New Rave

tagStarted c. 2005Peak 2006-2008Last big hit active mostly as revival/period referenceFrom United Kingdom

Located in 3 routes

New Rave is mid-2000s indie rock and electronic music dressed in rave color: fluorescent fashion, punk energy, distorted synths, dance beats, shouty vocals, and chaotic club-band performance. It was more scene term than stable genre, but it captured a moment when guitar bands, electro DJs, and youth fashion borrowed rave's visual language without fully returning to 1990s rave music.

History

The label centered on UK acts and nightlife around Klaxons, New Young Pony Club, Hadouken!, Shitdisco, Late of the Pier, Does It Offend You, Yeah?, Trash, NME coverage, and electro/indie club circuits. Digitalism, Justice, Simian Mobile Disco, CSS, and Soulwax overlapped through DJ sets and blog circulation even when they were not strictly "new rave" bands. The term burned out quickly, but it helped mark the rock'n'rave bridge between post-punk revival and bloghouse.

Defining artists

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Essential listening

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Sources

  • The Guardian Trash club history
  • NME/new-rave retrospectives
  • Resident Advisor bloghouse history
  • Discogs release listings