Saturday 21 March 2009

Ministers of sound - Dave Haslam dissects the rise and fall of starry DJs and club culture













The second half of the 1990s was the golden age of the big name club DJs, according to Dom Phillips. Sasha, Judge Jules, Paul Oakenfold and Fatboy Slim had become stars, regularly commanding fees of £10,000-plus for a three-hour set. DJs had graduated from behind the decks to the front cover of magazines, and, in Fatboy Slim's case, the tabloids, courtesy of his relationship with ZoĆ« Ball.

Acid house - the dance music revolution - was into its second phase. Illegal warehouse parties and unlicensed raves had been replaced by superclubs such as Cream and Ministry of Sound; Radio One schedules were emptied to make room for Pete Tong, Dave Pearce and Judge Jules; and dance music compilation albums were capable of selling 500,000 copies or more. As the scene became more mainstream through the 1990s, so did clubland's favourite drug, ecstasy.
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Dave Haslam

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