent from most nights.

The result is that photographs from this era, made in the room with direct access and across a sustained period, are rare. Not archivally curated or assembled retrospectively. Made at the time, in the conditions of the time, as the thing was happening.

What the archive covers

The 90s rave photography archive documents underground events, warehouse nights, regional club scenes and the early dancefloors that preceded the superclub era. The work spans:

• Warehouse and outdoor events on the early UK rave circuit
• Regional club nights across the South of England and Dorset, including Destiny rave events, Madisons in Bournemouth, The Manor in Dorset and early nights across the South Coast
• Dancefloors, crowd behaviour and the physical atmosphere of the pre-internet era
• DJs, promoters and the people running the scene from within it
• Lighting rigs, smoke, staging and the production aesthetic of the period
• The edges and in-between moments: car parks, corridors, the hours before and after

The images were made on film throughout this period. For many editorial, documentary and publishing uses, the grain, tonal range and physical character of that film work is part of its value.

Why this era is different to what came later

The UK rave scene changed significantly between 1993 and 1998. What started as an underground movement with loose organisation, informal venues and a genuine sense of illegality became, by the late 1990s, a commercial proposition with professional production, branded club nights and mainstream media coverage.

The photography from the earlier period has a different texture as a result. The venues were rougher, the lighting less controlled, the access more informal. There was no media strategy, no designated photo area, no PR liaison. You were in the room because you knew people in the room, and you photographed what was in front of you.

That quality of access, and the absence of mediation, is part of what makes these images useful to researchers, editors and documentary makers working with this period. They show the scene as it was, rather than as it later chose to represent itself.

The later years, the Gatecrasher era, Slinky, Godskitchen and the trance superclubs, are documented in separate sections of the archive, each with their own context and character.

Documentary and broadcast

Film and television projects covering the rave scene, electronic music culture, British social history or specific events and figures from the period. Photography made inside the scene at the time carries a different evidential weight from stock imagery or reconstruction.

Brand and design research

Companies working with 90s aesthetics, archive imagery or cultural reference from the period for campaigns, visual identities or editorial projects.

Licensing and archive access

Images from this section of the archive are available for editorial, documentary, publishing, exhibition and carefully assessed commercial use.

Because the photographs were made in public and semi-public spaces and document real people in uncontrolled situations, licensing is handled on a case-by-case basis. The intended use, context, territory and duration all affect what is and is not available for a given project.

To enquire about archive access, send over the project details, including the publication or production name, intended use, territory, duration and any deadline. The more specific the brief, the faster the conversation. For full details on how licensing works, see the music photography licensing page.

About the photographer

Paul Underhill began photographing UK rave culture in 1993, initially on film, building an archive across fifteen years of sustained documentary work. Alongside the event photography, he shot regularly for DJ Mag, Mixmag, Muzik, IDJ and Ministry throughout the magazine era, worked as official photographer at Reading Festival in 2002 and 2003, and completed a seven-year international period covering events across more than 20 countries.

The 90s rave archive represents the earliest work in the collection: the years before the scene was commercially mediated, before the publications had settled into their later form, and before most people considered that what was happening was worth photographing carefully.

Further sections of the archive are documented in the UK Superclub Era Photography Archive and across the wider music culture photography archive.

Browse the Archive

This section forms part of a wider first-hand archive of UK rave, club, trance and dance music culture. Each section covers a distinct period or area of the work.

UK Superclub Era Photography Archive

Gatecrasher, Slinky, Godskitchen and Cream. The late 1990s and early 2000s: the branded club nights, arena events and festival stages that followed the earlier underground years, with their own distinct visual identity and scale.

Dance Music Festival Photography Archive

Large-scale outdoor festival photography from the UK and internationally. Stages, crowds and production across events from Global Gathering and Reading Festival to Big Beach Boutique II and international festivals with crowds exceeding 100,000.

Music Photography Licensing

Images from across the archive are available for editorial, documentary, broadcast, publishing, exhibition and brand use. Details on archive access, image selection and licensing enquiries.