A 12-part podcast written by Danny Brocklehurst and titled ‘Ecstasy: The Battle of Rave’ has been released by the BBC. Presented by Chris Warburton, a popular BBC radio presenter, this series centres on the U.K.’s history of rave and ecstasy. In this podcast Chris investigates the arrival of the rave scene during the late 1980s and into the early 1990s.
This half-documentary half-dramatised podcast is a combination of factual and dramatised episodes which explores the background behind the domination of acid house and the popular rave drug through a series of interviews with DJs, ravers, dealers, and other key players.
The ‘Ecstasy: The Battle of Rave’ series takes listeners on a music tour of the era with a specially curated soundtrack by Graeme Park, beginning with Chicago house influences and travelling through British acid house staples.
Danny Brocklehurst described ‘Ecstasy: The Battle of Rave’ as the story of how crime, youth culture and policing was changed by ecstasy in Britain during the 1980s. Brocklehurst stated that the story speaks about issues much larger than one single drug, adding that he has wanted to tell the story of this epic battle for a long time.
Listen here for ‘Ecstasy: The Battle of Rave‘
While “Ecstasy: The Battle of Rave” explores the historical roots of MDMA use in the UK rave scene, the issues surrounding ecstasy remain highly relevant in 2024. Recent reports from drug testing charity The Loop highlight ongoing concerns about MDMA safety at music festivals.
In June 2024, The Loop conducted tests at the Parklife festival in Manchester and in Bristol, revealing a worrying trend of super-strength MDMA pills in circulation. CEO Katy Porter reported that the average strength of tested pills had increased from around 140mg in 2023 to 180mg in 2024, with some pills effectively containing a “double dose” of the substance.
This tremendous increase in potency runs a really high risk of overdose, therefore, especially among younger and less experienced users who might think one pill means one dose. Hot summer festivals raise another danger: MDMA raises body temperature and the risk of dehydration.
Despite ongoing debates about harm reduction strategies, drug testing services have returned to UK festivals in 2024 under strict licensing conditions. These services aim to provide crucial information about drug content and strength, potentially saving lives by alerting users to particularly dangerous batches.
From this podcast series, that junction of music, culture, and drug use doesn’t ever seem to stop evolving either. If the rave scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s seems like ancient history now, its legacy—and the challenges that come with ongoing MDMA use—stay relevantly sharp for the present time and today’s festival scene.
Photo: “Rave” by Anthony Cunningham for Zoom Testing
This post was originally published in 2020. It was last updated in August 2024.
Zoom Testing is a leading UK drug testing company and a supplier of Drug Test Kits.
